Sail area / displacement
How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.
- not published: sail area
How it is worked out
sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

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012221btds-1189.edit_ — Island Packet Yachts
* A standard reference image, not the actual boat — shown to help visualise this model's published dimensions.
From the published figures: LOA 14.33 m · 3 cabins · 2 heads · fresh water 833 L
Tags are derived from certified class, length, sail area, accommodation and tankage using the criteria described on the Sources page; an editor may add or remove one.
Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from the builder's published figures, each shown against the bands designers read it by.
How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.
sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔
How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.
displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³
The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.
ballast ÷ displacement × 100
Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.
displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft
A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.
beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓
Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.
1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots
Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.
What the builder publishes about how fast, how strong and how much the boat carries.
Fuel and water on one scale: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.
25 gal of water per berth
Figures read fromipy.com/yachts/ip-439/439-specifications/· Specificationsread 10/17/2026
1 drawing from the builder's page: general arrangement, sail plan, profile.

439-profile-1-31-22-close-up-1 — Island Packet Yachts
Semi-custom
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.
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.
Visit brand pageEvery model Island Packet Yachts publishes, by length — where this one sits in the range.