Island Packet 32 - Perfect Compromise?

[herculesboat]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

But there is little comfort on their boat...

Your choice is about compromise.... get the biggest boat you can afford is the oft heard advice...

GL

Thanks for the information

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Dr. Moreau

My wife and I are planning a circumnavigation in a few years and we have been focused on getting a larger boat, in the 37' to 42' range. This weekend we went boat shopping and stumbled across a Island Packet 32.

Your tastes and possibilities may change considerably in a few years.

My take is that if you are planning a circumnavigation (of what? the globe?) then you should not need to ask whether this or that boat is good or not. As you know, the world has been sailed round in nearly anything and it is not the boat that does it, it is the sailor who sails her.

I have seen IPs in the West Indies (many) and (few) in the Pacific. I have talked to owners and they were all smiles and mostly thumbs up for their boats.

The rest is up to what you like or dislike and what kind of sailing you are going to do.

You will find an IP owners forum online so I guess they will tell you heaps about the cons and pros of any IP design.

BTW if you do mean the globe, then, all other things equal, I would opt for something slightly bigger - more comfort, better movement, better storage and possibly also better safety margin. No problem sailing the smaller boat though as much as you have every tried to cross and ocean in one and found it is for you.

Cheers, fair winds,
b.

[Gerrycooper56]

We 'cruised' for a year on a 42 footer, just the 2 of us and found the boat was too small. Not in all areas but tankage was one. I think a decent dink is a must and with a smaller boat where to store safely is harder - we didn't leave it on the davits during passages.
Going thru Panama it appeared the average sailboat size was around 45 foot. Good luck with the selection.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Lantau]

Have you considered a Pacific Seacraft? They are excellent cruising boats with many circumnavigations. Here's an example of the 37-foot version:

www.pacificseacraft37.com

One thing you should consider is the size of tanks. Smaller boats have smaller tanks. Even if you have a water maker, you need to have enough water on board at all times to make it to the next port (with a safety margin built in should both wind and engine die). A watermaker doesn't change this equation because you have to carry enough water in case it, too, dies. You can go without lots of things on a boat, and sometimes that's the reason for going sailing, but you cannot go without water and have any kind of comfort.

[barnakiel]

A PS37, as someone posted above, could be a nice alternative to an IP32, I think.

They are said to sail very very well and offer more space for everything. Visually they are not that far from IP either. I am not 100% sure but I think I one of Calder's boats was a PS(?)

Perfect does not exist and compromises all they are. I would keep a PS 37 on my short list just in case something pops up.

Another boat that comes to mind is a Morris 36, but I am not sure what they are like. All Morris boats look well put together and I know of one (bigger) Morris to be a most capable sailor.

b.

[Otia]

Originally Posted by slomotion

...
Other than sleeping, cruisers don’t spend a lot of time below decks...

Really? I've you done long distances? Your boat is your house. Try to live in your garage for a few weeks...

Get the biggest hull you can afford. Buy an older good boat, like a gulfstar 50. Amel Super Maramu (55 ft) is the best long distance boat, you can find for $300k. Bigger is not only more comfortable, it is faster and safer.

[Pizzazz]

Originally Posted by Lantau

One thing you should consider is the size of tanks. Smaller boats have smaller tanks. Even if you have a water maker, you need to have enough water on board at all times to make it to the next port (with a safety margin built in should both wind and engine die). A watermaker doesn't change this equation because you have to carry enough water in case it, too, dies. You can go without lots of things on a boat, and sometimes that's the reason for going sailing, but you cannot go without water and have any kind of comfort.

I do not think the tankage is as important nowadays than it was in the past. Watermakers are a perfect substitute for water tankage and you can always carry two for redundancy (my second is a Powersurvivor 35 that can also run off solar). Fuel is harder to come by but solar compensates nicely. Also a smaller boat uses less fuel, less maintenance, it is easier to heat and so on.

It is similar to houses. Some people with no kids live in 3,000 sq. ft. and complain while others raise three just kids in half the space. Some people spend 50% of their cruising budget on boat and maintenance, others spend 30% and use the difference to stay at higher end marinas, eat at nice restaurants and sightseeing. You just need to decide which group you belong to.

[AmericanVagrant]

Speaking as someone with a 27 x 8 footer that is outfitted and ready to go cruising in the next few months, I'm jealous of sailors who are in a position to talk about 32 x 12 being too small.

Even for two, I'm sure you'll find anything 30 x 10 and up to be more than adequate. I'm of the philosophy that, assuming your trip will last a finite amount of time, save the initial and recurring maintenance expenses. Start and end your trip with a savings surplus.

This is coming from someone who chooses to sleep in the car rather than pay for a hotel room while on road trips though...so if that's not or never will be you, then maybe the extra cost of luxury will be worth it.

All that said, if you're able to get a deal on a big boat, have your trip and resell it afterwards for at or around what was paid (in some cases even a profit), then without a doubt that's the way to go.

[Berrey]

I bought a 1991 IP 32 2 years ago. We sailed it back home from Naples Fl to Orange Beach Al. Me , my son and a friend sailed just over 500 NM in 72 hrs. This was my first extended passage in the Gulf of Mexico. We had 25 knot sustained wind with gust to 30 and 6<8 ft seas for several hours. We never Reece's the sail and never felt unsafe. With 20 to 25 knot wind we were able to do 7 < 7.5 knts.
As for live aboard comfort my wife and I lived on her while we built a house.we were working full time jobs so we had our normal clothes. It was a little cramped for everyday life but made us realize that crushing the Keys and Bahamas with less clothing and shoes it would be very comfortable. The head and shower is very useable. The galley is all you need. We looked and several 34 < 36 ft boats and the 32 IP seems to have the same room as any of them.

[a64pilot]

Come on guys, $300,000 boats instead of an IP32?
That is about a factor of ten times as expensive. That’s silly, of course an Amel Super Maramu is a much better long distance boat than an IP 32, at ten times the cost don’t you think it should be ?

The PSC 37 if it can be had for similar money would however be a better long distance boat, in my opinion. Although you might be surprised at how much room there is inside of an IP, it’s sort of their niche.
The PSC would I feel sure Sail circles around the little IP.