Island Packet: the right boat for remote voyaging?

[jhstacy]

My first 3 boats were Hunters.. Good Boats. But my current boat is an IP-35. I have spent a good deal of money upgrading and refreshing everything in her and she is pretty much perfect. IP-35's have circumnavigated but I have to say, if there is a next boat as I have similar plans as you have listed, it will be a larger IP. There is no other choice for me.

[RedneckRedcoat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I would forget about a monohull and go for a Prout Snowgoose, shallow draught, stable, plenty of accommodation, 2 doubles, 1 single not counting the salon.
Fit a water maker and your independent to a large extent.
If you eat fish that helps with food.
With the cat you can beach it and carry out Hull work at low water.
They're going for between $60k & $80k on Yachtworld so that leaves a fair bit of change for your watermaker/solar etc fit out.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/snowgoose-37-prout/

Why ??? There is no more space in them as there are say a 40 foot monohull(you can spend about the same amount of money on). Plus you get the Added be if it of actually being able to sail up wind. Ours came with 3 cabins and 2 heads.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by jhstacy

My first 3 boats were Hunters.. Good Boats. But my current boat is an IP-35. I have spent a good deal of money upgrading and refreshing everything in her and she is pretty much perfect. IP-35's have circumnavigated but I have to say, if there is a next boat as I have similar plans as you have listed, it will be a larger IP. There is no other choice for me.

Nice! Have you been cruising the 35 with crew or solo? How big would you like to go?

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Messing About

Theres a one owner 2010 IP Estero on Yachtworld, out of San Francisco, that would be on my short list if I were ready to buy. They are asking $159k but it would be worth viewing and perhaps making a lower offer.

I have researched the ‘99 and newer IPs and am pretty sure it is the make i will spend my cruising life on. Safety and comfort is more important to me than speed under sail. I like that they are made in America, in Florida, and still in business.

Best of luck in your search and journeys. Will be watching with interest so keep updating and ignore the unhelpful replies.

I saw this! Very interesting layout in this boat. Already got 'sale pending' status though so they've probably accepted a higher offer than I'd make.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

IP's tick more of my boxes than other options I've looked at but it would be great to find something better.

you might find some nice Caliber 35 models out there .. but the ones that lived in Florida may have suffered from the sun and weather.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by RedneckRedcoat

Why ??? There is no more space in them as there are say a 40 foot monohull(you can spend about the same amount of money on). Plus you get the Added be if it of actually being able to sail up wind. Ours came with 3 cabins and 2 heads.

The OP is looking at IP 35's so less than 40ft.. also there's a shallow draft advantage, beaching ability for off the grid bottom maintainence, cutter rigged for easy sail balance and they are great downwind/broad/beam reach sailors.
Does the OP want to beat back to atolls he's already visited.?? I don't know, but I do know the S Pacific is largely a rolly broad reach in the main as one travels W on a mono.
Check a Pilot Chart..

[Tillikum]

In your place I'd be looking at aluminum cats or trimarans, or steel monohulls with twin keels. Coral is very hard and the more remote the destination the more necessary survivability becomes, particularly when guests are aboard.

[smj]

Originally Posted by boatman61

It can also lead to damage by pressing too hard and over stressing boat and rig..

Good point.
On our catamaran on a broad reach in 15-20 we can make 6-8 kts. under just the 110% jib, a speed the “safer” heavier monohulls would probably be happy making under full sail. Which boat and crew would be less stressed?

[s/v Jedi]

For this 30-40’ range for expedition type sailing I would be all over boats like Ovni (aluminium monohull with centreboard)

[MJH]

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).

If I read your question properly the priority items on your boat search are: shallow keel, accommodations, storage, tankage, construction, cockpit size, headroom, interior aesthetics, all on a 125K budget. Additionally, your not overly concerned how it sails.

That will be a challenging search but remember that tradeoffs are normally required in any boat search of preowned boats.

I didn't see anybody recommend a boat with a centerboard; a keel type I'm not fond of but might be your cup of tea for those shallow places you want to anchor in. That alone will probably require an older boat which should be cheaper. Keep your eyes open. My boat search took five years.

Good Luck.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by smj

Good point.
On our catamaran on a broad reach in 15-20 we can make 6-8 kts. under just the 110% jib, a speed the “safer” heavier monohulls would probably be happy making under full sail. Which boat and crew would be less stressed?

Depends on the sea conditions.. that's what breaks boats.

[smj]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Depends on the sea conditions.. that's what breaks boats.

Can’t imagine much in 15-20.
But to simplify, which boat has more stress in the rig and the parts holding the rig up, the one with 300 sq ft of sail up or the one with 1000 sq ft?

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

My thinking was that two masts = twice as much to go wrong.

Would be nice to have another incase of some disaster though.

Ketches, schooners, and yawls (boats with two masts) have fallen out of favor on smaller sailboats.


With a ketch, there's a mizzen that's shorter than the main and abaft of it, that carries about 1/4 of the sail area. The idea behind them is that it reduces the size of the largest sail on the boat, making sail handling more manageable. It also adds a number of alternatives for reefing. The near-universal adoption of roller-furled foresails, and to a lesser extent the availability of electric winches and lighter weight laminated sails, led to their loss of popularity. These rigs depend on a triatic stay (a cable between the tops of the two masts) for stability. Ordinarily if one mast is lost it takes the other with it.


Schooners (two masts the same size or smaller mast forward) are sometimes seen but the rig has never been popular for cruising. Probably not something for you to consider if just starting out. Most have triatic stays, not all.



Yawls are said to be more maneuverable under sail and easier to trim for self-steering. I've never sailed one. They have become rare with the advent of large, reliable diesel auxiliary engines. On a yawl the boat cannot be sailed with the mizzen alone.



Anyway, these rigs have various pros and cons. None of them provide meaningful alternatives in the event of a disaster. While they do have more things that can go wrong, there are other more significant tradeoffs that have resulted in the market moving predominantly towards sloops.

[rslifkin]

Not all ketches have triatic stays. Many do, but I'm looking out the window at one that doesn't right now (Cal 3-46).

[Tortuga's Lie]

I know you are pretty much settled on an Island Packet, and that's fine, but I would throw in a Shannon 37 in the mix...............just a thought.