BoatsIsland Packet 37

Island Packet 37

Cutter · Long Keel · 1994–1998

A 37-foot cutter with a 1.37-meter draft, balancing offshore stability with the ability to explore shallow anchorages

Designed by Robert K. Johnson.

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

See her sail

The Island Packet 37, on the water

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

Footage from All About 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 heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 31 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 31
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.84
LightHeavy

277 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 277
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.3
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.

  • Draws less than ~77% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 408 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Island Packet 37, 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 37 is a Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter with a long keel, built by Island Packet Yachts from 1994 to 1998. It measures 11.8 m LOA, with a 3.7 m beam, 1.4 m draft, and 8391 kg displacement. Johnson, a naval architect, founded Island Packet Yachts in 1979, developing a full-foil keel using NACA airfoil sections for tracking stability and a gentle motion with less than five feet of draft. Island Packet hulls are constructed with a one-piece, hand-laminated solid fiberglass hull-and-keel molding, featuring no keel bolts and a proprietary Polyclad gel coat system.7:53 The company's reputation was established with the Island PACKET 31, which sold 262 units after its 1983 introduction.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Island Packet 37 on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
44.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.3
Displacement / length
277.2
Comfort ratio
30.9
Capsize screening
1.84
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1347
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1994–1998
Units built
60
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.

Bayfield 3610.97 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA Haydn Gozzard-designed cutter with a long keel, built for steady, comfortable passage-making.
Bayfield 36 – A Cheap Bluewater Sailboatfrom Practical Sailor
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing
Islander Yachts Freeport 4112.50 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA long-keeled staysail ketch derived from the Islander 40MS, featuring an interior redesign by Robert Perry
Sailing Solo to Hen Rock, Catalina Island (September 2023)15:53from keeldragger
Island Packet 4012.19 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 12.19-meter cutter featuring a 1.42-meter draft that balances offshore stability with shoal-water accessibility
From Sicily to the Balearics by way of Sardinia ⛵ 460 miles by sailboat with Maurizio EP. 11:34from Alfredo Contaldo
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38from Practical Sailor
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor

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.

Island Packet 38A 38-foot cutter with a 1.52-meter draft, balancing a heavy 4535-kilogram ballast for offshore stabilityIsland Packet 35A 10.77-meter cutter featuring a 45% ballast ratio, engineered for heavy-weather stability and extended offshore rangeIsland Packet 40A 12.19-meter cutter featuring a 1.42-meter draft that balances offshore stability with shoal-water accessibilityIsland Packet 32A 32-foot cruiser with a 1.32-meter draft, optimized for shallow-water access and offshore stabilityIsland Packet 31A 10.46-meter cutter with a shallow 1.22-meter draft, engineered for stable, long-distance cruising in shoal watersIsland Packet 350A 10.57-meter cutter featuring a 1.3-meter draft and a 47% ballast ratio for stable, shallow-water exploration

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