RESPITE

RESPITE is a very nice entry level sailboat that will stand up to the conditions on San Francisco Bay without breaking the bank. She has been lovingly owned by the same family for many years.

The Islander 32 MK II is a good-looking boat, and although the Robert Perry design is 27 years old, it could almost pass as a contemporary production boat. The bow is nicely raked without looking overly traditional, and there is a subtle sheer that softens the otherwise modern profile. The reverse transom flows naturally in the hull line and the moderate beam is extended well aft. When first observed, it is easy to mistake the MK II for a larger boat. The large semi-balanced rudder is positioned well aft for excellent steering control. She is a fairly stiff boat with a ballast to displacement ratio of 40 percent. A masthead sloop rig, the 32 has a keel-stepped spar. RESPITE is powered by the preferred 25-horsepower Westerbeke L25 Inboard Diesel option.

The true measure of a boat's construction is how well it holds up over time. The Islander 32 MK II is a well-built boat. Several MK II's have completed impressive offshore passages, including one documented circumnavigation, and others sail regularly on windy San Francisco Bay. The hull is solid fiberglass and the deck is plywood cored. The construction is typical of the period with hand-laid hull and polyester resin. The hull-to-deck joint includes an aluminum toerail that runs nearly the entire length of the deck, an Islander trademark. The ballast is lead. Bulkheads are tabbed to the hull, the floors are stout and use of liners is limited.