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Free Spirit II For Sale
Island Spirit 400 Catamaran
$199,000
Contact us Mike Kneafsey@swbell.net
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Free Spirit II an Island Spirit 400 was custom built in early 2004 and delivered to her first owner late May 2004 in Cape Coral Florida.
I am assisting the owner in selling the boat as I have worked aboard this boat as skipper and have owned an Island Spirit 37 as well as Island Spirit 400. I have also done delivery work aboard other Island Spirits. My wife and ran a very successful crewed charter business on our Island Spirit 37 and 400. I can provide input and a business model if that is something a buyer has interest in. So that is the reason I am assisting the owner in selling as I can answer questions very easily about the boat. He opted not to use a broker as brokers do not know the Island Spirit.
This was the Fortuna Catamaran Miami Show boat in 2005 and 2006.
The owner had cruised aboard the boat for 6 months with his family and for the past 18 months the boat has been managed by Horizon Yacht Charters in Antigua but left the fleet May 31, 2011. The boat is presently in the charter fleet of Seabbatical.com
You could continue to use her as an income source or she is equipped to sail off into the sunset. She is not a typical Charter Yacht as she been a live aboard boat and is professionally maintained.
Few people are familiar with the Island Spirit as not many are produced, but once you step aboard, you will soon realize nothing compares in space in this size and price range. The boat is located in British Virgin Islands, which has easy connecting flights from the US and Europe.
Note: Boat hauled and new bottom job in September 2011
Insurance Survey June 4, 2011
The boat has been used for charter, but she does not compare to the "Bare" bareboats in the Caribbean that are not equipped for cruising. Free Spirit II is not a "project boat", but a boat you could sail off into the sunset tomorrow without the worry of spending extra money for equipment and gear. I personally spent 2 months aboard this Summer getting all systems up to speed for the owner who also spent 3 weeks aboard this Summer.
The Island Spirit 40 catamaran is built as a live aboard boat and not as a charter boat. As a result you will have more space, storage and comfort than you will find on most charter boats. One thing missing is all the "what the heck were they thinking" features found on many boats. Most of the multi-hulls in the Caribbean are built around a huge cockpit table which allows no where to hang out in the cockpit. This boat was designed by a South Africa living aboard with his family, the original boat was a 35 ft and not quite as refined. In May 2008 we had a party with 22 people in the cockpit of our boat, could you do that on a Lagoon, Fountain Pajot, Voyage or Leopard - NO!
The boat is setup with 4 cabins and 2 heads. One cabin is a bit larger than the others with more storage, the berths are that boat size somewhere between full and queen. I am 6'2 and can sleep and stand anywhere on the boat.
Not familiar with the Island Spirit? They are built in South Africa and sailed to the Caribbean, not shipped. This alone says a lot about the construction, safety and comfort of the boat. Could your boat handle 6 weeks of the South Atlantic?
Now for the fun stuff.......some of the extra toys not found on most charterboats that Free Spirit II has are:
Sailing related items
- Raymarine E7 at the helm new 2/2012
- 12v at the helm
- Icom 502 DSC VHF with remote at the helm
- Raymarine Tridata ST 60 which allows you to singlehand by autotacking
- Autohelm ST 6001
- Xantrex 2500w inverter charger
- Lewmar 40 Electric winch at the helm, which can handle either jib sheet or main. Allows for easy single handing
- Facnor Batten Car system. Mains on all cats are huge and heavy. With a Batten Car system the main slides up quickly and easy with less effort. It is a South African boat so the sail is large, strong and heavy. The batcar system installed is above the required spec for the boat.
- Rigid walkway on the bimini so you can tuck the reef lines in to the stackpak. No ugly unkempt sails on this boat!
- 6 person Valise Life raft, serviced May 2011
- 18' Paratech sea anchor with 400' ft of 5/8 line plus 50' bridle
- Paratech drogue and line.
- 200feet of chain anchor rode, replaced May 2011
- New Delta Quick Set Anchor May 2011
Galley Items
- Corian Countertops
- 2 Fridge/Freezer units, one will hold 5 cases of beer or soda so the only ice you should need will be for the blender. We just use the freezer as a beer cooler, but it works great as a freezer.
- Microwave, Toaster
- A lot of galley storage and food prep area, dual sinks and a separate dish drain area. Most catamarans in this size range are not designed with a cook in mind, the assumption is you eat ashore. Free Spirit II's galley would be good enough to have at home!
- Proper non stick cookware and cooking utensils.
Comfort Items
- A helm seat for TWO that adjusts up and down for your comfort and visibility. Allows for shorter people or children to drive the boat there is only one other catamaran on the market with this feature.
- Dockside or generator driven Air-conditioning, 16000 BTU. The vents can be regulated so air can flow where it is desired.
- Each cabin has 2 Hella fans not the normal 1 fan, no more hogging the fan issues
- 2 Jabsco Electric Toilets, no pumping!!!!
- 200 Gallons of water with water gauges, the tank gauges are only working on the bow tanks right now. The boat is setup for cisterns for rain water capture, we have not used this as it was never needed.
- 80 gallons of fuel
- Hot and cold water shower on Port Sugarscoop, cold only on Starboard side sugarscoop. Most boats just have water on one side.
- Swim ladder designed to come up with fins on
- Oodles of cockpit storage, nothing has to be left out as a trip hazard
- Storage under the aft seats in the cockpit, this is a rare item not on older Island Spirits
- Tons of easy access storage in the main salon for dry goods.
- A lot of storage under the forward berths as well as forward of the forward berths.
- Lights in the main salon are on a dimmer for atmosphere
- Of course there is tons of COMFORTABLE seating EVERYWHERE on the boat. The settees in the main salon are setup in an "L" shape allowing two tall adults to nap head to head straight out. I snooze here often when at sea so I can be off watch, but nearby. You cannot do this on a curved Settee.
Just Plain Cool Stuff
- Stainless Steek Drink holders scattered all over the boat, each bow seat, each winch, each pushpit seat, helm and cockpit seats. Every location you would naturally put down a beverage.
- Large 3.6 meter dinghy with Yamaha 15hp engine
- Four 75watt Solar panels. You should never have to just run the engines to charge batteries, which is so annoying. On a normal sunny Caribbean day the Solar array inputs about 15 amps/hour. The fuel savings from not running the main engines or generator is pretty substantial.
- For battery regulation we use the Xantrex (Heart) Link 2000. This is a great system which fully intergrates the solar
- Courtesy lights on each sugar scoop to help board the boat at night. Of course we have wide sugarscoops and handholds also, which most boats don't have.
- Our bow seats are full wrap around for safety and comfort, these are so cool! Most boats do not have wrap around seating.
- Two trampolines made of mesh, they are very comfortable to walk or sleep on. Many boats have a netting that is not pleasant to walk on.
- Extra thru hull to add water maker at a later time.
Expected Stuff
2 holding tanks 15 gallons each
Yanmar 40 hp - Most Island Spirit have Yanmar 27 or Yanmar 29, the extra HP is great.
4500 Engine hours
Quantum bimini and Stack pack
Oodles of stuff that you would expect on the boat. Email me @ Kneafseym@swbell.net with specific questions.
Dinghy hoists from the bimini, so it is easy to secure and does not chaff or swing while underway.
Purchase Details
She can be left in charter or taken away for private use. Price is $215,000
You might ask, why is the boat for sale? The owner lives in Europe and has cruised the Caribbean with his family and travelled extensively in South America. As the 2 kids get older their interests are keeping him closer to home.
For detailed Bareboat Guide we still have our (Aristo-cat II) listed on our page, although not identical boats you will gain a lot of information about the boat, link. This is the guide book we provide on the boat to people bareboating Aristo-Cat II.
When looking at a used Cat, most people look at the Lagoon 380 or 410 or the Fountain Pajot. You just need to walk aboard those yachts, then walk aboard our to see the immediate difference. There is NO comparision.
There are several Island Spirit 37s for sale at this time, , but the 400 has been substantially refined. Some of the differences between the IS 37 and IS 400 are listed below.
The quality of construction has continue to improve from the factory. Several Island Spirits 37 on the market were built by individuals and not the factory.
The obvious change is the longer sugarscoops, this has improved sailing.
More Galley Storage
Additional Cleats on Deck
No more water slapping noises in the berths
Improved electrical, plumbing systems
There are also Island Spirit 401 on the market. These boats were constructed under different factory ownership and different moulds. The company was failing at that time and some of these boats have some issues. Admiral Marine in South Africa current has the moulds.
Terms of Sale
The boat is owned by Delaware Corporation which is transferable. The boat is US tax paid. The owner is not interested in trading for other boats or property. The boat is available for test sails subject to the charter schedule with Horizon Yachts. As Horizon charges us $550 for cleaning plus we will have to pay for a skipper we will need to charge for test sails. This may seem odd, but I found there are people that want to "test sail" but are looking for a short holiday. We will credit you this cost upon purchase of the boat. So the cost will be $550 plus $300/day and you are welcome to sleep aboard the boat. I suggest a minimum of 3 days on any boat before you buy her. Many people make the mistake of seeing a boat, getting exciting and buying without spending time aboard. I will come down personally for the test sails.
Upon agreement to purchase we will require a 5% earnest money deposit to remove the boat from the market. This money is refundable only upon anything major not disclosed and discovered during survey. Buyer pays for survey expense.
Mike and Jennifer's Main Sailing Page
Contact us Mike and Jennifer Kneafsey 918 740-8764 Skype Kneafseymike