History
After earning his master's degree in naval architecture from MIT in 1967, Johnson did a brief stint with McDonnell-Douglas in California working in their missile design department before heading to Florida where he joined Irwin Yachts as a plant supervisor. He also worked on several cruising and racing designs for Irwin before leaving to join Endeavour Yachts as head designer. In 1978 he left Endeavour to build yachts of his own design, beginning with a sharpie sailboat known as the "Lightfoot 21".
When the Bombay Trading Company, another Florida boatbuilder, went bankrupt in 1979, Johnson bought the molds for the Bombay Express, a 26-foot (7.9 m) cruising sailboat. Modifying the yacht's interior, sailplan and underbody, Johnson produced his first yacht and called it, very simply, the "Island Packet". The name stuck and soon every model was known as an Island Packet. In most cases, the size designation followed "Island Packet".
Today, over 2,200 Island Packets have been built and can be found sailing throughout the world. Known for Johnson's modern interpretation of a traditional full keel (he calls it the Full Foil Keel) the range of models is recognized by their shallow draft, spacious accommodations and rugged build.
Island Packet models have won several industry awards over the years, including seven Cruising World magazine "Boat of the Year" awards and three SAIL magazine "Best Boats" awards. Johnson is also the recipient of the 1999 "Industry Award for Leadership" presented by SAIL magazine.
Read more about this topic: Island Packet Yachts
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