The IP40 developed the earlier IP38 by adding waterline length and refining the interior while retaining Island Packet’s cutter rig and full-keel design. With a displacement of around 22,800 pounds and a beam just shy of 13 feet, it is a medium-heavy-displacement cruiser intended for liveaboard voyaging rather than regatta speed.
Design and Construction
The defining feature of the Island Packet 40 is its Full Foil Keel, a one-piece, integrated hull-and-keel structure rather than a bolt-on fin. The hull encapsulates 10,000 pounds of lead ballast, eliminating external keel bolts that could fail or leak. The keel’s long footprint provides exceptional directional stability while protecting the rudder and propeller from impact.
The hull is solid glass-reinforced plastic finished with Island Packet’s proprietary PolyClad gelcoat system, which was intended to resist osmosis. Island Packet backed these hulls with a ten-year warranty, and the system has shown a much lower incidence of blistering than many contemporary boats.
A massive internal structural grid formed by the keel contributes to the boat’s toughness. As on other Island Packets of the era, the chainplates are encased in fiberglass.
Rig and Handling
The IP40 has a versatile cutter rig. Its standard sail plan carries the staysail on a Hoyt boom, simplifying tacks and improving sail shape for a shorthanded crew. Most control lines lead aft to the cockpit, and every sail except the gennaker can be handled from the helm.
The full-battened mainsail, with two reef points, serves as the workhorse. The 130-percent roller-furling genoa is the most-used headsail. In light air, owners found that adding the staysail to the main and genoa didn’t help, so they would fly the gennaker instead and reserve the staysail for heavy weather.
The hull’s directional stability means the autopilot works less hard than it would aboard a flighty fin-keeler. That stability comes with trade-offs, however. The Full Foil Keel produces a larger turning circle, and the boat is slow in light air. In reverse, it lacks the predictable prop walk of a fin-keel boat and tends to go where the wind and current dictate.
Accommodations
Belowdecks, the IP40 uses its 12-foot-11-inch beam well and feels like a larger vessel. The saloon table folds up and locks against the forward bulkhead, opening the central living space.
One notable change from the IP38 is the Pullman-style berth forward. Placing the double berth against the hull side frees the forepeak for a much larger private head and shower. The chain locker is accessed through this head.
Aft, the second cabin has limited headroom over the berth but ample standing room alongside it. A second head serves both the saloon and the aft cabin. Teak cabin soles are paired with easily cleaned fiberglass surfaces in the galley and heads.
The U-shaped galley to starboard is secure under heel and has been called the best seen on a monohull under 45 feet.
Cockpit and Deck
The deck layout emphasizes safety and comfort, with strong stanchions, well-placed handholds, and a huge, protected bowsprit for anchoring.
The cockpit is deep and well protected. Its high coamings provide excellent back support, while the raised helmsman’s seat and Edson steering offer a good view and feedback. At 8 feet long, the cockpit has enough room for an owner’s waking hours. A shallow bin sits beneath the port seating, and the starboard seat lifts to reveal a huge locker. A folding table helps keep the cockpit open when it isn’t in use.
Known Issues
Two owner-reported faults are worth noting. Water could enter the propane locker and disable the safety solenoid. The gennaker halyard was also known to chafe through where it exited the mast.
Separately, testers caution that the fiberglass-encased chainplates can conceal crevice corrosion. Water seeping in over decades may cause corrosion that isn’t visible without cutting into the structure.
The Verdict
The Island Packet 40 is a considered answer to what a serious voyaging couple or liveaboard needs: a tough, directionally stable hull with protected running gear, a manageable cutter rig, and an interior arranged for life at sea rather than for show.
It won’t win light-air races, but it can go where deeper boats cannot and looks after its crew offshore.
Pros
- Full Foil Keel integrates the ballast, removes keel-bolt risk, and protects the rudder and propeller
- PolyClad hull has shown a low incidence of blistering and carried a ten-year builder’s warranty
- Hoyt-boom staysail and cockpit-led control lines make singlehanding practical
- Pullman-style forward berth and large private head improve the cruising layout
- Strong directional stability reduces the autopilot’s workload
Cons
- Large turning circle and weak control in reverse demand care in marinas
- Light-air performance is slow without a gennaker
- Encapsulated chainplates can conceal potential crevice corrosion
- Propane locker and gennaker halyard require owner vigilance
