Which Island Packets Had Cast Iron Keels?

As in the automobile industry, Island Packet model years do not correspond to calender years. For example, the 2012 48-foot Island Packet 460 was built in 2011. Island Packet made significant changes to its keel designs in the 1996 model year. The keel is the part of the boat that extends downward into the water. It is frequently the lowest point in the yacht. Its function is to stabilize the boat.

  1. Keel Function

    • The keel prevents leeway, an undesirable sideways movement of the boat. An important part of the design is ballast, which is the weight that is added to a boat to keep it stable. The center of gravity is the point where the ship's mass is concentrated. Outside ballast, usually in the form of a fin or a bulb is a weight which may be attached to the bottom of the keel. The keel prevents leeway by "biting" down into the Occasionally a fin or bulb will be attached to the bottom of the keel. This is done to improve yacht performance. Since the keel is located low, it is the place to install the boat's ballast.

    Ballast

    • Early ballast was sand, shale or rocks. The ballast was located as low as possible inside the keel. This made the boat's center of gravity as low as possible. The purpose of the ballast was to keep the boat upright so the sails could drive her faster.
      The Yacht America, the first boat to win the America's Cup in 1851, used iron ballast, stowed in the keel between the floor timbers for ballast. This has been called the "Highest development of inside ballast." Rust problems with outside ballast keels are common. Encapsulated iron ballast in the keels does not deteriorate in Island Packet Yachts.

    Iron Used in Island Packet Yachts

    • Island Packet Yachts used iron in the boat's keels through mid-1995. Like the Yacht Atlantic, Island Packet located the iron as low as possible inside the boat. The iron was encapsulated with fiberglass sheathing, thus making a heavy keel that was immune from ballast shift. Since the iron was located inside the keel, there was no problem with rust inside or outside the boat. The yard reports that no iron related problems have occurred.

    How to Identify Yachts With Iron Ballast in the Keel

    • In mid-1995, the Island Packet Yachts designs were changed to a narrower bow-on view. This created a need for denser ballast. Lead was substituted for iron. The serial numbers are encoded to identify the year the boat was built and the design designation for that particular yacht. The hull identification number is located on the upper starboard transom. If the number ends in 967, the it shows that she was is a 1996 model, built in 1997. This has lead in the keel. A number ending in 966 was built in 1996 and has iron in the keel.