Island Packet 44 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

This is a substantial offshore boat rather than a light racer. She measures 44 feet overall, with a 37.16-foot waterline, and displaces 27,900 pounds. Her 12,500 pounds of ballast produce a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 44.8 percent, while her displacement-to-length figure is 242.73. She is a genuine full-keel vessel built around the marque’s established design principles.

Design and Construction

The 44 has a solid, hand-laid fibreglass hull constructed with high-calibre triaxial roving and glass mat. Inside, the structure is fastened to a gridwork of floor timbers and bulkheads.

Island Packet’s full-keel, solid hand-laid construction incorporates fully encapsulated keel ballast, along with a shielded propeller and rudder, eliminating external keel bolts. The deck uses the builder’s PolyCore technology, a modern core material that does not decay. High bulwarks and a teak cap rail finish the sheer.

A keel-stepped aluminium mast completes the structure. One reviewer described the quality of the gelcoat and stainless steel craftsmanship as unmatched.

Rig and Handling

The 44’s true cutter rig provides a manageable sailplan. It combines a 110 percent high-cut furling yankee with a self-tending, 90 percent furling staysail of very high aspect ratio. The conventional mainsail has five full battens and two reef points led aft, along with a Doyle stackpack.

A short bowsprit moves the rig’s centre of pressure forward for balance and opens the foretriangle for efficient cutter use. It may be removed without great difficulty.

Almost every sailhandling task can be managed from the cockpit. Lines for handling, furling, lifting, and trimming the sails all originate aft, while an electric halyard winch can handle the main, dinghy, or headsail.

With her long waterline, the 44 becomes a freight train when the sheets are eased. She isn’t as close-winded as a modern fin-keeler, however, despite a 19 SA/D ratio.

Cockpit and Deck

The cockpit is nearly eight feet long, providing generous room for crew or relaxation. Broad side decks offer a safe route to the mast and foredeck, and additional winches at the mast make it easier to hoist the jib and staysail onto their furlers.

A safe anchoring platform and spacious, straightforward decks complete a layout intended to give a shorthanded crew confidence in rough coastal seas.

Accommodations

Below, the Island Packet 44 has a traditional appearance, with a large cabintrunk and all opening ports. The main saloon has twin lounge seats to port and L-shaped seating to starboard. A folding dining table seats six, then folds against the bulkhead to open up the saloon. The port settee berth converts into a double for guests at sea.

The galley is the best in her size range. There is also an enormous navigation station—the sort now nearly extinct in new designs—with room for a home office and extensive electronics.

Two spacious staterooms each have a head. The owners’ aft cabin provides access to a huge aft head with a bathtub, which doubles as a stall shower and includes a fold-down teak seat. This rear head also serves as the day head.

The Verdict

The Island Packet 44 is a limited-production bluewater cruiser that trades close-winded speed for secure, cockpit-centred sailhandling and a liveaboard interior that few 44-footers of her era can match. Encapsulated ballast and a decay-proof deck core reflect a design intended for distance, while the aft-head bathtub and unusually large navigation station make her particularly well suited to life aboard as a couple’s offshore home.

Pros

Full-keel, solid hand-laid hull with encapsulated ballast and shielded running gear
True cutter rig, with all sail controls led to the cockpit and an electric halyard winch
Two spacious staterooms, each with a head
Aft head with a bathtub that doubles as a stall shower
Non-decaying PolyCore deck core
Gelcoat and stainless steel finish described by one reviewer as unmatched

Cons