Island Packet 45 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Island Packet 45 was offered in a two-stateroom aft-cabin layout and a three-cabin arrangement, and both turn up on the brokerage market with reasonable regularity. The three-cabin layout — with a forward stateroom, a midships stateroom, and an aft cabin — is somewhat more commonly encountered, and ex-charter examples from both configurations appear with some frequency. The three-cabin boats suit couples who expect guests aboard on extended passages; the two-stateroom layout trades that flexibility for a larger individual cabin experience aft. Either way, the interior is arranged around offshore liveaboard priorities: a proper chart table large enough for two people to work a passage together, a wet locker adjacent to the nav station, and adjoining heads for each stateroom. The galley is positioned for sea-going use rather than dockside entertaining.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Used Island Packet 45s on the brokerage market tend to arrive with meaningful offshore equipment already aboard, reflecting the blue-water intentions of their previous owners. Lithium battery banks have become a commonly fitted upgrade on examples that have gone through recent refit, often paired with solar arrays and an inverter — a combination that reflects the extended-passage profile of owners who spent time away from marinas. Watermakers are widely fitted; expect to see one as standard equipment on any boat that has crossed an ocean. Dodgers and biminis are nearly universal, as are chartplotters.

Freezers, hot-water systems, radar, autopilots, life rafts, heating, and dinghy davits appear regularly and are often present on boats offered by cruising couples who have set up for long-term self-sufficiency. Cockpit showers and short-handed sailing setups — furling headsails, organized line management, well-placed clutches — are frequently encountered and worth specifically confirming, since their condition varies with the quality of original installation and subsequent maintenance.

Less commonly seen but worth seeking out: wind generators, spinnaker gear, furling mainsails, and bow thrusters. These tend to appear on examples owned by particularly active offshore sailors or by those who have invested in systematic upgrades over time. A furling main, in particular, is a genuine convenience upgrade that simplifies shorthanded ocean sailing on a boat of this displacement.

What to Inspect

The Island Packet 45's long keel is one of its most appealing structural features — no fin-keel attachment hardware to worry about, no high-stress junction points — but it also warrants specific attention on survey. The full keel's fair attachment to the hull is generally a strength of the design, but years of hard use can develop issues at the rudder gudgeons and pintles, which take significant loading on a boat of this displacement. Inspect the rudder bearing carefully and have the surveyor probe for any play or wear.

The Yanmar diesel is a proven powerplant, but engine hours matter here. This is a passagemaker that may have motored through calms across oceans, so actual hours are a more meaningful indicator than calendar age. Pull the service records and confirm that the heat exchanger, impeller schedule, and injectors have been maintained. Fresh water cooling is standard equipment on this engine, which is a long-term benefit, but requires that the coolant circuit has been properly maintained.

Chainplate and deck hardware deserve close attention on any boat of this generation. The deck fittings on an Island Packet are generally well-engineered, but sealant fails over time, and the consequences on a fiberglass boat — deck delamination, water intrusion into the core — are expensive to remedy. Look for any soft spots on deck, particularly around stanchion bases, chain plates, and the mast collar. The interior overhead in way of the chain plates is worth probing as well.

The standing rigging age is worth establishing precisely. On a boat configured for offshore work, rigging is often replaced proactively by owners who understand the consequences of a dismasting mid-ocean, so you may find recently renewed wire even on older boats — but confirm it and budget for replacement if the history is unclear. Check the furling systems on both the headsail and staysail, which are subject to UV degradation and mechanical wear.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Island Packet 45 turns up most consistently in the United States, where the brand has always had its strongest following. Boats also appear in Australia, New Zealand, and French Polynesia — a natural reflection of a model that was bought by serious ocean voyagers who went where serious ocean voyagers go. The US Gulf Coast and East Coast are particularly productive hunting grounds, and Pacific coast listings appear with some regularity.

This is a boat that rewards patience in the search. The best examples are well-equipped and genuinely ready for offshore work; the worst have been run hard and put away wet, sometimes literally. A thorough survey is non-negotiable.

Buyer's checklist before offer:

• Confirm keel-to-hull integrity and rudder bearing condition with a qualified marine surveyor
• Establish engine hours and pull full service records; verify heat exchanger and cooling system maintenance
• Probe the deck thoroughly around chain plates, stanchion bases, and the mast collar for soft spots or delamination
• Confirm rigging age and document replacement history
• Inspect all furling systems — headsail and staysail — for UV degradation and mechanical condition
• Verify watermaker service history and membrane condition
• Confirm battery bank age and state of health (particularly if lithium)
• Review life raft certification date and any other offshore safety gear
• Sea trial in conditions that load the rig; confirm autopilot performance under sail