This is a heavy-displacement cruiser rather than a racer. She displaces 11,900 pounds on a 25.58-foot waterline and carries 4,800 pounds of lead ballast in a long-keel configuration. That produces a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 40.3 percent. Together with her 10.83-foot beam, these proportions give her the stability, comfort, and safety sought in the design brief across varied sea states.
Design and Construction
The 29 has a solid fiberglass hull and deck, with lead ballast encapsulated inside the keel structure rather than bolted on externally. The boat is well built, with good-quality fittings and systems.
Two keel configurations were offered. The fixed long keel draws 4.25 feet, allowing access to coastal anchorages and gunkholes closed to deeper yachts. The centerboard version combines a long keel with a retractable board. It draws 7.25 feet with the board extended and 3.42 feet with it retracted, while carrying the same 4,800 pounds of ballast. This option suited sailors looking for weatherly performance without giving up a shoal-draft retreat.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The 29 carries a cutter rig as standard, with an optional masthead sloop rig. The cutter combines a bowsprit, mainsail, 125 percent genoa, and staysail for 491 square feet of sail. The sloop substitutes a larger genoa, bringing total sail area to 494 square feet.
Aluminum spars carry internally mounted halyards led to dedicated winches. Sheet winches, a mainsheet traveler, a boom vang with an integral preventer, and twin backstays complete the deck plan. Harken roller furling handles the jib, while automatic winch reefing serves the mainsail. Together, these features make the easily handled cutter rig adaptable across a wide range of wind strengths without requiring crew on the foredeck.
With a displacement-length ratio of 291 and a sail-area-displacement ratio near 16, the 29 sits firmly in the comfortable-cruiser camp. She isn’t fast or agile, particularly to windward, where her wide beam and full keel blunt her progress.
Accommodations
Belowdecks, the 29 feels larger than her length suggests. A forward V-berth cabin leads aft to a saloon with a fold-down table and settees that convert into berths. The U-shaped galley, large aft quarter berth, and head with shower complete a layout that sleeps up to six.
The interior is finished in teak and holly. Nine opening ports, five deck hatches, and two Dorade vents provide light and airflow. Many owners have praised the boat’s roominess and durability, along with her seakeeping. The generous interior reflects the design’s emphasis on liveability both at anchor and on passage.
Known Issues
Some reviewers have noted common problems with the 29’s chain plates. That concern is worth weighing against the boat’s otherwise solid construction record.
The same reviewers also flagged her slow speed, although this is inherent in the heavy-cruiser formula rather than a defect.
The Verdict
The Island Packet 29 is a purpose-built coastal and offshore cruiser for sailors who value comfort, interior volume, and seakindly motion more than outright pace. Her shoal-draft fixed keel or centerboard configuration, straightforward cutter rig, and well-finished interior make her a sensible pocket cruiser, provided a buyer budgets for careful chainplate scrutiny.
Pros
- Encapsulated lead ballast and solid construction, with quality fittings and systems
- Shoal 4.25-foot fixed draft, or 3.42-foot draft with the centerboard retracted
- Roomy interior sleeping up to six, with a teak-and-holly finish and strong ventilation
- Easily managed cutter rig with roller furling and automatic winch reefing
Cons
- Not fast or agile to windward; slow by racer standards
- Chainplate concerns documented by reviewers
