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Known Issues & Common Problems

Island Packet 44 Known Issues

Common problems, survey red flags, and what to inspect before buying a Island Packet 44.

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These are the most commonly reported problems on the Island Packet 44, compiled from surveys, owner reports, and marine forums. Use this list as a pre-purchase inspection checklist — especially the high-severity items.

10
Known Issues
4 High 5 Medium 1 Low
Accommodations
Low
The teak and holly cabin sole on these boats is bonded directly to a fiberglass sub-sole, and the adhesive and fasteners are known to fail, causing sections to lift or delaminate. Squeaking or soft sections underfoot indicate this problem.
Electrical
Medium
Island Packet's factory wiring on early 1990s hulls used undersized wire runs to some DC circuits and relied heavily on ring terminals that corrode in the bilge environment. The main electrical panel area should be inspected for evidence of overheating, corrosion at terminal strips, and non-factory additions that may have overloaded original circuits.
1992–1996 models
Engine
Medium
Many IP44s of this era were fitted with the Perkins 4-108 diesel. These engines are now well past their service life and commonly suffer from worn injectors, failing heat exchangers, and corroded raw water impeller housings. Verify that a full engine service history exists and assess for a potential repowering.
1992–1996 models
Hull/Deck
Medium
Island Packet used a hull-to-deck joint bonded and through-bolted with an outward-turning flange on these models. The toe rail fasteners and joint sealant are known to fail, allowing water intrusion into the deck laminate and core, particularly along the side decks near the chainplates.
High
The balsa-cored deck sections on Island Packet 44s are prone to core saturation and delamination, especially around deck hardware bases, windlass mounting areas, and stanchion bases where fastener bedding has failed over time. Tap testing the entire deck is essential.
Medium
The integral swim platform on these models can develop delamination and gelcoat crazing, and the through-hull fittings in this area are sometimes inaccessible without removal of interior joinery.
Medium
The portlight frames, particularly the fixed ports in the cabin sides, are known to leak on this generation of Island Packets. The acrylic or lexan lenses develop crazing and the bedding compound hardens and separates, allowing water into the cabin and potentially into cored areas around the frames.
Keel
High
The full-length encapsulated keel on the IP44 uses a lead ballast pour inside a fiberglass shell. The keel-to-hull joint can develop stress cracks and weeping, and the fiberglass shell itself can crack or delaminate near the forward end of the keel where hobby-horsing stress is concentrated.
High
Water can intrude into the encapsulated keel cavity through cracks in the fiberglass shell, leading to internal delamination that is difficult to detect without moisture metering. Elevated moisture readings at the keel shell should be investigated carefully before purchase.
Rigging
High
The chainplate backing plates on the IP44 are glassed into the hull liner and bonded to the interior structure. Inspection is difficult, and the bonding can fail or corrode without visible signs from the cabin interior; any chainplate movement or weeping deck stains above them warrants removal and inspection.
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