Islander 36

[jerski]

greetings and salutations!

I wonder what can be said about an Islander 36? I haven't owned a boat in a long while and plan to putter around the Bahamas and Carribean for awhile and then upgrading to a more "serious" boat like Valiant 40. But I like the look of the Islander but I am not quite sure how I would like such a light boat, I envision bobbing around the water like a cork.

[brycem]

Seems like that six foot draft could rule out a lot of anchorages in the Bahamas

[jerski]

I hadn't thought of that...

[brycem]

There's a thread on this with people who've actually done it that say 6' is doable, just more stressful. Our "baby Brewer" Morgan 323 has a 4' shoal draft with a modified full keel (cut away forefoot and Brewer Bite™ between the prop aperture and rudder skeg) with fully encapsulated lead ballast that has fared nicely in the wake of the occasional anchoring mishap.

[Thomas1985]

If you love the boat buy it and get sailing!

Buy the boat you love instead of the most “practical” one. None are practical, and you’ll be far more motivated to work on the one you love than the one you settled for.

[Katapult Mike]

I bought an Islander 36 after being boatless for many years and am very happy with it. I never cruised the Bahamas so I don’t know how limiting the 6 foot draft is there. I will point out that an external lead keel can take a lot without serious damage. It is a stiff, well balanced ride that sails well in a variety of wind conditions.

I don’t understand why you think it is a light boat. With a displacement/ length ratio of 266 it is on the chubby side, essays compared to modern production boats. Check the stats here:
http://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/islander-36/

[Don C L]

I have always had a soft spot for Islander 36s since they came out and over the years I haven't heard anything negative about them. They are a bit smaller, therefore lighter than a Valiant 40 boat as pointed out the displacement to length ratio is nearly the same as a Valiant. Both have a 6 foot draft.
https://www.yachtworld.com/research/...-for-all-time/

[jerski]

I am deciding between a Morgan 382 and the Islander 36; based on stats from sailboat data, they are very similar. The Morgan has a slightly longer waterline, which is a plus for me, but in reality, it's a very small difference. I think I would be happy in either boat. I have read that Morgan does not have a lot of storage space for what that is worth.

[jerski]

I think an Islander 36 would be a fine boat, the reality is I can sail around the Caribbean and Mexico but I'm probably not going to sail around the world!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

If you love the boat buy it and get sailing!

Buy the boat you love instead of the most “practical” one. None are practical, and you’ll be far more motivated to work on the one you love than the one you settled for.

It really doesn't work like that.

Some boats have lots of problems so you might want to do a bit of research before you buy the boat you "love?"

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by jerski

I think an Islander 36 would be a fine boat, the reality is I can sail around the Caribbean and Mexico but I'm probably not going to sail around the world!

You could sail RTW if you wanted on an Islander 36, but you'd probably need someone to repair the boat at every port which is what Zac Sunderland's Dad did for him when he circumnavigated the globe on his $6,000 Islander 36.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Sunderland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLrKh4xSBvk