Island Packet: the right boat for remote voyaging?

[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).

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

I see sailing as a means to go places that would otherwise be very difficult/more costly.

I see you have never owned a boat before.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I see you have never owned a boat before.

I don't think you understand where I would like to go and the costs involved in doing that without an (owned) yacht.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I see you have never owned a boat before.

HAHAHAHA I was gonna say that! A sailboat, to save money. It is a beautiful concept, isn't it? My boat didn't get the memo, I guess.

[Chotu]

i’m going to have to agree with celestialsailor on this one.

The places you want to visit in the South Pacific are incredibly cheap. The food. The housing. Hotels. You could live there nearly the rest of your life on your boat budget.

bringing a boat will be the most expensive way to go there.

not to mention getting that boat ready for a safe Pacific Crossing will be extremely expensive.

if you’re not in it for the sailing, you might as well fly over there and use all of this money to live. It will be much more enjoyable actually.

And if you are going to out-of-the-way places like you are describing that you want to anchor at? just rent some traditional housing there. It will cost next to nothing.

I think you should do the spreadsheet again. Put everything in there for a boat and this journey, then put everything in there for the expenses that you look up about visiting these places by airplane. I think you will see a huge difference in price.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Chotu

i’m going to have to agree with celestialsailor on this one.

The places you want to visit in the South Pacific are incredibly cheap. The food. The housing. Hotels. You could live there nearly the rest of your life on your boat budget.

bringing a boat will be the most expensive way to go there.

not to mention getting that boat ready for a safe Pacific Crossing will be extremely expensive.

if you’re not in it for the sailing, you might as well fly over there and use all of this money to live. It will be much more enjoyable actually.

And if you are going to out-of-the-way places like you are describing that you want to anchor at? just rent some traditional housing there. It will cost next to nothing.

I think you should do the spreadsheet again. Put everything in there for a boat and this journey, then put everything in there for the expenses that you look up about visiting these places by airplane. I think you will see a huge difference in price.

You don't get it, there aren't any houses, hotels, airports, restaurants or people at the types of places I want to visit.

This is not useful advice.

[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/

[Lawnmower]

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/

That is an interesting suggestion - I didn't realise quite how cheap they were. I saw one in a marina recently - kinda thought it looked like a weird toy (not that island packets are the prettiest either haha).

[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.

[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..

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

You don't get it, there aren't any houses, hotels, airports, restaurants or people at the types of places I want to visit.

This is not useful advice.

Ok. Understood. Atolls and extremely remote places. Sorry.

in this case I would agree with boatman61. it will be nice to use the budget for a cat you can beach, with a nice shallow draft and have extra money left for all the remote living essentials like water maker, etc.

also, if you end up running up on some uncharted thing, the odds of the prout hull breaking open are a little bit lower. There’s nothing to catch. It will slide right up it.

[Superjunkman]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

You don't get it, there aren't any houses, hotels, airports, restaurants or people at the types of places I want to visit.

This is not useful advice.

Yeah there are

[Statistical]

If you don't like sailing why buy a boat with sails. They do make boats without all the annoying (and expensive) sailing junk on them.

[Lawnmower]

Originally Posted by Statistical

If you don't like sailing why buy a boat with sails. They do make boats without all the annoying (and expensive) sailing junk on them.

Did anybody actually read my post?

"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."

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Lawnmower

Did anybody actually read my post?



"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."

Starry eyed and inexperienced...