How effective is IP's PolyClad Hull Gellcoat for boats that soak all year?

Hello:

I am shopping for an Island Packet and I have found that nearly all of the ones listed for sale are located in the South --- especially Florida.  That means they most likely soak in the water 365 days a year.  Being that I have always kept my previous boats in the North (where they are hauled every winter) I am very apprehensive about boats that stay in the water all the time.

The question is:  Should I be concerned about osmosis in the keel and rudder of Island Packets? The company touts its PolyClad Hull Gellcoat System and even offers a 10 year warranty.  I was just wondering if owners find that as the years go by they inevitably have to deal with some osmosis, or does the finish remain relatively impervious and problem free?  Normally I would not even consider a boat from the South (in fact my regular boat yard in Maine said I should not) but Island Packet's claim has me wondering if perhaps their boats have less problems.

I thank everyone for their advice based on experience.

Thank you for your response. It is encouraging to hear that there have not been significant issues with osmosis.

That said --- I did not fall off the cabage wagon yesterday, and my previous boat owner experiences have taught me the valuable lessons that one does need to pay attention to such matters. The school of hard knocks has not been all easy for me.  I am just trying to maximize the chances of a positive experience in this new ownership experience.

I welcome any other input from IP owners in the South.

Thanks again,

Not sure what you did 1 sailor, many tend not to spend time on here - the FB page has taken over.
We have a 1997 IP40 which has been in Australia since 2010. We have owned her since 2012 and so far as I know, she has never been hauled out for the winter.
The bottom is pretty much perfect - within the next six months, we will haul her out and scrape back / soda blast the antifoul and start again.
It would be interesting to hear if there are any IPs that have suffered problems as a result of the way they were laid up in construction.

We now own a 1990 IP38.

Our shopping experience taught us that the Polyclad Hull Gellcoat & decks cored with foam rather than wood are among the strong points of Island Packet Yachts that result in minimal problems in those areas.

That said, we found that nearly all the rudders that we looked at had some water in them and eventually require some work. Part of the reason for this is that there are foam filled voids in the rudders that water gets into.

The boats in the best condition were usually the ones that were at least hauled in the off season.

And when shopping for a boat it is imperative to evaluate a boat that has been on the hard for at least a short period of time. One can not accuately measure moisture levels in below the water line areas of boats that have been freshly hauled during a survey.

So in summary, yes the bottoms of Island Packets of well maintained boats are generally in above average shape compared to many other boats of similar age. If they are hauled seasonally they are in even better shape.