Islander / Tradewind Yachts

Islander Yachts was an early offshoot of Columbia Yachts. It began (in the mid 1950's) with boat builder Joseph McGlasson, who designed, built and successfully marketed a 24 foot wooden sailboat, the Islander (Catalina Islander??), in Costa Mesa, California. By 1961, McGlasson had been building a fiberglass version that was so popular that he couldn't build them fast enough and approached a company called Glas Laminates for help.
(By some accounts, Glas Laminates built the first fiberglass version.)
Previously, Glas Laminates had been a manufacturer of shower stalls and portable toilets.
The ISLANDER 24, the first model from Glas Laminates, also sold faster that it could be manufactured. (It has been said that the mold carried the seams between the planks on the wooden boat that remained visible on the fiberglass hull that became a signature feature of Islanders during this period.)
Glas Laminates changed its name to Columbia Sailboats and introduced the Sparkman & Stephens-designed COLUMBIA 29.
McGlasson Boat Co. added the McGlasson designed Islander 32 to it's line. It is thought that some of the earlier Columbias such as the 24, Challenger 24, CONTENDER 24 had origins very close to McGlasson's own ISLANDER 24, and some later models have equally suspicious similarities.
By 1963, the McGlasson Boat Co. became part of Wayfarer Yacht Corporation, with McGlasson still the principal owner and designer.
But in the same year, Wayfarer went bankrupt and was purchased by Ralph Brown and Ben Kanter.
By 1965 the company started to use the name Islander Yachts, with a new logo.
Joe McGlasson went on to build his own boats elsewhere.(See designer record for Joseph McGlasson and builder record for Cape Foulweather Boat Co.)
In 1968 Wayfarer sold Islander Yachts to Cosmodyne Inc., and Islander Yachts Inc. became a subsidiary. In 1971, Cosmodyne sold Islander Yachts to yet another conglomerate, Radlon Inc.. A new subsidiary was created called Yachtcraft which sold kit versions of what were often discontinued Islander models.
A few years later, Tradewinds Marine, also of Costa Mesa, bought the molds for the ISLANDER 55 although only a small number were actually produced. Nordic Yachts and the Mariner Yacht Company are two more companies that fit into the picture either as producers of Islanders or of boats using Islander molds. (The ISLANDER 34 molds were used to build the NORDIC 34, while the ISLANDER 48 became the East Coast-built MARINER 47.)
A company called Iona bought the molds for the ISLANDER 32 MkII, the ISLANDER 24, and the EXCALIBUR 26.
The result of this shuffling of assets between companies, there are many different Islander versions of any particular model that could have come from any number of listed builders.
In 1984 the production of boats was moved to Costa Rica, but the company went bankrupt in 1986. During the process of liquidation, Newport Offshore Yachts bought some of the original molds, including those for the ISLANDER 36, one of the most popular models. It is said the the files and drawings went to Fuqua Industries, Inc., which became Actava Group, Inc., which was merged into Metromedia International Group, Inc....etc.

HID for Islander Yachts: XLYE or XLY

Years in Business: 1961 - 1986

Sailboats Built By Islander / Tradewind Yachts

(Dates indicate when boat was first built by any builder)

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36 Sailboats / Per Page: 50 / Page: 1

MODEL LOA FIRST BUILT FAVORITE COMPARE
BAHAMA 24 (ISLANDER) 24.00 ft / 7.32 m 1964
BAHAMA 26 (ISLANDER) 26.00 ft / 7.92 m 1976
BAHAMA 28 (ISLANDER) 27.92 ft / 8.51 m 1981
BAHAMA 30 (ISLANDER) 29.92 ft / 9.12 m 1973
EXCALIBUR 26 25.92 ft / 7.90 m 1967
FREEPORT 36 (ISLANDER) 35.75 ft / 10.90 m 1976
FREEPORT 38 (ISLANDER) 38.00 ft / 11.58 m 1983
FREEPORT 41 (ISLANDER) 41.00 ft / 12.50 m 1974
ISLANDER 21 20.82 ft / 6.35 m 1965
ISLANDER 23 (CREALOCK) 22.92 ft / 6.99 m 1969
ISLANDER 24 24.00 ft / 7.32 m 1961
ISLANDER 26 25.83 ft / 7.87 m 1976
ISLANDER 27 26.58 ft / 8.10 m 1969
ISLANDER 27-2 27.25 ft / 8.31 m 1987
ISLANDER 28 27.92 ft / 8.51 m 1975
ISLANDER 29 29.08 ft / 8.86 m 1968
ISLANDER 30 29.58 ft / 9.02 m 1968
ISLANDER 30 MK II 30.00 ft / 9.14 m 1970
ISLANDER 32 32.50 ft / 9.91 m 1963
ISLANDER 32-2 31.96 ft / 9.74 m 1976
ISLANDER 32-3 31.96 ft / 9.74 m 1977
ISLANDER 33 32.58 ft / 9.93 m 1964
ISLANDER 34 33.58 ft / 10.24 m 1964
ISLANDER 34-2 34.33 ft / 10.46 m 1983
ISLANDER 36 36.08 ft / 11.00 m 1971
ISLANDER 37 36.50 ft / 11.13 m 1966
ISLANDER 37 MS 36.50 ft / 11.13 m 1974
ISLANDER 38 C 38.00 ft / 11.58 m 1983
ISLANDER 40 39.54 ft / 12.05 m 1979
ISLANDER 40 MS 44.00 ft / 13.41 m 1970
ISLANDER 41 (GURNEY) 41.17 ft / 12.55 m 1972
ISLANDER 44 43.83 ft / 13.36 m 1962
ISLANDER 48C 47.50 ft / 14.48 m 1982
ISLANDER 55 54.67 ft / 16.66 m 1968
YACHTCRAFT 32 31.92 ft / 9.73 m 1976
YACHTCRAFT 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1966