Impala 30 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Two rig configurations turn up: a fractional rig with easier-tacking smaller headsails, and a masthead rig. Both share the same 5.58-to-5.88-foot draft that lets the boat into most marinas. Below, the layout is a mahogany interior with five or six berths, a galley, and a toilet, served by a 26-gallon fresh-water tank. The balsa-cored hull and deck make the boat warmer in the cabin than an uncored fiberglass hull would be, but also define the central inspection risk.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The most consequential factory equipment for a buyer is the optional inboard Yanmar SB12G diesel at 12 horsepower with shaft drive and a stainless-steel 7-gallon fuel tank; some boats instead reflect the home-completion route with varied propulsion. Rigging is the other major cluster: fractional-rig boats use 28.3-meter, 10-millimeter halyards and 12-millimeter sheets, while both rigs share 9-meter jib and genoa sheets and a 22.6-meter mainsheet — useful when judging whether a seller's running rigging is correctly sized.

What to Inspect

The balsa sandwich is the headline concern. Because water entering the core can cause rot that is expensive or impossible to repair, inspect every through-deck fitting, chainplate area, and hull penetration for softness or staining. Combined with the fact that some Impala 30s were sold for home completion, a surveyor should confirm that the specific hull's construction quality matches yard standards rather than assuming it.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

For a buyer, the practical checklist is short: confirm rig type and that halyard and sheet sizes match the fractional or masthead specification; verify the balsa core is dry at all penetrations; and treat any home-completed hull as needing fuller structural scrutiny. A sound example rewards with a quick, roomy coastal sailer whose light displacement and 43-percent ballast ratio give her more heel resistance than most classmates.