Cruising World’s judges named her Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet. A closer look at the boat’s construction, rig, accommodations, and performance helps explain why.
Design and Construction
The 349 was built with bluewater passagemaking in mind. Her hull is hand-laminated solid fiberglass, while the deck is vacuum-bagged over a Divinycell core to help lower the boat’s center of gravity. PolyClad3 gelcoat provides protection against blisters and carries a 10-year limited warranty.
The boat measures 37 feet 10 inches overall, with a waterline length of 31 feet 5 inches and a beam of 12 feet 4 inches. She displaces 19,300 pounds and carries 7,500 pounds of lead ballast, giving her a ballast ratio of 39 percent.
Below the waterline, the 349 has a Full Foil full keel, attached rudder, and encapsulated lead ballast. Paired with a displacement/length ratio of 278, this configuration is intended to provide a seakindly motion and the ability to stand up to a blow.
Island Packet chose a scoop transom instead of a drop-down swim step for safety in extreme weather. Other practical details include hull portlights, robust combination toerails and bulwarks, grippy nonskid, high double lifelines, and an outboard stainless steel rubbing strip that can ease dock approaches.
Rig and Sail Handling
One of the biggest departures from earlier Island Packet designs is the mast step’s aft position. This allows the builder to offer a Solent rig option alongside the standard IP cutter configuration.
The Solent rig has a self-tacking headsail, trimmed with a Hoyt jib boom, that flies on an inner stay well forward in the bow. A Code Zero is tacked to the anchor roller/sprit. The cutter rig does without the Code Zero, using a genoa on the same stay and a staysail set inside on a Hoyt jib boom, as on the Estero.
Both rigs use a keel-stepped, aluminum Sparcraft single-spreader mast supported by stainless steel wire shrouds. The mainsail has mid-boom sheeting. Sail choices include standard Dacron, a Quantum performance laminate package, and in-mast furling.
Under the Solent rig with the Code Zero, the test boat made 3.5 knots at a 50-degree apparent-wind angle in 9 knots of apparent wind. She also came about without hesitation.
Performance Under Sail and Power
The 349’s performance wasn’t limited to the Solent rig’s light-air showing. Writing in Cruising World, judge Alvah Simon recorded speeds above 7 knots during a test sail with beautiful Quantum sails and reported that the boat performed very well.
The 349 has a SA/D ratio of 17 and 763 square feet of sail area on the 100 percent foretriangle, supporting long passages of 1,000 miles to the Galapagos or 3,000 miles to the Marquesas. Simon allowed that she may take a little longer to arrive than a peppier rival, but the evolution in Island Packet’s approach is clear.
Under power, the 45hp Yanmar common-rail diesel drove the test boat at 5 knots into a slight headwind at 1,500 rpm. At 2,000 rpm, she made 6 knots with power to spare. A Jet Thruster in the bow, which requires a smaller aperture than a conventional thruster, made close-quarters maneuvering easier.
Cockpit and Deck
The cockpit is large and deep, with sturdy coamings and large drains. It has a single Edson wheel, a Raymarine chartplotter, an instrument display spanning the companionway, and two burly strong points for clipping on a tether. The helm seat hinges upward to reveal a propane locker.
The swim step incorporates a telescoping ladder, with stainless steel handholds built into the outboard steps. Recessed LED lighting in the aft scoop helps with dinghy operations after dark.
The double anchor roller/sprit is vintage Island Packet. Rock-solid stainless steel handrails run the full length of the cabintrunk, while two large Dorades have stainless steel cages that also serve as handholds. Harken winches and furlers are standard, and the 349 is available in colors other than the company’s signature tan.
Writing in Cruising World, judge Alvah Simon found the on-deck flow good, the nonskid effective, and the pushpit and pulpits—with their seats and cleats—very well executed.
Accommodations
Light is one of the interior’s strengths. Hull portlights, cabintrunk ports, and overhead hatches admit plenty of ambient light. Every version also comes with full LED interior lighting and numerous securely placed grab rails.
On the test boat, the joinery was finished in cedar veneer. An L-shaped galley sat to starboard of the companionway and included a Force 10 stove and top-and-bottom, front-opening Vitrifrigo fridges. Farther forward, two swiveling bucket seats with a small table between them faced a conventional settee to port. The breaker panel was positioned beside the aft-most bucket seat.
The forepeak cabin was forward of a spacious head to port, with an offset double berth to starboard. A large storage area lay aft of the galley, opposite the quarterberth.
Island Packet offers the boat on a semi-custom basis. Customers can specify details ranging from the layout and saloon seating to the countertop material.
The Verdict
The Island Packet 349 is a thoughtfully modernized cruiser. It retains the marque’s full-keel, solid-fiberglass, bluewater character while introducing an aft-stepped mast and a Solent rig option that extends its light-air range.
Build quality is outstanding, from the fiberglass work to the caliber of the hardware, and the semi-custom accommodation program gives owners considerable scope to tailor the interior. This is a serious passagemaker rather than a speed demon, and its premium positioning reflects that.
Pros
- Full Foil keel, encapsulated lead ballast, and a solid hand-laminated hull suited to bluewater service
- Optional Solent rig with a self-tacking inner headsail and Code Zero for better light-air capability
- Scoop transom chosen for safety in extreme weather
- Deep cockpit with strong points and good sightlines
- Semi-custom layouts with abundant natural light, handholds, and LED lighting throughout
- PolyClad3 gelcoat with a 10-year limited blister warranty
Cons
- A displacement/length ratio of 278 means she’s no lightweight and may reach her destination later than peppier rivals
- The standard cutter rig does without the Code Zero, so it lacks the Solent rig’s light-air advantage unless that rig is optioned
- Her premium positioning puts her above some comparable European cruisers
