# Islander Bahama 24' as first boat?



## micetic (Apr 19, 2006)

I am thinking of getting the Islander Bahama 24 listed locally in my area on Craigslist as my first boat. Any opinions or things I ought to look for when I have a look at her? The link is below. Thanks for any tips!

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/283964123.html


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Not a bad looking starter boat - you might look around at some comparable boats like Tanzer, Cal or Catalina to get a feel for what to expect for what money..


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## micetic (Apr 19, 2006)

sailingfool said:


> Not a bad looking starter boat - you might look around at some comparable boats like Tanzer, Cal or Catalina to get a feel for what to expect for what money..


I have been looking around quite a bit and there was a nice Catalina 22 that I decided to go for but it was sold once I got back in touch with the owners, so I am back looking. I have not heard a lot about these boats and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them. Ever sail an Islander Bahama before?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Never sailed one - they were very popular - Google the History of Columbia Yachts - try Columbia Yacht Owners - there is something there about how Islanders came to be, I believe. Buy Don Casey's book called "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" Use that as a guide check the boat out. Don't worry too much about cosmetics and then go out and start sailing.


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## maestro (May 3, 2002)

*yes I have*

my S.O.'s family ownes an I.B 24 flush deck, lots of room in cabin (for a 24 footer...) great sailing qualities. Initially tender but locks in at around 15-18 degrees of heel and does not move. The spoon bow softens the ride in a chop. BUT, it's a slow boat, and takes a long time to tack her and get back up to speed. They are nice boats to pocket cruise on (3 1/2 ft draft) Inboard or outboard?? Unless the inboard was replaced (it was a Palmer 1 cylander gas engine designed in the 40's) the outboard is more reliable...although is does not retract out of the water.


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## JustinC25 (Sep 13, 2006)

I looked at an Islander 24 when I was shopping around for my first boat about a year and a half ago. I also found it on craigslist for $1k and it looked nice in the photos, but in person it was a mess and I didn't like the layout/design. It has a nice size cockpit, but in my opinion the interior was very cramped. It had low headroom (I'm 6'), I don't think there was a rear berth beneath the cockpit, and I just didn't like the layout. One reason I think there is less interior space is because the Islander has the well for the outboard. It hides the outboard and gives the boat a clean look, but the outboard is always in the water and then that also pushes the cockpit about 2' forward, taking away from the interior. A couple months later I came across a 1982 Catalina 25 which became mine two weeks later. I really like the design of the C-25. It's only 1' longer, but has so much more usable interior space. My C-25 has a pop top which gives over 6' of headroom and has a nice dinette interior layout. I would highly recommend looking at Catalina 25s. The Catalinas are also very popular, have a great owners association, and you can easily buy replacement parts. There are so many boats out there to choose from. Have fun looking around, checking them out in person to see what you really like.


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## micetic (Apr 19, 2006)

JustinC25 said:


> I looked at an Islander 24 when I was shopping around for my first boat about a year and a half ago. I also found it on craigslist for $1k and it looked nice in the photos, but in person it was a mess and I didn't like the layout/design. It has a nice size cockpit, but in my opinion the interior was very cramped. It had low headroom (I'm 6'), I don't think there was a rear berth beneath the cockpit, and I just didn't like the layout. One reason I think there is less interior space is because the Islander has the well for the outboard. It hides the outboard and gives the boat a clean look, but the outboard is always in the water and then that also pushes the cockpit about 2' forward, taking away from the interior. A couple months later I came across a 1982 Catalina 25 which became mine two weeks later. I really like the design of the C-25. It's only 1' longer, but has so much more usable interior space. My C-25 has a pop top which gives over 6' of headroom and has a nice dinette interior layout. I would highly recommend looking at Catalina 25s. The Catalinas are also very popular, have a great owners association, and you can easily buy replacement parts. There are so many boats out there to choose from. Have fun looking around, checking them out in person to see what you really like.


Weird that you suggested a Catalina 25, one came on Craigslist in my area just today. I will check it out, thanks for the tip!


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## ssneade (Nov 30, 2008)

gee!
i have a contender almost identical to the islander24. yeah the cabin room is a little to be desired, but this is a boat that sailed to Hawaii from the west coast.
i wouldn't wanna try that in one of those egg shell thin catalina's. on heavy days, you'll be going out when they're coming in. believe me, that islander is as hard a boat as you could have as a first vessel. she'll do you well.
scott


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## Jim H (Feb 18, 2006)

I second the comment about the Cat 25s. We sailed one out out of Island Sailing Club (Tomahawk Island, in Portland) for weekend cruising, and it was a fun boat. In fact, I think the V berth was more comfortable than a Cat 27.

I also may be biased, but I'd go for a Cal over an Islander, and maybe over a Cat, because of their heavier build quality and possibly "easier to work on" characteristics. Here's two from the Portland Craigslist:

1973 27 ft. CAL Sailboat - 27 - Proven Racing Sloop - Offers?

Great Cal Jensen 2-24 24 ft. Racing / Cruising Sailboat

There was also a Cal 34 listed on Portland Craigslist lately-- they are also not bad boats (to work on, sail, upgrade for cruising to a degree).

After you buy, check out McCuddy's for a slip. (Disclaimer: I have a Cal 20 there...) Let us know what happens-- and if you bought the Islander, show us some pics.


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## tager (Nov 21, 2008)

I am about to buy an islander 24' as an upgrade from my current Balboa 22' ...

I figure I can sell one during the summer for more money than I paid. I also like the idea of a full, glassed in keel. (Hawaii anyone?)


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## scottchop (Nov 18, 2008)

*I-24*

Tager,

Just noticed the I-24 back up on Craigslist. This your boat?

Islander Bahama 24

Scott


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## tager (Nov 21, 2008)

She was my boat! I loved her well, and only got $800 for her. Oh well she was an alright boat. I am much happier with my Haida 26. Standing headroom is a necessity.


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## Mustang1 (Jun 5, 2012)

Hi, my name is Ben. I recently bought a 1965 Islander Bahama 24. I have been going over the boat and fixing and learning about it. Inside of the boat, all the way in the back, underneath the engine well, I have noticed a small leak coming from a hole at the very bottom. The hole looks like it is plugged with a wooden plug that appears to be rotting. Do you know what that hole is for? I would like to pull out the wooden plug and replace it with a rubber expansion plug but I do not want to sink the boat. This is my first boat so I am in the learning mode.


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## arf145 (Jul 25, 2007)

Ben, you might get more replies to your inquiry as a new thread out on the Gear & Maintenance forum.


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## beaster (Jan 8, 2020)

Hello.

Although this is an old thread I thought I would add to it in case someone else contemplating an Islander 24 finds this. I was gifted a 1969 Islander 24 'Bahama' which is the flush deck version and sailed it for almost 12 years. We sailed it on the west coast of British Columbia and later moved it to Kootenay Lake in the interior of the province. I sold it 7 years ago and it is still churning out the miles!
BUILD QUALITY: The boat is very ruggedly built with almost 4" of glass at the bow and two+ inches at the turn of the keel. The keel is encapsulated lead so no worries about the keel/hull join or keel bolts. My kids ran that boat into more than one pile or wharf and it sustained nothing more than scratches to the paint. We once ran hard aground on rocks and pounded for an hour while waiting for the tide to lift us and sustained minor damage to the glass on the bottom of the keel but otherwise the boat was fine.
SAILING: This boat needs wind to move. We were happiest in 15-20 knots with a 130 Genoa and full main. With the full keel the boat doesn't point very well and being relatively slow you likely won't win many races against lighter displacement, fin keel 24 footers. Having said that, the handicap is favorable and in regattas where the wind was up and we sailed well we often finished near the top of the pack on corrected times. As someone else noted, she is a bit tender but locks in at around 15 degrees and is really hard to knock off her feet. We once hove-to in 50+ knots and 8-10 waves and did fine. 
INTERIOR: Not a lot of room to maneuver but the V-Berth is bigger than on my 30' C&C. The head arrangement (forward under a v-berth cutout) leaves a bit to be desired - but what 24' boat doesn't? We cruised for weeks with a family of four and could carry enough provisions for a week. I built storage bins into the port aft quarter for things that didn't require regular access. The cabin table dropped down to form one berth on port and there was a full length berth to starboard that extended under the cockpit. The cabin top is a pop-up which coupled with a boom tarp created a lot more headspace and opened up the cabin to light/air on hot days. One major modification I made was to glass in the hull at the outboard motor-well in the aft lazarette and mount a 9.9 on the stern. Two advantages - I could raise the motor so that it didn't drag and the lazarette became a more substantial and dry storage area. Disadvantage was that motoring in anything more than 3' waves would cause the outboard prop to leave the water at the top of the wave. 
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR: Besides the usual old boat things to watch for.....
The rib that supports the deck stepped mast is solid glass but when we bought our boat it had a noticeable sag under the mast and cracks in the rib. I repaired that and built a new plate that extended two feet out on either side of the original mast step to better distribute the load. The chainplates are bedded onto a plywood bulkhead. If any water has gotten past the deck onto that join it is possible there may be some rot around the chainplate. The cockpit drain hose was coupled directly to a bedded thru-hull that had no seacock. Very unsafe because if the hose failed or uncoupled there was no was to stop water ingress. The forward deck tended to flex under my 210 lbs so I beefed it up by glassing in a couple of ribs.
All in all the boat served us very well with very low cost of maintenance. We safely sailed it in conditions good and very bad and never once worried about the boat.
Hope this helps someone.


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