Islander 30 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for an Islander 30 means looking at Joseph McGlasson's original 1968 Wayfarer Yacht Corp. raised-deck sloop, not the later Mark II. With only a handful of hulls built before the 1970 design was replaced, every example afloat is a scarce early-fiberglass coastal cruiser with family-friendly accommodations below.
Layouts on the Used Market
The original 30 is a solid fiberglass hull on a fin keel with skeg-hung rudder, 29 feet 6 inches overall and 8 feet 10 inches beam, sleeping four under a raised deck. Buyers will find a forward V-berth, saloon settee berths, a centerline head, and a compact galley with gimbaled stove and icebox, finished in period teak. The raised deck gives the interior its headroom and light; this is the layout constant across the short-lived production.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The standard auxiliary is a Universal Atomic 4 gasoline inboard near 30 horsepower, and the boat left the mold with modest fuel and water tankage suited to short hops. A masthead sloop rig on aluminum spars carries 355 square feet of sail. Prospective owners should budget for a gasoline-engine survey and for rig refreshing, as the original halyards and sheets are period-spec 3/8- and 1/2-inch lines now decades old. No generator or watermaker fits the modest tankage and coastal brief, so buyer attention belongs to sail-handling gear and the Atomic 4's condition.
What to Inspect
Sound the solid fiberglass hull and internal lead ballast, and check the raised deck joints for condition. Budget for standard aging-fiberglass and gasoline-inboard scrutiny at survey.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Seekers should treat the boat as a rare used Islander 30 wherever encountered. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm McGlasson 1968 hull identity versus the Mark II, survey the Atomic 4 gasoline inboard, sound the solid fiberglass hull and ballast, and assess the overrigged original sail plan for age. A clean example rewards with a comfortable, slim, headroom-rich coastal cruiser few others will have at the dock.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Islander 30. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $23,000 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau First 30 (Mauric) | 29.36' | $ 83,953 | 43 | 19 |
| Pearson 30 | 29.79' | $ 7,100 | 16 | 5 |
| Custom 30 | 29.75' | $ 14,573 | 12 | 3 |
| Islander 28 | 27.92' | $ 20,000 | 5 | 3 |