Description
The Island Packet Packet Cat 35, designed and built by Bob Johnson at Island Packet Yachts in Largo, Florida, from 1992 to 1997 in a modest production run of 41 hulls before the model was discontinued, represents the builder's foray into cruising catamarans with a masthead sloop-rigged fiberglass multihull that fuses monohull-like seaworthiness and overbuilt durability with the stability, shallow draft, and spacious volume of a cat for safe, comfortable bluewater passages and coastal exploration suited to couples or small families. Constructed with solid laminate hulls using vinylester resins for blister resistance, balsa-cored bridge deck and decks, inward-flanged hull-to-deck joints bolted securely, twin mini-keels for grounding protection, and a protected spade rudder per hull, it measures 35.00 feet LOA with a 31.00-foot LWL, 15.00-foot beam, 2.50-foot draft, 12,500-pound displacement (lightship around 11,900 pounds), and no traditional ballast relying instead on low center of gravity and form stability for righting in heavy weather. The fractional sloop rig deploys approximately 600-735 square feet of sail area (I=42.5 ft, J=17.75 ft, P=37.6 ft, E=12.2 ft) on aluminum spars with roller-furling genoa, full-batten mainsail, and lines led aft to the expansive cockpit featuring twin Edson wheels for intuitive short-handed steering and maneuvering enhanced by widely spaced twin 27-hp Yanmar 3GM30 diesels providing 54 total horsepower, 55 gallons of fuel, and 140 gallons of water for extended autonomy.
