Island Packet 31
Built 1983–1989 by Island Packet Yachts (Largo, Florida)
About the Island Packet 31
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1983–1989
- Builder
- Island Packet Yachts (Largo, Florida)
- Designer
- Robert K. (Bob) Johnson
- Waterline
- 27.75 ft
- Beam
- 11.5 ft
- Draft
- 4 ft
- Displacement
- 11,000 lb
- Ballast
- 4,500 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- full keel
- Rig
- cutter
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 25 gal
- Water
- 70 gal
- Number built
- 262
- Bow thruster
- common retrofit
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- pedestal geared · Edson
Sources disagree on length — left blank rather than guessed.
Offered as cutter or sloop, fixed keel (4.0 ft, iron ballast in concrete) or centerboard (3.0 ft board up). Early boats had a 22 hp Yanmar, later 27 hp. Interior is a molded liner tabbed to the hull. Replaced by the IP32. Ballast 4,500 lb, fuel 25 gal and water 70 gal per sailboatdata.
Known problems for this model
-
Encapsulated stainless chainplates (crevice/stress corrosion) rigging
Chainplates are glassed into the hull/caprail area where corrosion cannot be seen; boats before the 1996 model year used 304 stainless, which the former factory staffer running IP Ancestry says lasts roughly 20-25 years. A specialist yard reported most IP chainplates it replaced were failed or near failure, so plan on inspection or replacement (pre-1996 boats).island-packet-ancestry.com · forums.ybw.com
-
Full keel with prop in aperture - poor control astern hull
Owners and reviewers note the full-keel boats back up unpredictably; many owners add a bow thruster.practical-sailor.com · forums.ybw.com
-
PolyCore (resin/microballoon) cored deck deck
Deck is cored with a resin-microballoon mix instead of balsa; Practical Sailor had no reader reports of deck delamination or blisters.practical-sailor.com
Steering
Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good
Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)
Common problems (3)
-
Old or slack steering wire steering
Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.usna.edu · youtube.com
-
Lubrication and fastener checks steering
Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.usna.edu
-
Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.forums.sailboatowners.com
Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good
Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)
Model sources (3)
practical-sailor.com · island-packet-ancestry.com · sailboatdata.com
Other Island Packet models
- Island Packet 27 1984–1992
- Island Packet 32 1990–1996
- Island Packet 35 1988–1994
- Island Packet 350 1997–2004
- Island Packet 38 1986–1993
- Island Packet 40 1994–2000
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.