1987 Island Packet

[letsgetsailing3]

Oh, wow. That one looks pretty sweet!

Is that the boat they were sailing on, or did they buy it just to fix it up? Why are they on an IP 27 if they have this one?

[fishin4bogey]

DD, I believe that's the one. It really is a magnificent boat, and Ceal, and Kevin have some serious skills to get it up to that condition.

[fishin4bogey]

Let's, if I remember her blog, the 38 was in Bermuda, and it was one of those " We can't walk away from this" kind of thing. Sounds like the price was very right. I may have to play Powerball this weekend....

[azsailor12]

That 38 looks very nice, but I'm surprised it needed an engine rebuild already. That's a lot of motoring in 13 yrs.

[Hud3]

The IP 380 is "Triple Stars". She was abandoned by the husband during the 2011 NARC rally after his wife was swept overboard by a huge wave.

The boat drifted for eight months, being spotted by ships from time to time, and was finally towed into Bermuda by a fisherman, where it sat on the hard for more months. The current owners bought it as a fixer-upper and had it shipped to Jacksonville, FL.

That's why everything is new.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Hud3

The IP 380 is "Triple Stars". She was abandoned by the husband during the 2011 NARC rally after his wife was swept overboard by a huge wave.

The boat drifted for eight months, being spotted by ships from time to time, and was finally towed into Bermuda by a fisherman, where it sat on the hard for more months. The current owners bought it as a fixer-upper and had it shipped to Jacksonville, FL.

That's why everything is new.

Thanks for the background story. Very interesting.

[gonesail]

it is beyond me (then again i am not a boat builder) why IP would put tanks below the floor (a good thing) and not install panels that could be removed to access the tanks (a bad thing) requiring you to cut thru both wood and fiberglass sub floors. guess nobody expected these boats to last beyond 15 or 20 years

[a64pilot]

I'm new at this, but as far as I can tell, EVERY boat has some kind of Achilles heel. I've yet to find one that didn't, guess the IP's is the tanks.
Went to see the boat today, tanks looked fine, no leaks, but how can you tell if they are solid or have .0001 metal left before they leak?
Blackwater tank seemed easy to replace, just the fuel and water one looked difficult and I assume it's the water one that is the issue not the fuel tank?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by gonesail

it is beyond me (then again i am not a boat builder) why IP would put tanks below the floor (a good thing) and not install panels that could be removed to access the tanks (a bad thing) requiring you to cut thru both wood and fiberglass sub floors. guess nobody expected these boats to last beyond 15 or 20 years

It's kind of annoying. It would seem to be something that could have been engineered around in terms of accessibility. I guess that's what you would call "planned obsolescence".

[Lantau]

Chainplates. Chainplates. Chainplates. The problem is that you cannot know that they are OK because they are glassed in. To get at them to check them involves most of the work to replace them, and even then you'd really have to take them out to be sure -- and why would you reinstall the old ones instead of new ones. If you're sailing around a pond, this doesn't matter. If you are going offshore, I think it's crazy not to replace the chainplates. Big, big job. And then there are the aluminum tanks to worry about, but at least those won't lead to catastrophe...

[fishin4bogey]

My 23' Dusky is the same way. I have an access cover to the hose, and fuel guage float, but if that thing ever has to come out, the entire forward deck comes off. Saws, chisels, ice cold beverages, and lots of colorful adjectives would be used.

Or a $10.00 For Sale sign from Lowes!!!

[CaptainBW]

Previous posts are correct...chain plates and tanks (mostly holding tank).

If the chain plates were rebedded on a regular basis (if Silpruf was used to rebed, that can go for at least 3 years - otherwise it is recommended annually) then you should not have a problem. I have heard they can be xrayed to inspect them but do not know how that works in detail. They is a detailed photo post of replacing them on ipphotos.com. You can also call the factory and ask about that. The factory is very helpful.

Hud is right about the tanks. Most IP owners filter the water before filling the water tank and this will mitigate the risk of that tank developing leaks. The holding tank is the main issue. If fresh water is used to flush the head then you should be ok. If not, price in the replacement of the holding tank. Many owners do it themselves and have posted info on ipphotos.com and there are lots of threads on iphomeport.com about holding tanks. I am not sure how you can tell how advanced the tank corrosion is. I seem to remember that replacing the tank on a 38 is not as destructive...it is under the settee??

The deck is solid glass so no worries about rot, and all of the IPs are very comfortable and very well built. The normal problem areas are far outweighed by the design and quality of the boats. Some models sail better up wind than others but it is not as bad as some say it is. As for the backing, with a variable prop our 40 backs almost perfectly straight, and using a back and fill technique makes it very predictable...not an issue. Check to see what kind of prop you are getting.

[a64pilot]

This boat has already had the holding tank replaced, and your correct it doesn't look hard to do. I would have gone back with plastic, but the one there is a factory replacement aluminum tank.
This boat is weird, it is obviously a cruising boat, that has not cruised, it's apparently been a dockominum or whatever they are called.
I'd bet pretty much nothing at all has been done to the chain plates, so I will have as good a look as I can.

[DDabs]

Which boat do you have an offer on? A 38?

[a64pilot]

It's a 38