COMFORTABLY NUMB is currently the only Island Packet 485 available on the west coast of North America. She has been meticulously maintained by a very knowledgeable yachtsman and commercial airline pilot. A personal inspection of COMFORTABLY NUMB is highly encouraged and it will reveal a clean, and capable luxury blue water cruising yacht that is turn-key and ready to make ocean passages immediately.

Partial list of recent upgrades:

• Custom Hard Top & Drop Curtain Enclosure around center cockpit
• Raymarine Navigation Electronics
• Raymarine Autopilot
• Spectra Watermaker
• Washer / Dryer
• Starlink Wifi System

The "Full Foil Keel" on the 2003 Island Packet 485 is a proprietary underwater design from Naval Architect Bob Johnson. Despite the modern association with the word "foiling" (such as hydrofoils that lift a racing boat uot of the water), Island Packet's design is not a hydrofoil. Instead, it is a highly evolved, hydrodynamic refinement of the traditional long full keel

The core design principles, structural engineering, and performance trade-offs of the 485’s underbody are detailed below.

Key Design Elements Hydrodynamic Shape: Traditional full keels resemble flat planks. Bob Johnson shaped the 485's keel like an aerodynamic wing profile (airfoil). As water flows past, the foil shape generates hydrodynamic lift, significantly reducing leeway (sideways slipping) when sailing close-hauled.

Cut-Away Forefoot: The front section of the keel is cut away rather than extending all the way to the bow. This design choice reduces wetted surface area and allows the 485 to tack and maneuver quickly in tight marinas, resolving a classic flaw of older full-keel designs.

One-Piece Construction: The hull and keel are molded as a single, continuous piece of hand-laminated fiberglass. There are no keel bolts to rust, leak, or fail, completely eliminating the risk of catastrophic keel detachment common to modern fin-keeled racing boats.

Double-Bottom Protection: The 16,000 lbs of dense lead ballast is encapsulated low inside the hollow fiberglass keel cavity. It is sealed permanently with a specialized mortar mixture and capped with heavy layers of solid fiberglass. If the boat suffers a severe grounding that breaches the outer fiberglass skin, water cannot enter the living spaces of the yacht.

Running Gear Protection: The keel runs deep enough to create a physical barrier for the propeller and rudder. The rudder is connected to the back of the keel structure via a protective rudder shoe, making it nearly impossible for the boat to snag crab pots, lines, or debris while offshore.

Performance Characteristics

• Sea-Kindly Motion: Unlike modern flat-bottomed boats that slam violently into oncoming waves, the heavily ballasted, full-foil shape slices through waves. This significantly dampens pitching and rolling, creating a highly comfortable ride that minimizes crew fatigue during ocean crossings.
• Tracking & Stability: The long underwater profile gives the Island Packet 485 exceptional directional stability. It locks onto a course easily, putting very little strain on the autopilot or steering system.

COMFORTABLY NUMB is easy to see on our docks at Emery Cove in Emeryville, CA