Island Packet 349 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The used market for the 349 is split between two primary interior configurations, with the owner’s three-cabin layout appearing more frequently, though both layouts are available. Ex-charter examples are common, so it pays to examine whether a boat was privately owned or spent its early life in a fleet.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Brokerage 349s tend to arrive on the market with a remarkably complete cruising inventory. A bow thruster, chartplotter, autopilot, AIS, and radar are commonly fitted, along with a dodger, bimini, and swim platform that turn the cockpit into a livable outdoor room. Solar, lithium batteries, and an inverter are also commonly fitted to support extended time away from the dock, and a freezer is a standard expectation rather than a rarity. A furling main and electric winches appear on many examples, making the boat genuinely short-handed friendly. An asymmetric spinnaker is commonly included in the sail inventory, while an additional spinnaker and a dedicated short-handed setup are often seen. Less commonly, you may find a watermaker, air conditioning, a self-tacking jib, or Starlink already installed—these are frequent owner upgrades rather than factory defaults and signal a boat that has been seriously prepared for offshore work.

What to Inspect

The 349’s construction quality provides a solid baseline, but a thorough survey should confirm that the details have been maintained. One tester found the on-deck flow good, and the nonskid effective the 349 has good nonskid on deck, but pay attention to high-traffic areas where aggressive cleaning can degrade the molded pattern over time. One tester found the pushpit and pulpits with seats and cleats well executed the pushpit and pulpits with seats and cleats were well executed; inspect the bedding and backing plates at these high-load points for any signs of water ingress or stress cracking, particularly on boats that have carried a dinghy on the stern rail. When reviewing the sail inventory, note that one tester’s boat was equipped with Quantum sails that performed well during the test the 349 was equipped with Quantum sails during the test; ask whether the current suit is original. Engine access on the 349 is reasonable, but pay close attention to the Yanmar’s service records—charter boats in particular can accumulate hours quickly. Finally, one tester believed the 349 is capable of long ocean passages such as 1,000 miles to the Galapagos or 3,000 miles to the Marquesas the 349 is capable of long ocean passages like 1,000 miles to the Galapagos; any boat that has actually done that work will show it in the rigging, sails, and systems, so a well-documented maintenance log is worth its weight in surveyor’s fees.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Island Packet 349 brokerage market is concentrated in the United States. When evaluating a 349, keep a short mental checklist: confirm which layout suits your cruising plans, verify whether the boat has a charter history, assess the age and condition of the electronics suite, and look for the presence of self-sufficiency upgrades like solar and lithium. A boat that has been thoughtfully prepared for offshore work—with a watermaker and other self-sufficiency upgrades already in place—will save you time and effort during outfitting. The 349 rewards the buyer who values motion comfort, build integrity, and a turnkey equipment list over raw light-air speed, and it stands as one of the most compelling mid-size cruisers to emerge from the Island Packet lineage in years.