Island Packet`s new all-purpose SP Cruiser Island Packet`s new all

BLUE WATER BOATS
Island
Packet’s new
all-purpose
SP Cruiser
by George Day
iscayne Bay and the
sounds of South Florida
are not Blue Water
Sailing’s usual sailing
grounds, not the least
because the water is anything but
blue and is for the most part
remarkably thin. Few offshore
cruising boats can venture all the
way around the southern tip of
the state inside the keys without
spending a few hours perched on
one sand bank or another. If you
draw more than five feet, you
can’t sail there at all.
But that was not to be our
problem. The new SP Cruiser from
Island Packet Yachts draws a
meager three feet, eight inches, so
we were confident that the inside
B
64
Rain or shine, deep water
or shoal, IPY’s new 41-foot
motorsailer will take you
there and back in comfort
and at amazing speeds
route would be an excellent
choice for our trip from Miami
round the bottom to Tampa Bay
on the west coast. It is a run of
about 280 miles so we gave
ourselves a good 48 hours to
make the run, naively calculating
that at six knots we would knock
off two 144-mile days. We were
to be surprised.
With Greg Knighton, who runs
Doyle Sails Sarasota, and Ken
Clark, a veteran passagemaker and
retired electrical engineer, aboard
we set off from Miami’s Bayside
Marina not long after dawn. It was
a beautiful morning with a light
easterly blowing in from the
Bahamas. We motored south
though Miami and then across
Biscayne Bay where pelicans divebombed schools of fish in the
shallows near Stiltsville. We tried
to get the mainsail and jib to fill,
but the breeze was still too light to
hold them so we rolled both away
in hopes that the sea breeze
would fill in later in the morning.
This first chance to roll the
sails out and in showed how
much thought Bob Johnson and
the designers at IPY had given
to the sailing aspects of their
new motorsailer. All halyards and
sheets run to a single electric
winch in the starboard corner
of the cockpit aft via conduits
below decks so there is no line
clutter on deck.
The main halyard, reefing lines
Blue Water Sailing • May 2007
SP Cruiser
The SP Cruiser under sail, opposite, has a moderate sloop rig with roller furling on both main and jib. Note the Hoyt
Jib Boom. The doghouse, above, offers two captain’s chairs at the helm and a comfortable L-shaped dinette
and sheets actually run all the way
down the mast to the keel and
then through turning blocks to
emerge at a large line stopper
above the electric winch aft. You
would think this system would
create friction on the lines and
sheets, but we found that we were
able to handle trim and reefing
without the winch in the light
breeze. Of course, the push button
winch is seductively easier. The
genoa control line is the only line
visible on deck and runs neatly aft
along the bases of the starboard
stanchions.
While we were sailing the SP
home to Tampa Bay, the boys at
IPY were in the process of testing
a new Lewmar reel-winch system,
called the StoWinch, on another of
the new motorsailers. Two captive
reels are mounted under the aft
cockpit floor and are accessible
through large floor hatches. Toggle
Blue Water Sailing
• www.bwsailing.com
switches at the helm and aft in
the cockpit allow you to trim
either main or jib with a flick of a
switch. Captive-reel winches have
until now only been available on
mega yachts. Now, as an option,
you can have them on the 41-foot
SP Cruiser.
Running the inside route
around the tip of Florida required
some vigilance since the channel
twists and turns through the
shallows and low mangrove islets
and never gets much more than
five feet deep. With the throttle
down and the GPS giving us a
heads up to aid in the eyeball
navigation, we steamed along
happily at 8.5 knots with the 110horsepower Yanmar turning at
3,500 rpms. From time to time we
would see light brown swirls of
sand rising in our wake, which
corresponded with the under
three-foot readings on the depth
sounder. Yet, even plowing a
furrow in the bottom, we charged
ahead without fuss, although we
were probably leaving a red stripe
of antifouling in the sand to
bemuse the manatees.
The steering station is inside
the raised doghouse, where two
swiveling and adjustable captain’s
chairs are placed at the helm.
Visibility from the helmsman’s
chair is good through the large
sloping front windows. The helm
is set up with hydraulic steering,
which takes some getting used to.
But the simplest way to steer, and
we think the way most owners
will man the helm, is with the
autopilot. The boat we were
sailing had a full Raymarine
complement of instruments and
autopilot that worked flawlessly
through the passage.
Late in the afternoon, as we
passed Marathon, we turned
65
BLUE WATER BOATS
the night. Greg
and Ken shared
the double aft
cabin that is
tucked under
the doghouse’s
floor. The
inside berth is
over the
engine, so the
reduced revs
during the
Halyards, control lines and sheets lead aft below decks to an
night helped
electric winch. Lewmar captive-reel winches are an option
them sleep. I
was awarded
northward into the Gulf of Mexico
the forward cabin with the large
on a straight shot to Sarasota Bay
centerline double berth, which
and then Tampa Bay. Through the
was comfortable and perfectly fine
night the breeze filled in from the
as a sea berth in the flat, reaching
east—the very edge of the northconditions.
east trades—so we could roll out
All the next day we power
full sail.
reached northward and, finally,
Backing the throttle down a bit
after cruising through Sarasota
and with the knot and a half boost Bay, we pulled into the marina in
from the sails, we still kept the
Bradenton where the SP Cruiser
speed above 8.5 knots. The lower
lived. The 280-mile run had taken
revs abated the engine noise
34 hours at an average speed of
considerably while the press of
8.3 knots. We were well rested
sail gave the boat a fine easy
and none the worse for the
motion through the water and the
overnight passage. The boat had
feel of a boat sailing instead of
served us well and shown that
motoring.
it has all the capability to stretch
There was only a sliver of
her legs for longer offshore
waning moon so soon the night
passages and with such shoal draft
was pitch dark with the stars extra
would be an ideal Bahamas
bright overhead. Everglades
cruising boat.
National Park to our east is uninhabited, so the whole coast five
THE DESIGN
miles from us was black and
Bob Johnson founded Island
foreboding, except for the amazPacket Yachts almost 30 years ago
ing loom of Miami that was visible
and has remained the company’s
from 60 miles away.
president and chief designer. The
Aboard the SP Cruiser we were
SP Cruiser is his first dedicated
snug and warm inside the dogmotorsailer for the IPY line and
house as we took watches through is different in many ways from
the rest of the company’s well
known and highly recognizable
cruising boats.
Modern motorsailers really
benefit from advances in construction technique and the ongoing
evolution of both sail and
powerboat design. In order to
have the hull stand up to the large
motive forces of an 18-inch, threeblade prop driven by a 11066
horsepower engine—to prevent
the stern from burying itself in the
stern wave—the SP Cruiser has a
wide and full transom, and the
design lines running aft are fairly
straight. This provides the volume
and buoyancy to keep the hull on
her lines when powered up.
The SP Cruiser has a theoretical
hull speed of 8.5 knots and at that
speed under power the boat sat
very level. Apply more revs to
achieve a maximum speed of
nearly nine knots and the stern
does squat, but very little.
As you would expect, the
motorsailer concept calls for a
relatively small rig. The SP
Cruiser’s sail area–displacement
ratio of 15 (low for a cruising
sailboat) indicates that the rig has a
manageable sail plan that will not
overpower her crew. During our
sail trials, we shut down the
engine for a while in Sarasota Bay
and got the boat sailing on a broad
reach at nearly six knots in a
breeze of about 12 knots apparent.
The rig will really shine in stronger
breezes when you are less likely to
motorsail.
The SP Cruiser has the trademarked Full Foil Keel like the rest
of the IPY line, which gives the
boat great directional stability and
some lift when sailing to windward. The prop and rudder are
protected by the keel so you can
confidently cruise in shallow water,
as we did, without fretting about
damaging either.
The deck layout accommodates
both inside and outside living and
easy sail and boat handling, as
mentioned above. The after
cockpit has a door to the swim
platform aft and two small built-in
seats. The floor is wide enough
to accommodate two folding
captain’s chairs.
Moving forward the side decks
are wide and handholds are
readily within reach. An outside
forward cockpit with a small table
will be an excellent place to while
away hours at anchor or when
Blue Water Sailing • May 2007
SP Cruiser
With two Dorade vents and a large Lewmar hatch forward, the boat’s interior is well
ventilated. The Hoyt Jib Boom, above right, always keeps the jib under control
motorsailing in calm conditions.
This is a great use of cabintop
space. We wondered if a little
more plumbing might also turn it
into a hot tub as well? And a small
boom tent would add the right
amount of shade at anchor.
The foredeck is wide and easy
to move about. The Hoyt Jib
Boom works well when sailing
and makes the jib self-tacking. It
can get in the way when docking
or anchoring, but we soon got
used to it.
Designing a raised doghouse
on a 41-footer can be a challenge.
The raised saloon needs to have
full headroom, yet is also needs
to have the floor high enough to
fit the engine room and guest
cabin beneath it. The SP does
have quite a high doghouse, yet
the boat looks purposeful and
handsome and all of the above
requirements have been met with
usual IPY style.
One issue that arises when
designing a doghouse is the large
areas of glass in the windows and
doors. One of the first details we
noticed when looking around the
boat was the quality and strength
of both the large opening windows and the aft door. Built by
American Marine, these units
have sturdy metal frames, heavyduty closures and thick shatterproof windows.
Blue Water Sailing
• www.bwsailing.com
The window and door units
are built to the highest NMMA
and European CE standards. In
fact, the SP Cruiser is certified
by the NMMA and by the IMCI
to be rated Category A Ocean—
the top rating for an offshore
cruising boat.
LIVING ABOARD
The raised saloon in the
doghouse with the two captain’s
chairs and the L-shaped dinette is
the place where the SP’s crew will
spend the most time whether
underway or at anchor. The view
is great and you are protected
from both sun and rain. Also, with
the large windows open, the
ventilation is truly indoor-outdoor.
With the addition of louvered
shades from a company like
Oceanair, the saloon can be made
snug and private for marina living.
The galley is down three steps
going forward. Two large fridge
compartments lie under the bench
counter, one a freezer and the
other a fridge. A two-burner Force
10 stove is standard. The twin
galley sinks are on the centerline
so they will always drain properly.
There is ample storage under the
sinks, in cabinets above the stove
and counter and in cabinets under
the counter.
The passageway through the
galley leads to the master cabin
forward. As we can attest, this is a
very comfortable cabin and bunk
either underway or at rest. Plenty
of cabinet and hanging locker
space will make living aboard
pleasant, even for a clothes horse.
The head, which is to starboard, has a separate shower stall,
a large head area and plenty of
storage for bathroom essentials
and personal toiletries.
Aft of the head lies a small
office desk that will be a fine
place for taking care of business
and could easily sport a laptop
and printer. The desk could also
be a chart table, but we suspect
owners will do as we did and use
electronic charting with paper
backup charts spread out on the
saloon table or on the flat area
next to the helm, which is near the
pullout chart drawer.
The guest cabin lies aft under
the saloon and has twin berths
and enough locker space for
clothing and hanging items.
The SP Cruiser is built to a high
degree of strength and finish and
makes both a solid and very
comfortable floating home.
BWS THOUGHTS
This year BWS launched a new
series of editorial sections on
motorsailers and trawlers. We did
this because we see an increasing
desire on the part of cruising
67
BLUE WATER BOATS
SP CRUISER SPECIFICATIONS
sailors to give up on wet, cold
night watches in an open cockpit
in exchange for the protection of a
well designed doghouse. Moreover, as we cruise we are seeing
more and more cruising folk
motoring all the time. Hence the
interest in motorsailers.
The SP Cruiser is not the first
new motorsailer out there, but it is
the first to be brought out by a
production builder in a long while.
Hull number one was introduced
at the Newport, R.I., boat show
last September, during which we
had several days of cool fall rain.
The SP was packed every day,
and the advantages of the doghouse were too obvious for any
sailor to miss.
As a kind of hybrid cruising
boat that can motor efficiently,
sail acceptably and motorsail with
real aplomb, the SP Cruiser is
destined to be seen as a leader in
the evolving world of cruising
boat design. It is no surprise that
more than 25 have been sold in
the first six months since its
introduction.
The one real advantage to a
motorsailer like the SP Cruiser
over full trawler designs lies in the
boat’s ability to sail offshore
comfortably and efficiently with
very little rolling motion while
still maintaining the speed and
accommodations of a trawler. For
sailors thinking of making the
switch to power, the SP Cruiser
should definitely be on their short
list. Moreover, it is an Island
Packet, so it represents excellent
value at the outset and will hold
an impressive resale value over
the long haul.
LOA
LWL
Beam
Draft
Displacement
Ballast
Sail area
Engine
Water
Fuel
Hull speed
Range under power
Base price
(until July 30, 2007)
41'1"
37'9"
12'9"
3'8"
23,000 lbs.
5,000 lbs.
714 sq. ft.
110-hp.
Yanmar
130 gals.
215 gals.
8.5 knots/
8.9 max.
1,000 miles
$344,950
Island Packet Yachts
1979 Wild Acres Rd.
Largo, FL 33771
888-724-5479
info@ipy.com
www.ipy.com
No More Sleepless Nights At Anchor!
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Anchor Rider
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* Doubles the holding power of your anchor
* Reduces swinging around the anchor rode
* Reduces pitching in a choppy anchorage
* Let’s you and your mate sleep better at night
The Kiwi Anchor Rider was developed by cruising sailors
for cruising sailors. Designed to slide easily down rope or
chain anchor rodes on nylon bearing. Easy to deploy and
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Available in the U.S. through:
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Phone 401-847-7960. Fax 401-849-0631
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Check out the video at www.anchorbuddy.co.nz
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Blue Water Sailing • May 2007