Design and Construction
The 439's hull is a hand-laid solid fiberglass unit carrying 12,000 pounds of lead ballast encapsulated in the patented Full Foil Keel and then sealed with concrete and resin. That encapsulation removes external keel bolts from the equation and gives the long-keel profile a built-in grounding shoe. A skeg-hung rudder and a single wheel complete the steering picture. Island Packet eliminated all exterior wood to cut annual maintenance, and inside the boat the yard replaced marine plywood with Coosa Board, a composite material described as indestructible. The beam measures 14 feet 4 inches against a 38-foot 1-inch waterline, and the 32,000-pound displacement yields a displacement-to-length ratio of 259 — the highest among the boats one reviewer's panel tested.
Rig and Handling
The solent rig pairs a self-tacking jib on an inner forestay with a 170 percent genoa on a second stay just forward, and Island Packet will build the boat with or without a Hoyt jib boom for that self-tacker. A Seldén Synchronized Main Furling system handles the 1,131 square feet of sail area. On Tampa Bay in 5 to 8 knots of breeze the speedo sat in the mid-6 to low-7-knot range, while recorded trials showed 3.7 knots closehauled and 7.2 knots reaching. The 80 hp Yanmar diesel with shaft drive pushed her at 6.2 knots cruising and 7.6 knots fast. The long-keel form is not built for quick reversals.
Accommodations
Down below, the 439 offers three cabins and 6 to 9 berths under 6 feet 5 inches of headroom. The owners' cabin lies forward to starboard with a diagonally oriented queen and his-and-her hanging lockers. To port, a head carries a glass shower door with waves etched into it. The saloon has captain's chairs to port flanking a drop-down table, and an L-shaped starboard settee that doubles as a sea berth. A bulkhead-mounted table folds down for dining and opens to an adjustable cabinet. The galley uses Corian counters with deep fiddles, and a port aft cabin gives a double berth and hanging locker with guest-head access. Aft of the galley, in place of a starboard cabin, sits a utility room that on the sailed boat held a vented washer and dryer, extra freezer, stowage, a 6 kW Northern Lights generator, and filters for the genset and engine. The sugar-scoop stern replaces a drop-down transom.
Known Issues
On Hull No. 1, a plastic cover over the electric jib-furler control switches made it hard to reach them when furling the genoa to tack. The same hull showed jib telltales that were a little tough to read under sail. These are first-boat nits rather than structural faults, and neither points to a defect in the hull or rig itself.
The Verdict
The 439 is a thoughtfully evolved Island Packet: it keeps the brand's encapsulated-ballast security and solid-fiberglass calm while modernizing the rig and stripping exterior teak. For a cruising couple it is a turnkey, low-upkeep passage boat with serious tankage and a flexible utility space. The trade-off is the long-keel maneuvering and a heavy hull that will not win light-air races.
Pros
- Encapsulated lead ballast in a Full Foil Keel removes keel-bolt leak paths
- Composite Coosa Board interior and no exterior wood cut maintenance
- Solent rig with self-tacking jib simplifies short-handed sail handling
- 160 gal fuel, 220 gal water, 55 gal holding support long independent cruising
Cons
- Long-keel form is sluggish in reverse and tight quarters
- Highest displacement-to-length ratio in its test group limits light-air pace
- Early hulls placed furler switches under a cover that hindered tacking
