Island Packet: the right boat for remote voyaging?

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

The OP made it clear he wants to visit remote places.

So the question to be answered for this guy, who is researching, is: is a 35ft.-ish IP suitable for remote single-and short-crewed voyaging?

The fact he's looking at IPs indicates he's done some preliminary research on "capable, or sturdy, (or whatever) long-distance cruisers, so it's not as if he's going off in the wrong direction.

Perhaps other actual IP owners will respond to give advice based on first-hand experience with Island Packets.

Or there could be more posts trying to tell him how to do something he's indicated he doesn't want to do.

Thank you!

[JPA Cate]

We have 7/2" (2.2 m.) draft. Yes, people go places in catamarans that our vessel cannot access. So yes, we missed them. However some of those places are also full of sandflies, and mosquitoes, which I prefer to avoid.

Yes, Lawnmower, an IP can take you where you want to go, and you will learn along the way, as you go. Whether what you find will meet your expectations, or not, is something you'll be able to answer after the fact.

Ann

[Eder]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

I do love the styling of the IP's. Did you find you stopped in a lot of places where say a 2m+ draft boat might not have ventured? Were there a lot of places you would have liked to have gone with an even shallower draft?

Nope...5' draft was fine for anywhere in the Tuamotu's .

[leecea]

going for months without significant re-supply

You may have researched this already, but this probably means an investment in solar power, a largish battery bank, and a water maker. A quick search on YachtWorld found an Island Packet 380 at $155K that has the watermaker and solar setup already, plus some other newish stuff. I guess my point is to try and estimate the total cost of what you'll need and perhaps you can buy a boat with some of the stuff done already.

[Bowdrie]

The numbers on the IPs; DL, SA/wetted surface, BL, SA/displacement, etc., really aren't all that bad.
The biggest issue that handicaps their sailing ability is the huge amount of free-water acreage between the end of the keel and the rudder post with the prop hanging in there without any fairing/aperture, it's a "big drag", so to speak.
They are burdensome in their shape and will carry a lot of weight in stores and assorted stuff/junk.
A set of well-cut sails from a sailmaker that understands what is needed in a boat of that type/shape really helps.

[smj]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We have 7/2" (2.2 m.) draft. Yes, people go places in catamarans that our vessel cannot access. So yes, we missed them. However some of those places are also full of sandflies, and mosquitoes, which I prefer to avoid.

Yes, Lawnmower, an IP can take you where you want to go, and you will learn along the way, as you go. Whether what you find will meet your expectations, or not, is something you'll be able to answer after the fact.

Ann

The Prout can also avoid those places, by anchoring in deeper water[emoji16].
But seriously, the shallow draft opens up areas where the deeper draft vessels can’t go, which is a huge benefit.

[jt11791]

Draft is not generally an issue in the south Pacific where the anchorages are deep. The water tends to be 1m deep or 1000m, without much in-between. Bring a lot of chain. From the Marquesas through Fiji it was rare to anchor in fewer than 15m, and 20-25m was common. The shallower atoll lagoons are best explored by dinghy.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

Viewing a 32 tomorrow! What do you like about them in particular?

i chartered a 32 once and liked it a lot. it stood up to 20 knots of wind like a champ. the interior was very nice and would be fantastic for single handing. the steering wheel could take some getting used to. i think you could do well with cruising in this one.

[Searles]

You may not be aware ,but all the remote islands in the Pacific Ocean are owned by some country or nation ,it is not a good idea just to go barging onto someone else’s island just because you want too ,protocols must be observed , .⛵️⚓️

[singlespeed]

You fail to mention any mechanical aptitude or actual experience in Marine diesels, which you consider your primary means of propulsion. Many remote islands do not have emergency services, so if you have an accident or injury, you are on your own. Understand that fuel is very expensive in remote areas. Ciguatera is common in the tropics, so any fishing will need to be done offshore, outside the reef. That mean a dinghy with an outboard, which means you will also have to carry gas. All those videos that show the idyllic cruising life don't reflect reality. No one wants to watch a boring video of a cruiser, spending a whole day cleaning the marine growth off the hull or fixing a plugged marine head, so those activities are never filmed. Ask any fulltime cruiser on there how much time they spend on repairs and maintenance, you will be surprised. The cruiser lifestyle is great, but the saying that "cruising is working on your boat in beautiful anchorages" is very much rooted in the truth. The ability to fix it yourself not only makes cruising safer for you, but will save you a lot of time and money.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Searles

You may not be aware ,but all the remote islands in the Pacific Ocean are owned by some country or nation ,it is not a good idea just to go barging onto someone else’s island just because you want too ,protocols must be observed , .⛵️⚓️

I don't get where you're coming from with this comment - obviously I understand that, I've visited some of them already.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by singlespeed

You fail to mention any mechanical aptitude or actual experience in Marine diesels, which you consider your primary means of propulsion. Many remote islands do not have emergency services, so if you have an accident or injury, you are on your own. Understand that fuel is very expensive in remote areas. Ciguatera is common in the tropics, so any fishing will need to be done offshore, outside the reef. That mean a dinghy with an outboard, which means you will also have to carry gas. All those videos that show the idyllic cruising life don't reflect reality. No one wants to watch a boring video of a cruiser, spending a whole day cleaning the marine growth off the hull or fixing a plugged marine head, so those activities are never filmed. Ask any fulltime cruiser on there how much time they spend on repairs and maintenance, you will be surprised. The cruiser lifestyle is great, but the saying that "cruising is working on your boat in beautiful anchorages" is very much rooted in the truth. The ability to fix it yourself not only makes cruising safer for you, but will save you a lot of time and money.

The reason I haven't mentioned my experience with diesel engines is because I'm not sure it's relevant to choosing between one model of island packet or another, or another boat entirely, which is the purpose of this topic.

Thanks for the warning

[Sundial]

I have a 1989 IP 35. I love it for the most part. Issues: chainplates, we replaced them. Water tank: needs replacing, it is in a horrible location, and is made of aluminum.
This boat can be sing
Le handed and has plenty of room for two.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

Hey everyone,

I'm new to sailing and looking for a boat that I can grow into and take me and a couple of (intermittent) guests around the world, I'm particularly interested in spending a long time cruising the Pacific and exploring remote reefs and atolls, living at anchor and going for months without significant re-supply.

I'm not particularly interested in sailing for the pure joy of being pushed around by wind, rather I see sailing as a means to go places that would otherwise be very difficult/more costly.

I think the storage, tankage, shallow draft, overall construction, cockpit size, headroom (I'm 6'3") of the island packets could be ideal for my needs. I also think the interiors just look fantastic! My budget is $125k at the top end and I love the look of the 380 (maybe out of budget) and the 350 (perhaps too small?). Older models are also of interest too however I'm keen to avoid having to replace tanks and chainplates as I hear these are common issues with pre-1997 models and tricky/expensive to fix.

I'd love to hear from Island packet owners, particularly what your thoughts are on the suitability of these boats for my purposes (inc. any particular models) and also just general comments about your experiences living aboard and long distance cruising on an island packet.

The other option I'm considering is a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey (around 40ft) from 2000-2007, basically for the sole reason that they're just so much boat for the money and seem to be built fairly solidly compared to other similar boats.

(Also for the well intentioned folk who want to say - get some more experience etc before deciding to sail RTW and buy a boat etc - thanks in advance for your comments).

Was the thread title a joke/intended or typo/AutoCorrect error?

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Sundial

I have a 1989 IP 35. I love it for the most part. Issues: chainplates, we replaced them. Water tank: needs replacing, it is in a horrible location, and is made of aluminum.
This boat can be sing
Le handed and has plenty of room for two.

Nice! Have you ever looked around a 32? If so, any thoughts on how they compare?

I just checked one out, I found the aft seat in the cockpit was a bit close to the wheel, also the bathroom/shower was a bit cramped. Other than that I loved it.