JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Aïeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Island Packet-are they worth it?
- Thread starter ffiill
- Start date
Aïeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Not wishing to bring up the other thread on tin boats ( in the vain hope it will fade..) and absolutely nothing to do with IP boats... I had a look at origami stuff and came up with this: http://www.kastenmarine.com/frames_first.htm
scroll down a bit until it comes up with frameless construction and origami.
scroll down a bit until it comes up with frameless construction and origami.
rostyvyg
New Member
I still fail to understand what discussion on merits of steel boats has to do with the topic of this thread. Seriously...
rotrax
Well-Known Member
Anyway, getting back to the-now far away in the distance OP- our two Island Packet Yachts most certainly have been worth it.
They are expensive, dont reverse well, are slow to turn and unless the wind is right dont sail well.
But they are the best compromise First Mate and I have found for OUR SPECIFIC PURPOSE.
Which, due to worn out bodies, is coping with the physical demands of sailing and living aboard into our seventies. Just getting on and off an aft cockpit yacht, into the cockpit and down into the accomodation was becoming difficult.
So far, the Island Packet SP Cruiser has met our requirements perfectly.
They are expensive, dont reverse well, are slow to turn and unless the wind is right dont sail well.
But they are the best compromise First Mate and I have found for OUR SPECIFIC PURPOSE.
Which, due to worn out bodies, is coping with the physical demands of sailing and living aboard into our seventies. Just getting on and off an aft cockpit yacht, into the cockpit and down into the accomodation was becoming difficult.
So far, the Island Packet SP Cruiser has met our requirements perfectly.
ip485
Well-Known Member
I know mentioned earlier but I also think there are two very different discussions here and they should be seperated otherwise it is pointless having a title.
(I have referred to moderator).
(I have referred to moderator).
Last edited:
Mister E
Well-Known Member
It would be fantastic if that happened. I would like to read about Island Packet boats. Not bs.
Blue Sunray
Well-Known Member
+1.
rotrax
Well-Known Member
A good place to start is the iphomeport. Google it.
You can get on as a guest or register as a prospective owner.
Lots of good gen, warts and all.
You can get on as a guest or register as a prospective owner.
Lots of good gen, warts and all.
Brent Swain
N/A
In San Carlos Mexico ,near Guaymas ,there is yard with hundreds of cruising boats ,many for sale, for a fraction the over $300 K some have quoted for an Island Packet ,leaving one hundreds of thousands of dollars left over, for a lifetime of cruising. I don't think any of the claimed benefits of an Island Packet are worth more than the benefits of buying one of those boats, and having hundreds of thousands of dollars left over. If one heads out of from there, the cold sailing of the Oregon Coast, or the Bay of Biscay are already behind you ,and nothing but trade wind areas ahead of you. A friend in the area was offered a boat that a a lady just wanted out of her back yard , for free. She said she would even pay the moving and launching costs. It was an Alberg 35, loaded with all kinds of gear. That would leave over $300 K left over from the Island Packet price tag,and the whole South Pacific ahead of you. Sounds like far more fun! Wont impress the snobs at home? Who cares ?
Last edited:
Brent Swain
N/A
I think many of those heavier boats might just sail fine with more sail area. So what if you have to reef a bit earlier. Only takes a minute, and how often do you have too little wind? Used rigs have never been more available, nor cheaper.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
I suspect you'll have to start a new thread to achieve that. Maybe "Island Packet Discussion - Plastic Only"
Brent Swain
N/A
One option which is greatly under utilzed on plastic cruising boats, is that 50mm of spray foam inside will make most plastic boats under 40 feet ,unsinkable. A hull which wont be holed is still a better choice , but unsinkable is the next best option. Even awash, you still have most of your stuff, and the possibility of plugging a hole and bailing her out . A bonus is a huge improvement in comfort and quiet.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
50mm of spray foam inside my 8m GRP boat would occupy a total volume of 2 cubic metres. The boat weighs 4 tonnes. Even with the effects of buoyancy on GRP and wooded bits, 2 tonnes of lift is not going to keep her up. Since mass increases with the cube of length and surface area with the square, the disparity gets worse with increasing size.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Think that you need to look at boats like the Etap. Although no longer made they did have the reputation of being unsinkable. They made several sizes & I believe the ones up to 39 ft were the unsinkable ones. So whatever the hull thickness on those were will give one an idea as to what one needs. Perhaps an Etap owner may comment.
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
Sadler made some unsinkable boats,the foamed areas needed to be low down to have any effect,if I recall .
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Oh. I'm sure it can be done - I just think it takes rather more than a couple of inches of foam.
Brent Swain
N/A
Bruce Cope,of Cope Aluminium Yachts, was on 35 ft Colvin Saugeen Witch , on a tide grid .It had 1 1/2 inch of spray foam in. They went to the pub, and forgot to close a thru hull. When they got back, the boat had filled, and still had a foot of freeboard. They took a picture of the whole crew standing on deck, with not much less freeboard.
Fibreglass weighs 96 lbs per cubic ft, water 64. Fibreglass loses nearly 2/3rds of it's weight when submerged. Douglas fir weighs around 32 lbs per cubic ft, water 64 ,giving roughly 32 lbs of buoyancy per cubic ft of interior, or most other woods aboard, a buoyancy equal to its dry weight.
2 inch foam gives nearly 10.6 lbs of buoyancy per sq ft. 3/8th inch fibreglass weighs roughly 2.5 lbs per sq ft , dry, giving roughly 8 lbs per sq ft overkill, more than enough to compensate for most ballast rations and engine weights. Reduce the dry weight of fibreglass by 2/3rds ,for buoyancy, and you have a huge overkill.
I have taped an inch of foam to 1/8th inch steel plate, threw it in ,and it floated, ,barely. 2 inch would be a50% overkill, to compensate for ballast ration and engine. Interior would be more buoyancy .
I once read in a British magazine, of a plastic foam cored 48 ft sloop, which had holed in the English Chanel, and it remained afloat , for days.
There is a huge difference between the 4 tons dry weight of your boat, and the submerged weight.
Last edited:
rostyvyg
New Member
I certainly would. I have friends who own both models and spent time buddy boating with them in the Bahamas and up the East Coast to Canada. Often we would be the only sailboats sailing out there when others hid from the weather. Another thing that everyone misses is that the boat design and construction were very tightly controlled by one person with a specific vision (Bob Johnson) which helped a lot to refine those boats over the years. Absence of wood in the deck core, comfortable accommodations, a great galley, incredibly good ventilation, huge volumes of water, fuel, and holding tanks, an easy sail plan, all controls led to the cockpit, bulletproof keel, and rudder setup, shallow draft - all of the above supports the specific use case: an older couple living aboard or cruising extensively in a hot tropical climate in shallow waters (read SW Florida or the Bahamas).
rotrax
Well-Known Member
All reasons we chose Island Packet for our last boat and the current one.
Brent Swain has a totally different philosophy of sailing where the enjoyment is inversley proportional to what it costs. He knocks one of his 'origami' steel boats up on a beach somewhere using used bits for next to nothing, then scorns those who buy factory built boats.
He can get away with building like he does where he lives, he would not in many juristictions.
Both my IP's were purchased at the right price. I cannot buy new, too poor. Some years ago we had the hull of our 350 polished, just before sale. The polisher pointed out a fender rub he had almost, but not quite, eliminated. He was quite upset about it.
First Mate told him "Dont beat yourself up-she is 16 years old. A little fender rub is not a problem, you have done a great job."
"What!!!!" came the surprised reply "I thought she was a nearly new boat!"
Island Packet quality showing through.
