# Islander 32



## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

*I tried to keep this short and sweet

But I couldn't post a link yet.

new sailor couple looking for boat to learn and grow on. 
Thoughts on Islander 32 in general and prices??*


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

I believe this is the boat in question.









For Sale or Trade 1977 Islander 32

A couple thoughts on Islanders. We have 2 I36's in our fleet and we love them. THey are the boats I take out when the weather kicks up and I we have 5-8 footers. They were very solidly built boats and have a good reputation. They do fairly well with age so long as the decks are solid. There is a bit of a mast heel thing that if you have to pull the sticks some time the aluminum heel is welded to the mast and you can actually lift the boat with the mast with no rigging. It requires a cutting of the mast and a built up part to replace it with. I have made this part before and it is not a deal breaker on the boat. The boat is a stout boat for 32 feet and was built with the ocean in mind. The I32 is of the same vintage and build quality as our I36's.

With this boat in particular I wouldn't really factor how much they spent on the boat upgrades to how much you should buy it for. I could put $40k into a 1992 Plymouth Voyager but I should not expect that I am going to get anywhere near that out of it.
When it comes to the boat look around at some comparable boats outfitted similarly and see what they go for, make an offer way lower and see what they say.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

The I 32 is a pretty nice boat.. 

Looks like a lot of good gear, but all of it subject to confirmation, of course. I'd remove the outboard for aesthetic and trim reasons.

What are they asking? YW listing prices range from $14 to 23K.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

Yes. The is the boat. Thanks for posting the link!


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

The reverse steerage issue can be solved by installing a more powerful prop so you can get her moving a little quicker and make faster stops. Se does want some water over that rudder in reverse to turn but if you pla out your docking well you will be fine.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

If that is in fact the boat, looks like the workmanship on some of the "improvements" is a bit rough. That headliner, if it is as thick knotty pine as it looks is putting weight where you don't want it (up high) and what were they hiding? The one shot of the settee where you can see the fixed sidelights, looks like there is some water leaking. Those aft chain-plates look pretty suspect from the distant shot. The cutting of the trim around the tachometer looks like it was done with a reciprocating saw and is not an indicator of quality work. And that green is well, quite green. While the engine is relatively new, it looks pretty dirty for how old it is, so that would need some investigation. Especially if they are saying it only has 4 hours on it? I would expect it to be shiny, and they should have cleaned up the engine compartment while putting it in. If the boat has such a great diesel why do they still have the outboard hooked up on the bracket on the stern with that great PVC extension? That green does not look like gelcoat, so by new gelcoat do they mean paint, what quality? If not done extremely well that will reduce the value because it will have to be sanded off to be done right. That new "frige" that is where the stove is supposed to be, again lowering value. New stove will be well over a grand, though it does list a "new Orgo stove" so it must be somewhere.

This is the Robert Perry version of the boat, so it has that going for it and should sail quite well. I love how he has what looks like a sheep skin rug on the v-birth, I remember how I wanted one as a pre-teen.










Image from sailboatdata.com if you are not familiar with it, is a great resource.

The price seems high especially for Florida (where prices seem quite low normally) so if you are really interested have a surveyor go over it and they will likely give a recommended price. Now it may sound like I just ripped the boat apart, but just the things I would look at if I were to look at the boat from the included shots. Keep in mind those are likely the best shots of the boat, and who knows how old. The biggest things that hit me are the chainplates and the engine does not look like it has 4 hours on it. If it were me replacing the engine I would have cleaned all the wiring up and repainted the engine bay before installing it, but that is me.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanks for the great advice. We will certainly take all given into account.

Just to clarify one thing, it is in Jacksonville, NC not Florida.

I was on a Islander 32 years ago and really liked the layout so when I saw this one locally offered I was interested to find out what experienced people thought of the boats in general and this one in particular. We may try to take a look at it soon and get more photos/video if possible.


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

Kimmi said:


> Thanks for the great advice. We will certainly take all given into account.
> 
> Just to clarify one thing, it is in Jacksonville, NC not Florida.
> 
> I was on a Islander 32 years ago and really liked the layout so when I saw this one locally offered I was interested to find out what experienced people thought of the boats in general and this one in particular. We may try to take a look at it soon and get more photos/video if possible.


A little insight to the headliner thing. If the original had been taken down often for adding things to the deck it was likely trashed and that is why they did the "custom" job. The original headliners look nice till they get a little worn out and then they really don't look good or function well.

With all the other stuff Miatapaul mentioned, a good survey will tell you what you need to know. Be there for the survey and ask questions.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

gedaggett said:


> The reverse steerage issue can be solved by installing a more powerful prop so you can get her moving a little quicker and make faster stops. Se does want some water over that rudder in reverse to turn but if you pla out your docking well you will be fine.


The above is probably in response to my original comments (since edited out) about reversability.. but I was confusing myself and thinking of the I 36.. I see no reason why the Perry I-32 would have any difficulty there.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Looks like a nice boat, reasonably priced. I would have it surveyed prior to purchase, especially since you are relatively new to sailing. Good thing it has a shallow draft - you will be happy with that sailing in NC.
It is a lot of boat to learn sailing on. Maybe you can get someone experienced (possibly the seller?) to sail with you a few times. That would be money well spent.


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## scratchee (Mar 2, 2012)

Not sure about your budget and plans, but for a couple of new sailors I would recommend a boat in the 27-29 foot range with an inboard motor. You should be able to find plenty of them for less than $10k. If you want to spend $17k that's fine, but I know when I started looking for my first boat a few years ago, I assumed I was going to have to spend a bunch of money. I told a friend of mine that I was searching yachtworld.com in the $10-$20K range. 

We had this exchange:

Friend: "Why are you cutting it off at $10K?"

Me: "What should I cut it off at?"

Friend: "Zero."

Obviously the very bottom end is littered with garbage, but there are plenty of good boats for less than $10K, and I bought one of them.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Nowadays, 32 is the new 22...

Agree that one needn't spend as much as that, but we often see first timers spending closer to or over $100K... in that context this doesn't look so bad.

At 17K it's mid range among ASKING prices on YW.. so not a bad starting point. Seems to me now if you're fairly confident you are going to enjoy/continue/embrace the sailing life jumping into a still-manageable boat like the I-32 avoids that inevitable first 'move up'.. at least for a while.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Kimmi said:


> Thanks for the great advice. We will certainly take all given into account.
> 
> Just to clarify one thing, it is in Jacksonville, NC not Florida.
> 
> I was on a Islander 32 years ago and really liked the layout so when I saw this one locally offered I was interested to find out what experienced people thought of the boats in general and this one in particular. We may try to take a look at it soon and get more photos/video if possible.


AH, I am not familiar with Jacksonville NC. Most of my experience with NC is inland and western.

The Islander 32 was designed by one of the greats of modern day boat design. It is known to sail quite well, and likely one of the least expensive ways of getting into a Robert Perry designed boat. My biggest issues are why a motor with 4 hours looks so dirty (could just be the picture perhaps it is shiny in person) and that green is well quite green and that refrigerator. If it is something you could live with or even like (might look great in person) then OK. But the basic boat design is excellent and would be on the top of my list of boats in this size range.


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Gosh Miata, either your nose is growing or my head is growing.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Hey what can I say. I like your boats. But seriously when you consider the competition in this size range there's not much that looks as nice. Besides what other designer would be commenting about a a 35 year old designs on a forum. 

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Miata: They are all my "children" I can't abandon them. I'm just a guy who likes boats.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

If we end up with her we will give "your girl" a loving home!!


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

I have been waiting for a good Perry boat to come available up here in the great lakes so that we can add it to the fleet but nothing has materialized yet. An I34-2 would be fantastic.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

I am now fixated on the GREEN, thanks for pointing that out so am wondering how much it would cost approximately to change it to a more subdued green color should the boats paint/gel coat otherwise be in good condition?


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

Kimmi said:


> I am now fixated on the GREEN, thanks for pointing that out so am wondering how much it would cost approximately to change it to a more subdued green color should the boats paint/gel coat otherwise be in good condition?


You have to find out what paint they used. If you are lucky they did a quality job using a product like Interlux Perfection two part. If that is the case you can often lightly sand with 240, clean thoroughly and then apply the same paint over it. If you not lucky it is going to be a pain in the but involving sanding down to the Gelcoat, priming 2 coats and then topcoat 2 coats......If you want it to last. Bottom line is you have to use like products.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

So like most questions, the answer is going to be "it depends"

Well, hopefully it is light playing a trick and the green is darker than it looks in these photos.


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## gedaggett (Oct 21, 2008)

or you could just put the word "Emerald" in the new name and be done with it. 

If it is Gelcoat then you just have to scuff sand it and clean it then do the primer and topcoat. but yes it depends. I like the perfection line of paint personally.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

So, went and took a look at the boat. 5 and a half our round trip drive.


The engine I was assured was brand new, well, it has 4 hours on it.










I can feel the moisture in the ceiling, wet to the touch, but I was assured that "all boats leak"










and the new stove is in the boat after all:










oh yea, the original price was the non-survey price,* if I want a survey on the boat done, the selling price is 2k more.*

Anyway, he stated that it is RIDICULOUS to pay for a survey on a 18K boat!!!

so should I go ahead with buying it without the survey???

:hammer


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Get the survey. Insurance will require it.

Those must have been some hard 4 hours for the engine to look like that.
One burner Origo stove? That's odd.

If you like the I-32 I get the feeling you could do better than this boat.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanks for the response... 
someone else will have to give this baby a new home.

I will DEFINITELY keep looking.... I am new to sailing,
but not to BS'ing sellers


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## bigdogandy (Jun 21, 2008)

Kimmi - goodonya for checking out the Islander in person and knowing to pull away.....for most boats over about 10 years old the quality and value of the boat is going to be determined more by how she was kept up by her Owners than by the skill of the original designer and builder.

A quick YW search turned up several other boats that are in the same range as the Islander in your area:

1975 (Sail) Boats For Sale North Carolina NC


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## scratchee (Mar 2, 2012)

So this extra $2k...was that to pay for the survey, or was that just a punitive surcharge?

I've seen this situation before: seller misjudges his bargaining position. Usually because he misjudges the value of whatever he's selling.


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## bblument (Oct 22, 2012)

Kimmi said:


> :hammer


The pictures of the engine and the "custom headliner" sure were enough to make me question the selling price, even with my own admittedly limited knowledge of boats. What killed the deal for me, however, was the large 1.5L plastic bottle of Passport Scotch in the sink. [email protected]?!?!? I didn't know they made that anymore, much less that anybody still drank it! I drank it back in college, just to show how cultured I was because, dude, I drank SCOTCH... but now that I know what scotch REALLY tastes like... <shudder>... Passport/!?!? Really?!?!? That's a trip down memory lane I'd be happy to skip.... just like the trip back to Mad Dog 20/20 as a precursor to wine, or Iron City as a precursor to beer. I would NEVER buy a boat from someone who drank Passport scotch while aboard. DEAL OFF!

<grin>

Barry


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## sony2000 (Jan 30, 2013)

Christian.hess is in Georgia now, and knows the Islanders like no other. Ask if he could find you one not to far away, for remuneration.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

scratchee said:


> So this extra $2k...was that to pay for the survey, or was that just a punitive surcharge?


The price was 17 without survey, 19 with survey. so IMHO it was punitive yes, or, he did not want a survey due to the fact that he did not want a survey because there was obvious issues he could "hide" from me but not a professional surveyor.


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## Kimmi (Feb 17, 2015)

sony2000 said:


> Christian.hess is in Georgia now, and knows the Islanders like no other. Ask if he could find you one not to far away, for remuneration.


Thanks, I may consider that... I am not stuck on Islanders but they sure do appeal to me.


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## GeorgeB (Dec 30, 2004)

This was an interesting boat and thanks for sharing the photos. Glad to hear that you have a fully functional BS detector. The comment about jacking the price if a professional looked at it was a good indication that the seller knew about some "issues" and my guess would be costing about $2k to repair. This boat had a rebuilt galley with a dorm style reefer where the original stove/oven was. I was not too wild about the stove next to the companionway and in front of the electrical panel. Bob is right - you will need a survey and correct any deficiencies in order to get insurance. Keep the faith - your dream boat is still out there. Enjoy the hunt.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

> The pictures of the engine and the "custom headliner" sure were enough to make me question the selling price, even with my own admittedly limited knowledge of boats. What killed the deal for me, however, was the large 1.5L plastic bottle of Passport Scotch in the sink. [email protected]?!?!? I didn't know they made that anymore, much less that anybody still drank it! I drank it back in college, just to show how cultured I was because, dude, I drank SCOTCH... but now that I know what scotch REALLY tastes like... ... Passport/!?!? Really?!?!? That's a trip down memory lane I'd be happy to skip.... just like the trip back to Mad Dog 20/20 as a precursor to wine, or Iron City as a precursor to beer. I would NEVER buy a boat from someone who drank Passport scotch while aboard. DEAL OFF!


*"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."*
― Benjamin Franklin

I'm sure if that quote was real, Ben would say the same thing about good scotch.


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Have you seen this one:
Islander 32
It got my wheels turning. Not sure what state you are in, but it might be worth looking into. There is also a 1985 Catalina 30 listed there for under 10K:
1985 Catalina 30' Sailboat
These two listings got me thinking about moving up. I haven't personally seen these boats.


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## scratchee (Mar 2, 2012)

FirstCandC said:


> Have you seen this one:
> Islander 32
> It got my wheels turning. Not sure what state you are in, but it might be worth looking into. There is also a 1985 Catalina 30 listed there for under 10K:
> 1985 Catalina 30' Sailboat
> These two listings got me thinking about moving up. I haven't personally seen these boats.


That Islander is pretty close to me, and I'm in the market too! Well, let's say I'm in the pre-market. Anyway, if I can go look at it I'll pass along any info I get.


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Here is another one on the other side of the bay:
1977 Islander 32 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

And here is a pretty good article:
http://sailingmagazine.net/article-536-islander-32-mk-ii.html

The exchange between Bob Perry and the Islander rep made me laugh. I wish I could have been at some of his old launchings.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

I had one, a 1977 model, and I loved it. 

For me, the one interior drawback was the very small head space. I'm 6'3" and it was a little tight.

But, the super cool way the dinette table folds up and hides away in the forward salon bulkhead makes up for that. 

And, it was a good sailor, and very fun to sail. I often got it over 8 knots on a beam reach (and, I'm no great sail trimmer). It was so stiff and so well balanced, that a couple of times, when hitting around 8.5 knots, I would try to steer and realize the rudder had simply been overpowered. 

A lot of days I wish I still had it instead of the 42 footer I traded it in for.


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## single2coil (Apr 12, 2014)

I32, yes are fine sailboats. This one seems overpriced for its condition. The clutter could be an indication that it has not been cared for = $$$$$ to get into reasonable shape. Often we older folks can't keep up with general repairs or just don't, as it appears in the craigslist ad.
Since this is your first boat, Keep looking. There are better values out there. Be patient. Especially in the $20k price range. Look perhaps in a few feet shorter.
Best of luck in your search. How exciting to be in the hunt for a boat.


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## Mongo (Apr 2, 2009)

Just looked at an islander 32-2, saturated deck forward of mast, around port side stays. Bulkheads and the rest of the deck seemed fine per meter. How serious is this? 
Thanks


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

Well, if the price is right, there are people who have cut the fiberglass panel off over the damaged area and replaced the core material and re-glassed over it. There are threads on here with photos of some jobs people have done. There are You Tube videos. It's not an impossible job, but it is a project, from what I have seen. But I've only seen the photos and videos. 

It caused me to conclude that, at my age, I would look for boat that didn't need the deck re-cored. I'm looking to do fewer DIY projects in my life.


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## PirateChris (Feb 5, 2018)

Old Thread I know but worth a shot. Just picked up an Islander 32 MK II that is in a fairly bad way. Looking for any information, manuals, specs beyond sailboatdata.com. love her lines and cant find out much about them. any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Chris


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Chris:
I think you may be out of luck for manuals but I still have all my original drawings and you are welcome to prints if you think they will help you. I did not do any structural, electrical or plumbing drawings for Islander. Tose were all done in house.


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## PirateChris (Feb 5, 2018)

Bob,

Thank you. I am going to do some digging. Looking forward to Playing with this girl. This will be my 3rd complete redo. (Columbia 26, C&C27 previous) The good news is the wife likes to work on them with me. The only caveat is we have to go sailing, no dock queens allowed.

Cheers!

Chris


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