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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Island Gypsy 44 Trawler
The published record on this model and what owners report, with the
questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model.
Every boat still needs its own homework.
A well-built Grand Banks-style displacement trawler that Loops well in its low-power Ford Lehman form, but engine and tank configs vary widely by year, so verify the specific hull.
The Island Gypsy 44 is a classic Kong & Halvorsen (Hong Kong) fiberglass trawler with strong Grand Banks lineage. Its designer worked on the original Grand Banks line before co-founding Island Gypsy. Owners report it as a capable, economical displacement-speed cruiser, but the model was built across many years with very different engine and tank configurations, so early and late hulls can differ substantially. The twin Ford Lehman configuration is the durable, Loop-friendly setup owners prize; high-horsepower Caterpillar/Volvo planing versions are a documented mismatch for the hull. Verify every spec on the specific hull, as owners warn generic "IG 44" data is unreliable.
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How to read the tags on this page.
CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed
QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself
CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used
Sources are linked where published.
Overview
CONTEXT
Grand Banks lineage from a Hong Kong builder
Built by Kong & Halvorsen; owners note the 'Kong' previously worked at American Marine and helped design the original Grand Banks line before co-founding Island Gypsy, which explains the many similarities to GB. Some owners call the IG a 'poor man's Grand Banks' and describe it as built lighter, though that is anecdotal.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
CLAIM
Configurations vary dramatically by model year
The IG 44 was produced with very different engine and tank setups across its run. One owner with a 1978/79 hull warns his boat is 'nothing like' another owner's except for the hull. Generic 'IG 44' spec data is therefore unreliable, and early vs late boats can differ substantially.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
Range & economy
CONTEXT
Genuinely economical at displacement speed
An owner with twin Ford Lehman 120s reports 2.75 gph at 8.75 mph / 1550 rpm averaged over 1,500 miles, roughly 3 NM/gal. A near-identical twin-Lehman DeFever 44 reported ~3.6 gph over 5,500 Loop miles including generator and lock idling. Hull speed is around 8 knots.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
CONTEXT
Discount seller fuel-burn numbers
A broker claimed 2 mpg for the Volvo 240 version at 7 knots, and a buyer was quoted 2.5 gph per engine at 9 knots which he suspected was optimistic. Owners note burn calculated from fill-ups mixes in idling and slow running, so real-world figures can run ~25% higher than quoted.
src:
Trawler Forum; Curtis Stokes / marinesource listing
QUESTION
What is the actual fuel capacity and tank layout on this hull?
Fuel capacity varies by hull. One owner cites four black iron tanks totaling roughly 1,000 US gal, while the related IG 51 reports 5,000 L in five tanks. Combined with ~2.75 gph at hull speed, even the low end implies comfortable range, but capacity and tank material differ between boats.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
Your move: Get the fuel capacity, number of tanks, and tank material in writing for this specific hull, and inspect black iron tanks for corrosion.
Air draft & bridge clearance
CLAIM
Flybridge boat with lights/antennas/radar adding height on top
Owners report a nominal air draft in the roughly 17-18ft+ range with the flybridge and screen, but masthead light, antennas and radome add more on top. One owner cleared a Loop bridge on a nominally 18'4" boat after filling fuel completely and lowering only a swiveling masthead light, leaving the radome up. Factory air-draft figures are ambiguous and one owner-manual reference to '17ft' does not clearly state where it measures from or to.
src:
Trawler Forum threads including 'IG 44 Trawler Bridge Clearance'
QUESTION
What is the measured air draft, and what on top can be lowered or removed?
Because factory figures are ambiguous and antennas/radar/lights vary boat to boat, the only reliable number is a physical measurement of the specific boat, plus an inventory of what folds or unbolts.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
Your move: Physically measure air draft to the highest fixed point (string-and-plumb-bob or tennis-ball method), and list which masts, antennas, lights and radome can be lowered or removed.
Systems
QUESTION
What is the condition of the fuel tanks and fuel-gauging/plumbing?
Owners describe complex multi-tank fuel plumbing and gauging on the IG 44, and some hulls use black iron fuel tanks that corrode with age. Complexity and tank material affect both reliability and survey cost.
src:
Trawler Forum owner discussions
Your move: Have the surveyor trace the fuel plumbing and inspect tank bottoms/tops for corrosion, and confirm the gauging system reads accurately across all tanks.
Reading the boat
CONTEXT
Treat broker copy as marketing, not spec
Listing descriptions (e.g. 'heavy hand-laid fiberglass with bonded longitudinal and transverse members') come from sellers and should be corroborated at survey rather than taken as independent fact. Owner-forum experience also carries conflicting opinions that may not apply to a given rating or hull.
src:
Swiftsure Yachts listing; Trawler Forum
Engines
The engines research is part of the full profile inside the
product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific
questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
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