De-Rigging for Island Packet Yachts Reft Program

...this is what a sail locker can hold...

It has now been 4 days of work de-rigging our boat and we are amazed at the amount of stuff we have moved into our 5' x 4' storage unit...10 boxes and about 5 large garbage bags of lines, life jackets and gear. We have made 6 runs with the mini van to storage and now are down to pulling the mast and boom. On Wednesday, May 22, we are trucking to Largo returning our yacht to the Island Packet Yachts facility where she was built in 1994!

A van full of dock lines and life jackets

With nearly 20 years of continuous use and 25,000 nautical miles on her ship's log, we feel it is time to have the factory give her a SPA treatment. We also have not had the mast pulled since 2002, so we will rework the mast with new standing rigging and wiring and a full inspection. The factory recommends that owners have their structural chain plates replaced after 15 years. The chain plates are the point of steel where the mast rigging connects to the deck. These are fiberglassed to the interior structure of the hull. We feel that no one is better skilled than the Island Packet Yachts team for replacing and rebuilding this integral part of the yacht. That is the key reason we are trucking her back to the factory.

We live here....while we are packing up...this is our HOME

Here is a current SHORT list for our refit

• Replace chain plates
• Replace all hoses
• Inspect all thru hull fittings
• Replace exhaust hose and muffler
• Replace coolant vented loop
• Replace the water heater
• Replace the stern tube and add dripless packing system
• Inspect and fix all grounding wires
• Inspect all wiring runs and wiring fittings

Optional Items to think about.....oh boy.....now we are going overboard!

• New corian counter tops
• New fiberglass water tank
• New fiberglass holding tank
• New sewer lines and toilet
• New overhead hatches and screens
• Varnish the interior
• New swim platform
• New companionway ladder, stainless steel

Van full of seats, boxes and cockpit cushions

OK, we need to STOP.....this Island Packet Refit program can really get carried away. Yes, they originally built this yacht, 20 years ago, but we do not need to fully rebuild it again! We really are trying to just focus on systems that are worn out or hoses and fittings that could sink the boat if they would fail. We are also looking at items that, once in the factory, would be a good item to upgrade or refit. After all, it is a monumental task trucking your boat back to the factory, so, we might as well make it as good as it can be.

When you look at the cost to move up to the next model, for us, that would be the Island Packet 40 foot model. The cost to move from our 35 footer to the 40 footer would be $75,000 more than our yacht. Then you have the sales tax of 5%. Then you have the yacht broker's cost of 10%. For all this cost, we get nearly the same boat, with a second head and about 5 feet longer. A 40 footer will NOT take us anywhere our 35 footer can't take us. So, we have decided to keep this 35 footer as our last cruising sailboat and refit her so she is good for the next ten years of sailing. That is our plan.

Here are some photos of this crazy work known as "de-rigging"

Hayden in the 5 x 4 climate controlled storage space

The first 6 boxes, tools, spare parts, safety locker and cushions

The whisker pole and battens do NOT fit in a mini van at 10 feet long

At Snead Island Boat Works, we can park the van next to the boat

This is a 4 panel solar array on top of a fixed bimini....it must come off for clearing bridges while on the road

Canvas off and panel one off, 3 more to go

All solar GONE....next, remove the SSB antenna and stainless steel frame

Stainless steel frame off and solar panels on the ground

Solar panels safely in storage along with snorkel gear and grill!

Whisker pole, canvas, sunshades, battens, dinghy gear....so glad to have a 16 ft. high storage unit!

Really crazy when you think about taking apart your "home" and placing it on a truck to send it back to the people who built it. This is the Island Packet Yachts Factory Refit Program and we are taking full advantage of upgrading our wonderful "home" ......today......pull the mast and boom....