BoatsIsland Packet 420

Island Packet 420

Cutter · Long Keel · First built 1999

A 13.59-metre blue-water cutter with a 1.52-metre draft and a heavy-displacement hull for offshore stability

Designed by Robert K. Johnson.

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

See her sail

The Island Packet 420, on the water

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

Footage from Adventureman Dan

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 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.84
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 257
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.4
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

  • Heavier than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~95% of boats her size on file

Compared with 292 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Island Packet 420, 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 420 is a Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter-rigged sailboat with a long keel, built by Island Packet Yachts from 1999 to the present. It measures 13.6 meters LOA, with a 4.3-meter beam, 1.5-meter draft, and displaces 13,607 kg. Aboard *Adventureman Dan*, the crew previously cruised a 42-foot Island Packet before switching to a Feeling 39 for its shallow-draft capabilities in the Bahamas.34:40

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.4
Displacement / length
257.4
Comfort ratio
34.1
Capsize screening
1.84
Hull speed
8.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1901
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1999
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.

Island Packet 43914.33 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA modern 2021-launched cutter with a heavy-displacement hull and a 1.52-meter draft for stable, deep-water cruising
Island Packet 4513.79 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 45-foot cutter with a 1.47-metre draft, balancing substantial displacement with shoal-water accessibility
Island Packet 4413.41 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 13.4-meter blue-water cutter with a 1.47-meter draft, balancing heavy-displacement stability with shoal-water access
Hans Christian 4312.99 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA 12.99-metre staysail ketch with a long keel and high comfort ratio, built from 1974 to 1992 for steady offshore work
Baba 4012.14 mSame hull family1.5 m shorterA 13-ton cutter with a 41.5 comfort ratio, built between 1980 and 1982 for steady, long-distance passage making
Explorer 45 (Huntingford)13.79 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA long-keeled staysail ketch designed by Stan Huntingford for stable, comfortable blue-water passage making

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Island Packet 420, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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