# Islands 15



## ehmanta (Sep 12, 2006)

Has anyone out there heard of these boats? I just bought one for fun, sailing around the river behind the house but I don't know anything about the sailing characteristics or reputations. The lines are sweet and fair, looks like a nice little daysailor. 
These boats are built by Sumner Boat Company, Amityville NY (I guess out of business) Thanks, Tom


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## pigslo (Nov 22, 2004)

No, never heard of it. Is that all you needed?
pigslo


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## ehmanta (Sep 12, 2006)

Just trying to get some specifications on it as well as any reports on its sailing characteristics...thanks


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## truewind (May 17, 2007)

*Info on a Sumner Dink*

OK, If no one knows anything about the 17 footer ----- I have a dink that I belive was built by the Sumner Boat Co. of Amityville, NY. This boat appears to have had lee boards therefore must have had a sail and all that goes with it.

I am looking for a sail plan if there was one. I also am in search for any information about what the lee boards may have had and what they looked like.

This dink was built in 1976 or '77 is about 7.5+ ft long, fiber glass and very light with a wooden skeg.

Any help would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Truewind


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## dehart (Oct 7, 2008)

Truewind, I was just given a Sumner-8, which sounds exactly like the boat you describe. The sail rig on it is a sprit sail. My sail rig is missing the sprit but the mast, sail, and boom are all there. I could not find any info on the boat either. I posted a question on Woodenboat Forum and got good pictures of the complete sail rig. Follow this link to the thread:

w w w . w o o d e n b o a t . c o m /forum/showthread.php?t=86430
Take the spaces out.

That forum is where I lurk, and the best place to reach me would be on that thread. I can email you pics of my boat and take dimensions if that helps you. Maybe we can help each other get these boats fixed up right.


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## dehart (Oct 7, 2008)

In my search for Sumner-8 info I also came across a six page thread somewhere with info on the Islands 15 and 19. There are references to places where replacement parts can be found and several people reported on sailing them. It seems I cannot post links here, but I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.

w w w . v o i l e . o r g /forumvav32/read.php?2,1063,page=1
Again, take out the spaces. I have no ties to either "link" and only offer them to help folks who are looking for info.

I tried to PM Truewind to tip him off that I can help him with his Sumner-8, but I cannot PM either. If someone can nudge him over here I can arrange a direct exchange of photos with him. I tried to get my post count up to where I cam PM and post links, but that disappeared. I am trying to offer help but the board is uncooperative. I'll go away if I'm not welcome here.


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## JohnBPrice (Aug 10, 2014)

OK, your post is pretty old, but I just ran across it. I own an Islands 15 and it is an awesome newbie and family friendly boat. Quite broad and very stable. Easy to launch and sail. Almost impossible to capsize. When I got it, I had no experienced crew so I got something simple. I've sailed mine single handed and with 6 people on board. It is NOT a performance boat, it points horribly and has limited sail controls. I have my original brochure with some specs if you are still out there.


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## kpowell01 (Aug 11, 2014)

John,

I just got an 1986 Islands 15 for FREE, but it had no owners manual or sails and is missing most of the rigging. If you could email me the manual i would be ecstatic. Finding info on this boat is harder than finding Jimmy Hoffa!

Thx,

Kevin


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## JohnBPrice (Aug 10, 2014)

It's just a brochure, no manual. The sails were labeled Bottger Sails, Lindenhurst, Long Island.

SailNet wont let me upload or post links, but the brochure is here if you remove the spaces

h t t p s://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=5C98F280198DE72!2298&authkey=!AG9RDblL8gllXvM&ithint=folder%2cjpg


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## kpowell01 (Aug 11, 2014)

Thanks John! Thats more than i had to start with!

Kevin


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## JohnBPrice (Aug 10, 2014)

I'm in the process of resurrecting mine (I stopped using it when we had kids and it sat unused for years). I need to patch some mouse holes in the sails. If you like, I can measure my sails when I do. I can do the basic luff/leech lengths, I don't know how to determine sail draft, but any sail maker should be able to make reasonable guesses. BTW, I looked into getting new sails, but they were pretty expensive, $500 or so based on the size, so I didn't pursue it.


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## gerfris (Sep 9, 2014)

Has anyone had any experience making repairs to the centerboard of this boat? I just purchased one, and the centerboard is not functioning properly. There also was a few gallons of water in the bilge, that I am wondering if it came from the housing around the centerboard. Hasn't been sailed in over 10 years. Taking it on as a fall project.


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## kpowell01 (Aug 11, 2014)

John,

Thanks for the info you have sent me so far. As I am piecing this boat back together I am hitting a few road blocks. Would you be able to take a picture of how the boom attaches to the mast. I have hardware on the boom, but not the mast. Also, the mast step, I have hardware on base of the mast, but not on the hull itself. i am going to have a piece made, but need to know if it is mounted flat or if it has amny angle on it, like a shim of sorts below the mast. Pictures of the boom vang would be great as well so i can get that as well.

I am still hoping to at least sail a little before it gets too cold!

I hope this isn't a problem, if so let me know and i will keep hunting.
Thanks again!

Kevin


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## kpowell01 (Aug 11, 2014)

John,

I found sails at Baconsails, used ones. Just went throiugh their sail finder. they took a little refitting, which they did, but ended up not spending more than 350 for main and jib in excellet condition

Kevin


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

kpowell01 said:


> Would you be able to take a picture of how the boom attaches to the mast. I have hardware on the boom, but not the mast.


On these boats the boom's gooseneck hardware slides into the mast's sail track. Boom is held in place by a downhaul line tied between the eye on the goosneck and a cleat at the bottom of the mast. That is a very common system on smaller boats.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

gerfris said:


> Has anyone had any experience making repairs to the centerboard of this boat? I just purchased one, and the centerboard is not functioning properly. There also was a few gallons of water in the bilge, that I am wondering if it came from the housing around the centerboard. Hasn't been sailed in over 10 years. Taking it on as a fall project.


I had an Islands 17. The centerboard box was very well sealed. In my case the water in the bilge was coming from rainwater getting through not properly sealed inspection ports on the floor. Centerboard design is really simple and not hard to figure out. My boat had a 4" inspection port mounted on the side of centerboard box so you could reach inside with your hand and check the steel cable to make sure it is not jammed. Make sure that you don't have any junk in the centerboard well that restricts it's movement.


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## JohnBPrice (Aug 10, 2014)

Sorry, I haven't checked in for a while. The boom mount on my Islands 15 is just as Krisscross described, the tube at the end of the goose neck slides up the track on the mast and is held up with the bolt rope when the sail is raised. A downhaul goes to the cleat on the mast. My boat does not have a vang. 

I had the need to take out my center board to replace the lift rope. There are two access ports on either side of the trunk. Through these you can reach the bolt that holds the center board in place. No bearings, the center board has a simple bushing. Not a likely place for much leakage unless it is damaged, though you could apply some caulk. There is a hole through the inner and outer centerboard trunks for the lift rope, I suspect this is where the leak is when under way. You might be able to put a sleeve in it to stop water leaking in between the hulls. There is also a small hole at the top of the inner center board trunk for no apparent reason. You would have to pull the center board to plug it.

The mast step is a stainless plate with two side flanges about a half inch high that fit outside the sides of the mast plate. The flanges have holes drilled where the holes are in the mast plate. A pin goes through the aft most hole, through the mast plate with the mast lowered. Thus you can lift the mast and it will pivot up on the pin. Mine did not have any pin for the forward hole, only the jib stay and shrouds hold it up.


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## fgump (Jul 20, 2015)

Here are a few of our '87 Islands 15. I bought it for pretty cheap from a coworker, and have invested about $150 to update a few things (fairlead clamcleats for the swing keel, some mast step work (resecuring from beneath), some new mast step pins, some general TLC, trailer work, new wheels/tires, some trailer wiring and lights. So far we've sailed a few times (4-5) in a nearby freshwater lake (Jordan Lake near Raleigh, NC) and one time down in the Intracoastal Waterway at Atlantic Beach, NC. I need to rebuild the trunk wood (not sure proper terminology, but the wooden cover over the centerboard trunk fiberglass), but she sails pretty well. 

We call her "Miss Holly", after our former pet brittany spaniel. In a pic below, you can see her baby brother "Moose" enjoying a day on the water.


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## gerfris (Sep 9, 2014)

Thank you all for the replies on this thread. As it turns out, the water in the bilge of my Sumner Islands 15 was coming in from the bilge drainage hole itself. At first I thought it was from the ports on the deck, but after taking the boat out of the water and filling the cabin with water, I realized nothing was leaking into the bilge from the deck. I then decided to fill the bilge up with water to see if I could spot the leak that way, and sure enough water was coming through the drainage port. I also took the advice given here and took out the centerboard and cleaned out all of the debris that had accumulated in the centerboard housing over the years. It looked like at one point the board must have not stayed up in the housing, because someone put a plethora of blue painters tape inside the housing itself. I cleaned it all out, and now the centerboard works well. Aside from that, I had to replace the boom due to ice getting inside of it and causing the track to swell. This must have happened in storage as the previous owners kept it in a barn for several years. 

I made some cosmetic repairs, and other than that, she is ready to sail. Overall, a very easy boat to work on. Will post some pictures in the spring. Looking forward to sailing her. Thanks again for the replies.


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## todco34 (Mar 2, 2019)

Hi,

Re: the Islands 15- do you have a picture of it under sail?
Tom


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## Potomac TJ (Jun 16, 2020)

Hey guys. 
Just pulled pulled ours out, cleaned her up took it out this past weekend. Been 15 yrs since being in the water.


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## Oadcock (Jun 29, 2020)

JohnBPrice said:


> OK, your post is pretty old, but I just ran across it. I own an Islands 15 and it is an awesome newbie and family friendly boat. Quite broad and very stable. Easy to launch and sail. Almost impossible to capsize. When I got it, I had no experienced crew so I got something simple. I've sailed mine single handed and with 6 people on board. It is NOT a performance boat, it points horribly and has limited sail controls. I have my original brochure with some specs if you are still out there.


Hey! Ollie here. I also have recently purchased on old Islands 15 and trying to get it shipshape and in the water. I have no info on the boat. A copy of the manual would be awesome if still available. Thanks!


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