Buying a used Island: work out which boat it actually is
A listing for a used "Island" sailboat could be describing any of at least four unrelated designs -- and, before going further, it's worth ruling out the two similarly named brands sold separately on this site, Island Packet and Island Trader, since neither has anything to do with what follows. What's left might be a plywood kit boat built by its own owner, a vintage wood one-design from a Connecticut yacht club fleet, or a small fiberglass daysailer that changed builders partway through its run. Hull material and build story diverge completely between them, so a buyer needs to place the boat in its lineage before weighing anything else about it.
Which era to target
The Norwalk Islands Sharpie line stretches from Kirby's 1986 debut through a documented Mk2 kit update from Straydog Boatworks as recently as October 2010 -- and because these are largely kit- or owner-built boats, the individual builder's workmanship matters as much as the boat's age. The Fishers Island one-designs are true prewar-to-postwar classics, with documented examples spanning a 1931-built 23 through a 31 whose construction ran into the mid-1940s, so any surviving hull is a wood boat of real age, not a fiberglass classic-plastic. The Ocean Yachts/Sumner Boat Works daysailers run from the late 1960s, when Ocean Yachts of Patchogue built them, through the changeover to Sumner Boat Works around 1979 -- a changeover that continued the same design with few changes, so an early Ocean-built hull and a later Sumner-built one are close enough that condition, not manufacture date, should drive the comparison.
Navigating the lineup
Hull material is the fastest sort: plywood and epoxy point to a Norwalk Islands Sharpie somewhere in the 18-to-43-foot range, varnished wood points to a Fishers Island 23 or 31, and molded fiberglass points to the Ocean Yachts/Sumner run. Confirm that before comparing sizes on the full model directory on this page, since the name alone gives no clue which construction is behind it.
Where they're listed
Island listings appear across 8 countries. United States has the most listings with 37 (78.7%), followed by France and Croatia.
Country view
47 listings · 8 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $65,000 | 37 | 12 | 78.7% |
| France | $10,495,000 | 3 | 0 | 6.4% |
| Croatia | $40,189 | 2 | 1 | 4.3% |
| Germany | $7,339 | 1 | 0 | 2.1% |
| Italy | $57,079 | 1 | 1 | 2.1% |
| Netherlands | $42,518 | 1 | 0 | 2.1% |
| New Zealand | $116,024 | 1 | 0 | 2.1% |
| Sweden | $35,712 | 1 | 0 | 2.1% |
All Island models
2 models grouped by length overall. Open any model to see recent asking prices and active listings.