A Following Sea: Hinckley Yachts

The Hinckley corporation has been building some of the best sailing and most luxurious yachts since 1928. The company was started when founder Benjamin B. Hinckley purchased a small boatyard in Southwest Harbor, Maine. His son Henry, a mechanical engineering graduate form Cornell would take over the boat yard in 1932 and begin the true boat building legacy.

He began building powerboats for the more elite crowd that visits Maine in the summers from Boston and New York. The boats were as high quality in their details as they were in they steadfastness. It wasn't until 1938 that that Henry began to design and build his first sailboats. The first was a 40 foot sloop, built for Sparkman & Stevens another manufacturer of high quality powerboats. During World War II the company won a contract to build 30 boats for the U.S. Coast Guard but would end up building a total of 93 picket boats for the Coast Guard, and would continue to manufacture vessels for the Guard after the war.

In 1959 Henry would design the companies first fiberglass sailboat, the Bermuda 40. This boat would become an icon for the company, it was notable for is extremely tough hull and and ability to handle tough weather. The B40 was not just a hard sailing boat but also beautifully accented with copious amounts of teak finish on the interior and the cockpit and a well amenities cabin for the era. In the 90's Hinckley would adopt the use of jet power for all of its motor vessels a first for boats of that size and class, something that would soon be copied by other manufacturers. The most recent addition to Hinckely's fleets is the reissue of the picnic boat, a lobster boat styled day cruiser for coastal waters.