Salty Podcast Bonus | Who is Exclusive to Island Packet Sailboats? 🛠️⛵Meet Mack Yacht Services!

In the latest episode of the Salty Podcast, we delve into the captivating world of yacht restoration with Colin and Terry from Adventure Yacht Sales. Based at Mack Yacht Services in Port Salerno, these passionate experts reveal the intricate craftsmanship and dedication involved in transforming classic Island Packet yachts. The episode offers a deep dive into their current projects, highlighting the restoration of a 44-foot Island Packet and a 420 project boat that’s up for sale. Colin also shares his personal journey of restoring his own yacht after it faced significant challenges when submerged in New Jersey waters.

The episode begins with a comprehensive look at the meticulous work involved in yacht restoration. Colin and Terry discuss the various stages of refurbishment, including extensive chain plate replacements and complete refits. Their dedication to the craft is evident as they share stories of their projects, providing listeners with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the complexities of yacht restoration. The discussion also touches on the costs associated with different restoration jobs, emphasizing the passion that drives these experts in their craft.

Moving beyond the restoration projects, the conversation shifts to the practical aspects of yacht maintenance. Listeners gain insights into the logistics of hauling and repairing these boats, learning about the nuances of various chain types and why some traditional options are still preferred by seasoned sailors. The episode highlights the unique market position Island Packet yachts hold, thanks to their ease of maintenance and strong resale value. This segment of the podcast is a treasure trove of information for those interested in the practicalities of maintaining classic yachts.

The episode also delves into the importance of preserving nautical heritage. Colin and Terry discuss their commitment to ensuring that legacy Island Packet boats continue to thrive, supported by their dedicated website, Island Packet Parts. This platform provides hard-to-find legacy parts, enabling yacht owners to maintain and enhance their boats with ease. Their efforts to cultivate a loyal customer base by prioritizing quality workmanship and customer satisfaction are evident throughout the conversation.

As the episode progresses, listeners are introduced to Colin's upcoming podcast collaboration. Colin expresses enthusiasm about joining the Salty Podcast for his first podcast experience, where he plans to share more about the dedication involved in preserving the Legacy Island Packet Fleet. This collaboration promises to offer even more insights into the world of yacht restoration and maintenance, providing a valuable resource for yacht enthusiasts and restoration aficionados alike.

Overall, this episode of the Salty Podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in yacht restoration, nautical heritage, and the practicalities of maintaining classic vessels. Colin and Terry’s passion for their craft is infe

Chapters

• 0:00 Boat Yard Refits and Sales
• 11:52 Boat Yard Repairs and Sales
• 16:07 Legacy Island Packet Fleet Podcast Collaboration

Transcript

Colin Mack: 0:00

Hi, I'm Colin with Mack Yacht Services and we always joke welcome to hell. But this is our little boat yard here in Port Salerno and we are an island packet only group and we love working on the island packets. I've got a Bertram of my own, I've got another boat of my own, but other than our personal projects, we are 100% island packet.

Capt Tinsley: 0:18

And we also have Terry here.

Terri Ivins: 0:21

Terry Ivins Adventure Yacht Sales. A lot of my clients will either come here and have the chain plates done after they buy a boat or oftentimes talk to owners who are in the yard and thinking of moving from one boat to another.

Capt Tinsley: 0:36

So I hear that you can fix anything here. Any boat can be fixed, even sunk boats.

Colin Mack: 0:41

We have fixed quite a few sunk boats that's the reputation Yep and we've done several hundred chain plate jobs and we're in the middle of redoing my own island pack at 40 with all new tanks and new motors. And that boat actually sank, so it's going to be.

Capt Tinsley: 0:56

And what is? What are you doing right here? This, the hole looks beautiful.

Colin Mack: 1:01

Oh, so that's gusto. That was a uh 44 that was bought for a song and there isn't anything in that boat that is going to be old, except for the hull.

Terri Ivins: 1:13

It's a 44 it's a 44, yeah, you guys put the bow thruster in and then did you put it in.

Colin Mack: 1:19

That's what they look like that's what they look like and what the whole looks like. We're putting all new through hulls in.

Capt Tinsley: 1:24

You put this in.

Colin Mack: 1:25

Yeah, there wasn't one there before. No, we've done a bunch.

Capt Tinsley: 1:28

That's how it's done.

Colin Mack: 1:29

Okay, so she's getting a full refit.

Capt Tinsley: 1:35

Beautiful.

Colin Mack: 1:37

Yeah, we've got to clean her up a little bit again. We've got some protective tape covering some of the varnish but so who?

Capt Tinsley: 1:51

owns this boat. This is a gentleman out of Arkansas. Yeah, okay, a doctor all.

Colin Mack: 1:56

I unpack it.

Capt Tinsley: 1:56

Oh my gosh yeah, wow, yeah.

Colin Mack: 1:59

Now we've got room for nine boats on the wall. We just finished up the last hundred feet of seawall look at that teeth that's two years old, believe it or not ah, I need to bring my boat here this takes about five years old. We did this well, never looks like this after five years well, when you 13 coats of varnish, it lasts a while. Wow it's got a little dock rash, unfortunately, from a couple storms. This is a 420. So this boat is going up for sale. It needs a new motor. How?

Capt Tinsley: 2:33

much is it going to be?

Colin Mack: 2:35

I think we're going to list it for $145, but it needs a new motor and it needs air conditioning and it needs to be converted over from European wiring standard to, you know, our standard 50 cycles.

Capt Tinsley: 2:48

Are you going to do the work and then list it for 145?

Colin Mack: 2:51

No, he's actually going to list it right now, okay, as a project boat. So this would be a great project for somebody that's not very far from being completed.

Capt Tinsley: 3:00

Who do they need to call you?

Colin Mack: 3:02

They need to call me at Adventure Yachts or Mack Yacht Services.

Capt Tinsley: 3:05

Okay, and we're in Stewart Florida. Yep, amazing.

Colin Mack: 3:11

Andrew does most of our varnish, yeah, so when do I have to have mine redone?

Capt Tinsley: 3:16

Do I have to bring it all the way over here to get it done?

Colin Mack: 3:19

Yeah, they don't travel that far.

Terri Ivins: 3:21

This is a 38,. This is the 38.

Colin Mack: 3:23

So this is the 38 Island Girl, and it was actually. The teak was painted red with Thompson's deck paint.

Capt Tinsley: 3:29

Oh.

Colin Mack: 3:30

So we have sanded and stripped it all, gotten it back to bare. We've got to replace a bunch of bungs and then we'll actually do on this boat we're doing.

Terri Ivins: 3:41

You took the handrail off.

Colin Mack: 3:43

We always take the handrail off so we can get underneath and do a full job. So you'll notice that all the stainless steel rub rails off, all the bow cleats, rub strakes, as it were, you know the chalks. As much as we can get off the boat without doing anything big and structural, we get all that off the boat so that we can do a thorough job and then put it all back together. We've got a couple hundred bungs to replace in the process, so we just got this stripped down yesterday.

Capt Tinsley: 4:08

So can you give me a range of how much teak is to do a job like this?

Colin Mack: 4:15

So this boat is 38 feet and we're doing Semco because the boat's for sale, so it's significantly less expensive than varnish. So this is going to be about a $7,500 job. And then if we did this boat 38 to 42 feet with 13 coats of varnish, you'd be looking at about $15,000.

Capt Tinsley: 4:34

So as long as you put a coat or two. I wonder if it looks so good five years later as long as you put a couple coats on it every year.

Terri Ivins: 4:41

So you are going to paint the decks on this one. We are so they'll look like my decks.

Colin Mack: 4:48

They will look like your decks. This one just came in for chain plates. No, this guy came in for chain plates. And then my boat down at the end. Finally, the shoemaker's daughter is getting some attention.

Capt Tinsley: 5:00

Are the tanks too loud?

Colin Mack: 5:01

in that, so the fuel tanks are in with there.

Capt Tinsley: 5:04

They just keep it not they just keep it natural.

Terri Ivins: 5:08

It does, it does as long as the boat stays dry and then turn gray.

Colin Mack: 5:14

It will, yes, so they put tung oil on that, probably, but it does look nice if you keep up with it. And then this boat was underwater up in New Jersey so I bought this for my own personal boat. We had a little fun with it and now it's back in for major refit. I think we're gonna do something special up front for the bed, because I am. I get the birth layout on the 40, but I really like a centerline Queen. So we're gonna debate if we back on the board.

Colin Mack: 5:40

Sure, yeah so these decks we painted two years ago and these look amazing yeah that's what they looks like without the hot the tanks in there.

Terri Ivins: 5:49

Oh I know, see, isn't this exciting.

Capt Tinsley: 5:51

Tanner, you down there coming aboard coming, coming in with a camera, coming in.

Colin Mack: 5:58

Hot, you're in witness protection just done oh my gosh, I've never seen that. Yeah, so we've got the.

Capt Tinsley: 6:09

What's this about tanks being suspended from the ceiling? So these tanks?

Colin Mack: 6:12

were up in the air.

Terri Ivins: 6:14

Well, when they take them out, so they, when they take the floor out, you have to cut the stringers.

Colin Mack: 6:20

I mean, there was a lot of work that was done prior to this. Yeah, there's actually several 2x4s that run across for the subfloor and then, of course we've cut out the main portion of the floor so we can get the tanks in.

Terri Ivins: 6:33

Is this a new tank?

Colin Mack: 6:35

Those are new tanks yeah, Stainless. Those are powder-coated aluminum. Oh, that's nice. So the powder coating helps keep them lasting a lot longer.

Terri Ivins: 6:43

Oh really.

Colin Mack: 6:44

And then we're replacing every piece of hose and every single piece of wire in the boat.

Capt Tinsley: 6:49

Wow, what size is this?

Colin Mack: 6:50

one. This is a 40.

Capt Tinsley: 6:51

A 40. And you're going to go sail.

Colin Mack: 6:54

Oh yeah, we go every summer. Last year I went on my pop's boat. Hopefully this summer we'll take this one over.

Capt Tinsley: 6:59

Okay.

Colin Mack: 7:00

And then we've got the 27 we've got to take to Maine. So we're busy island packets.

Terri Ivins: 7:03

So what they did with another boat which we did sell. I don't know what the name of that boat is anymore, but I've seen it in Solomon, in the forward stateroom. They took out the head and they put a centerline clean and I think there's enough room to maybe do a shower and a commode on each side. That was just kind of my thoughts.

Colin Mack: 7:24

Yeah, I think we've got room for it once he's done screwing around, you could have a party up front.

Capt Tinsley: 7:29

Is he taking it out.

Colin Mack: 7:31

He's fussing with it right now. Yep.

Capt Tinsley: 7:33

So it's gonna. Is that coming out? It's gonna turn into a center we think it will.

Colin Mack: 7:37

We're not sure yet. We're still playing with it. It depends on how busy we get. The owner's boat is always the last one to get attention.

Capt Tinsley: 7:43

Yeah, so when are you going to go sailing next summer? Oh, we go every June. Yeah, and where are you going to go?

Colin Mack: 7:50

We usually go down to the Exumas. You know we'd like to get down to Ragged's. It's just nice to get out of Florida in the summer.

Capt Tinsley: 7:57

And why summer.

Colin Mack: 8:00

Because a lot of people don't. It's hot. I grew up in Miami. I've been through nine different hurricanes. Yeah't want to be out there in a boat, but nowadays, with weather reports, you've got so much ability to get out of situations.

Capt Tinsley: 8:12

That's what I always say.

Colin Mack: 8:13

And it's less crowded. So, yeah, this is tanks, and one thing that people actually get really worried about is the subfloor under the tanks, and you'll see that this is solid concrete. So when this boat sank, the water got up underneath the concrete and it was actually separated from the glass and, in an effort just to kind of do a case study, we cut it all out with a fine saw, peeled it up. The concrete is perfectly fine. The thing is, fiberglass doesn't really want to stick to concrete.

Colin Mack: 8:45

Yeah, nothing gets Same with a fiberglass in the keel, Like it's all poured in there and then years and years down the road from swelling and expanding and contraction, from the heat or cold, it just comes undone. And so a lot of people panic at a survey when they hit the hull and they hear a small hollow sound Like oh my god. But it's not always a blister. It's sometimes just that there's a void between the concrete and the fiberglass. After 30 some odd years it's not uncommon. So yeah, we open that up and we'll lay some more glass on it before we're done. But it is nice to see what's underneath there.

Capt Tinsley: 9:20

I've always wondered.

Terri Ivins: 9:21

So are you repowering this one too.

Colin Mack: 9:23

Yep, we're repowering this. I've got a Yanmar for this boat. I happened to come across one at a good deal, so we're putting a Yanmar in instead of the usual Beta. I really like Beta because it's a simple motor, but when you come across a good deal, you've got to jump.

Terri Ivins: 9:37

So they can repower the boat, they can do the chain plates, they can replace the tanks, like and oftentimes people will come in for one thing and then add to the list.

Colin Mack: 9:47

Of course, while you're here.

Capt Tinsley: 9:50

I've done that myself.

Colin Mack: 9:54

Yeah, forget all new floors.

Terri Ivins: 9:57

I mean, isn't it? I've always wondered what was under the floor, so that's why it's kind of cool.

Capt Tinsley: 10:06

Centerline clean with you own all this.

Colin Mack: 10:11

Yeah yeah, we've got 400 feet of waterfront. We're right off the manatee pocket, so no fixed bridges, really easy to get to and nice quiet. We're in a little bit of a hurricane hole, if you will, just because there's no fetch here and the crane pulls right up and we pull rigs. Regularly we do rigging, we do electronics, we do air conditioning, refrigeration, navigation repower so you are able to to pull masks yeah, actually we've got three rigs right over there.

Colin Mack: 10:41

we had gusto's mast in about two months ago just to check the fit of everything and get ready for the new Bimini and Dodger that's being made, and then pulled it back out, but we have a crane that comes pretty regularly.

Capt Tinsley: 10:52

What do these people think about you being here?

Colin Mack: 10:55

Well, I was here first.

Capt Tinsley: 10:57

I like it.

Colin Mack: 10:58

We are deeded marine dependent commercial, so they may not like it. We are deeded marine-dependent commercial, so they may not like it, but we're here to stay. Oh, that's Tanner.

Capt Tinsley: 11:07

What does he do?

Colin Mack: 11:08

Tanner does all of our tanks.

Terri Ivins: 11:10

All of his tanks.

Capt Tinsley: 11:11

Yeah, say hey. Hello, this is for the Salty podcast, so oh nice, I'm shy. Well, you're going to be famous. See that huge shackle down there.

Terri Ivins: 11:26

Yeah, yeah, I've never seen that before.

Capt Tinsley: 11:29

And what did he say it was for?

Colin Mack: 11:30

Well, it's for, like a pennant. If you're running a mooring pennant or a snubber, a lot of times people will put an extra big shackle down there to keep it the center of effort as low as possible.

Capt Tinsley: 11:47

Copy that.

Colin Mack: 11:48

That way, everything does what it's supposed to do.

Terri Ivins: 11:52

When you bring the boat here, you get a.

Colin Mack: 11:55

We have a bunch of enclosed trailers that we use, so you take all the soft goods off the boat.

Terri Ivins: 11:58

if you're going to get chain plates done, so you take all the soft goods off the boat. If you're going to get chain plates done, so you offload the boat and then you leave with these guys and then they tape everything off so nothing gets mucked up. So a lot of times I mean it's not like you can stay on the boat here or anything.

Capt Tinsley: 12:13

Right, this is impressive.

Terri Ivins: 12:16

Well, and I mean they also kind of take up space in the yard or down the street too. So when a boat's hauled out to have like a rudder done or the whatever bottom job, that kind of stuff.

Capt Tinsley: 12:29

Okay.

Terri Ivins: 12:30

So they don't haul it here. It has to be trucked over here.

Colin Mack: 12:33

Yeah, I think we have five island packets over at Port Slaner right now.

Capt Tinsley: 12:36

Oh, wow. Yeah, and you do sales as well, yep.

Colin Mack: 12:43

My, you do sales as well. Yep, my brother still does all the sales at max sales and we work with them all the time, so it's nice sales s a I l l s a l a, oh yeah, but yes, max sales yes, yes, I've talked to him before I thought I was calling you yeah, he was very nice oh good, I'm glad for that. Here you go.

Colin Mack: 12:58

3b okay um, it's an older design, it's got a shorter link, it's actually technically not as strong but it's a little more flexible. So now you have the HT or the high tensile, which is stronger but it's a little more brittle. But HT is kind of new standard. I still run triple B on my boat. I wouldn't think twice about running triple B on my boat any day of the week. You know B on my boat. I wouldn't think twice about running triple B on my boat any day of the week. You know we've been running 516 triple B on a 42 foot boat for 50 years now.

Terri Ivins: 13:27

Oh, well, I have triple B on both my boats.

Colin Mack: 13:29

Yes, and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just what people are used to.

Terri Ivins: 13:33

Okay, this looks like 516s.

Colin Mack: 13:35

That is 516s and that is G4.

Terri Ivins: 13:39

516.

Colin Mack: 13:40

G4. I'm going to send it to.

Terri Ivins: 13:42

Cindy because.

Colin Mack: 13:44

And it's a lighthouse. So how in the hell? Or he just wants a new chain. That windlass is going to be dead before no time at all because the seal's coming out of it.

Terri Ivins: 13:53

Can you fix that?

Colin Mack: 13:54

Nope.

Terri Ivins: 13:55

Oh, you can't.

Colin Mack: 13:56

Well, I could send it to the lighthouse, but I don't think they're in business anymore.

Terri Ivins: 14:00

Oh.

Capt Tinsley: 14:01

So many boats.

Colin Mack: 14:02

Nope, at that point he was looking at like a tigress.

Terri Ivins: 14:07

Yeah, I like a tigress.

Colin Mack: 14:08

Yeah.

Terri Ivins: 14:09

So what's that one down there?

Colin Mack: 14:13

So that's a 45 and then a 37, and then that's the caliber 40 that I got, a flip.

Terri Ivins: 14:18

Have somebody looking for a 40.

Colin Mack: 14:20

Yeah, I've got to do the steering and I've got to do some lifelines and just clean it and itD. Yeah, I've got to do the steering and I've got to do some lifelines and just clean it and it's done. But I've just been putting it off and putting it off to get all these other boats out.

Capt Tinsley: 14:29

How long have you just been doing island packets?

Colin Mack: 14:33

So we bought the yard seven years ago in October with the intent of just supporting the island packet fleet and obviously the first couple years we took a few other projects along just to keep the bills paid and do improvements like the new seawall. So strictly island packets and what made you decide that?

Colin Mack: 14:52

So after 38 years of working on boats and I started when I was 14, there's certain boats that are really nice to work on and there's other boats that you just don't ever want to go back to again Interesting and, shannon, really easy boat to work on. You know there's a few other boats, like the Morgan 41, that you know great boat to work on. Everything's easily accessed. The Island Packet was built in kind of a low production common sense method versus the high volume quick turnaround of, like beneteau or hunter and those guys they just kick them out as fast as they can. So not only were the boats worth investing money into, which means you technically have a maybe a better, you know version of buyer, a group of buyers, because they know that their investment will be somewhat protected. You know if you upgrade it you're not going to lose all your money, and they're just really easy to work on.

Colin Mack: 15:39

So once we kind of generated that following, we latched onto it and just kept going with it and we have a website called Island packet parts. Calm for all the legacy parts that don't exist anymore. We're having remanufactured in the US a lot of parts that are just great for the boats that match and a lot of parts that are really hard to find. So it's really just a matter of finding the group that we like to work with and doing what we can to make them happy. We've made a couple dozen rudders in the last two years.

Capt Tinsley: 16:07

Well, I heard about you through Hayden and Ray Dean.

Colin Mack: 16:10

Oh yeah, they just landed in Antigua today. Oh, they've been in rating. Oh yeah, they just landed in Antigua today.

Capt Tinsley: 16:13

Oh yeah, they did. Yeah, they've been on the podcast three times.

Colin Mack: 16:18

Okay, yeah.

Capt Tinsley: 16:19

So, Colin, I've been told I have to get you on the Salty Podcast.

Colin Mack: 16:23

We would love to be on the Salty Podcast, get a little more information about our group here. Yes, all the hard work that we do supporting the Legacy Island Packet Fleet Even legacy island packet fleet, even some of the new boats that are coming out, we, we just love working on our sometimes we have questions live. Yeah, I'm in the chat and people have quite be my first podcast, so I don't know how we'll do it, but we're all alright, you can expect that coming soon, maybe even later this month, right?

Colin Mack: 16:46

sounds great. Look forward to it all right.