Islander Yachts were borne out of the McGlasson Boat Company, later to be the Wayfarer Yacht Corporation. McGlasson originally used the name Islander for one of the yacht lines. In 1963, Ralph Brown and Ben Kantner recovered Wayfarer Yacht Corporation from bankruptcy, and began using the name Islander Yachts by 1965. Islander Yacht Corporation had yacht building facilities in Costa Mesa, California, and moved the production to Irvine, California by 1974. In 1984, Islander yacht construction was relocated to Costa Rica, but Islander went into bankruptcy just two years later. Islander yachts were built in fiberglass models ranging from the Islander 21 to the 55. The molds for the Islander 55 were used by Tradewinds Marine to build a boat for the Beach Boys – complete with Jacuzzi and electric piano.