BoatsIsland Packet 32

Island Packet 32

Cutter · Long Keel · 1990–1996

A 32-foot cruiser with a 1.32-meter draft, optimized for shallow-water access and offshore stability

Designed by Robert K. Johnson.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Island Packet 32, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Maryland School of Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 26 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 26
CoastalBluewater

1.94 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.94
LightHeavy

258 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 258
EasygoingPowered-up

15.7 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.7
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Beamier than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 426 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Island Packet 32, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Island PACKET 32 is a Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter-rigged sailboat built by Island Packet Yachts from 1990 to 1996, featuring a full-foil long keel and a displacement of 6123 kg. Its 10.7 m LOA and 1.3 m draft are characteristic of the brand's design philosophy, which prioritizes stability and gentle motion over the fin-keel trend of its era. Island Packet Yachts, founded by mechanical engineer Bob Johnson, built over 2,500 boats from its Largo, Florida factory, using a one-piece, hand-laminated solid fiberglass hull-and-keel molding. Aboard *Hugh Robertson Sailing*, a Pacific SEACRAFT 34 moors near an Island PACKET 32 after a solo circumnavigation, indicating its presence in cruising communities.16:46

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Island Packet 32 on video

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
44.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.7
Displacement / length
258.2
Comfort ratio
26.4
Capsize screening
1.94
Hull speed
7.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1174
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1990–1996
Units built
120
Designer
Robert K. Johnson
Builder
Island Packet Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Hallberg-Rassy Rasmus 3510.52 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA long-keeled cruiser that transitioned from mahogany to GRP construction, offering a stable platform for blue-water sailing
Vancouver 34 Pilot10.44 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter featuring a deck saloon for protected cruising on a stable, long-keeled hull
Vancouver 34 Classic10.44 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter featuring a long keel and a balanced hull form refined with lead ballast for stability
Vindo 5010.65 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.65-metre masthead sloop with a 46% ballast ratio, engineered for a stiff, predictable motion in open water
Wright Princess 3610.97 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA long-keeled masthead ketch available as a cutter, offering a stable 1.37-meter draft for versatile cruising
Island Packet 35010.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.57-meter cutter featuring a 1.3-meter draft and a 47% ballast ratio for stable, shallow-water exploration

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Island Packet 32, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue