- Founded
- 1979
- Headquarters
- 5325 140th Avenue North, Clearwater, FL 33760, United States
- Shipyard location
- Largo, Florida, United States
- Official website
- https://ipy.com/
Brand Overview
Florida builder of full-keel bluewater cruising sailboats, founded in 1979 by naval architect Bob Johnson — the IP 349, IP 439, new IP 459 and 42 Motor Sailer, with an IP 359 announced, from 11.7 to 14.3 metres, designed and built in Largo, Florida.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Island Packet began in 1979 with the vision of naval architect Bob Johnson, who started modestly with a 27-footer and built the company into what it calls an industry powerhouse focused on quality, safety, comfort and livability; his exclusive Full Foil Keel, which keeps the propeller and rudder protected and lets all the tanks sit centrally below the cabin sole, remains the brand's signature, and the yard says it has built more than 2,500 yachts. In January 2017 Darrell and Leslie Allen, Island Packet's dealers in San Diego for over 25 years, took ownership, and the company became Island Packet and Seaward Yachts; they consolidated two facilities into one, started again with 13 employees and now have more than 50, many of them returning craftsmen, and say they lowered prices while raising standards. The 'Next Generation' models followed: the IP 349, Cruising World's 2019 Domestic Boat of the Year, and the IP 439, its 2021 Best Full-Size Cruiser, then the 42 Motor Sailer with an inside helm, and now the new IP 459 and the announced IP 359. Island Packet says it is no longer a production boat company and does not build hundreds of boats a year; each yacht is built to its owner's choices of rig, layout, colours and woods, in Largo, Florida, with the office at 5325 140th Avenue North, Clearwater. Boats carry a three-year 'stem to stern' warranty and ten-year coverage on hull and deck.
Who sails them
Island Packet owners are cruising sailors — couples planning long passages, liveaboards and would-be circumnavigators — who rank safe, simple, predictable and seakindly handling above outright speed, want a moderate-draft full keel with a protected propeller and rudder, a short-handed Solent or cutter rig, and a boat built to their own layout, and who value the owners' groups, rendezvous and resale record the yard is known for.
Signature models
The IP 349, named Cruising World's 2019 Domestic Boat of the Year, began the Next Generation fleet; the IP 439, Cruising World's 2021 Best Full-Size Cruiser, is the two-stateroom bluewater flagship; the 42 Motor Sailer brings the helm inside; and the new IP 459 is the first of the range to print CE category A.
Strengths
Island Packet is known for the Full Foil Keel with protected propeller and rudder and fully encapsulated lead ballast with no keel bolts, one-piece hand-laminated hulls with bonded, interlocked chainplates, central tankage below the sole, the Solent rig as standard with a cutter option, heavy customisation of layout and finish, a ten-year hull and deck warranty, and a fleet of more than 2,500 boats with active owners' groups.
Considerations
The specification lists are imperial only, so every length, weight and tank figure here is converted, with the printed original kept; sail areas are given without saying whether they include the headsail, so only the 459's mainsail is entered; the 459's displacement/length ratio (359) and the 359's 'Ballast / Length Ratio' (320) look misprinted and are left out; mast height is printed without a reference point except on the 359; the IP 359 page says full specifications and imagery will come later, and the 459 shows only its sail plan; the 439's list gives three cabins while its overview describes two staterooms and a walk-in that can serve as a third; and there is no CE category except on the 459.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 5
- Length range
- 11.66–14.33 m
- Hull forms
- Sailing Monohull 5
- Cabins
- 2–3
Models by this brand
5 models
History
Island Packet began in 1979 with the vision of naval architect Bob Johnson, who started modestly by building a 27-footer but had big dreams, and built the company into an industry powerhouse focused on quality and safety as well as comfort and livability. The exclusive Full Foil Keel he developed became the yard's benchmark of stability, seaworthiness and performance, and Island Packet says it has built more than 2,500 yachts, with active owners' groups and regional rendezvous every year. In January 2017 Darrell and Leslie Allen, who had been the Island Packet dealers in San Diego for more than 25 years, took ownership and the company became Island Packet and Seaward Yachts. They consolidated two facilities into one, started with 13 employees and grew to more than 50, many of them returning craftsmen, and set out to build the 'Next Generation' Island Packet. The IP 349 was named Cruising World's 2019 Domestic Boat of the Year and the IP 439 its 2021 Best Full-Size Cruiser. The company now says it is no longer a production boat builder: it does not build hundreds of boats a year, its master craftsmen treat each yacht as a custom piece, and its boats are designed and built in Largo, Florida.
History written fromipy.com/legacy-vision/· The IPY Familyread 10/17/2026