Want To Buy: Hinckley's for sale?

[Jim Meeks]

Hooked on the idea of a Hinckley 40-50 for cruising around for a few years, any for good ones for sale at a reasonable price or talk me out of it? Jim

[FSMike]

I would never talk anybody out of buying a Hinckley. Great boats, and priced accordingly.

[pesarsten]

Take a trip up to Southwest Harbor Maine, check out Hinckley's operation.

I believe that Hinckley snatches up their boats if they are priced low. They rebuild them at the factory in Maine and either sell them or place them into their charter fleet.

It's worth the trip to see the operation and check out the inventory.

[Snore]

Spend some time looking on yachtworld. There are several in FLA that range from fully restored to project boats.

If only.....

[CR38]

There is a decent 49' ketch for sale in Hempstead, NC but the 49 footers were the least performance oriented of the Hinckleys.

[Jim Meeks]

The 49' cc is the least appealing, the Tripp designs are so......something! Anyone had any experience with the Hinckley retractable keel. Everything I read praises the design, but everything mechanical can wear out, break or.....?

[D.D.]

Been to Hinckley a few times, well worth the trip.. Like going to a furniture factory. Very nice to talk with, and I'm sure as a perspective owner, you would really be taken care of. That said......You also may want to check out Little Harbor Yachts as well. Ted Hood was original designer....Some spectacular boats with many characteristics of a Hinckley. Like Rolls Royce and Bentley. Yacht world has many examples for sale. Their website also has a few Hinckley's. Also take a look at Morris and Lyman Morse. Beautiful boats all around.

Sailboats 46' To 60' | Little Harbor Yacht Brokers

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Jim Meeks

Hooked on the idea of a Hinckley 40-50 for cruising around for a few years, any for good ones for sale at a reasonable price or talk me out of it? Jim

Twenty years ago my answer would have been much more positive, but now I guess I'd probably try to talk you out of it, especially if you intend to live aboard comfortably. In addition to all the other boat chores, there will be lots of exterior teak to care for...forever. You will pay much more for a comparably sized and equipped one than you will for many other high quality boats. The Hinckley Company hasn't built a cruising sailboat in years and may well never build one again. A very high percentage of the skilled workers who crafted the boats Hinckley built its name on are loooong gone and with them went their corporate knowledge. Many of the real craftsmen from Hinckleys (and Lyman Morse) have moved on to building wooden boats for Steve White in Brooklin or for JB Turner who has moved from Lyman Morse to the Front Street Shipyard in Belfast. Southwest Harbor is now a service yard, with the production of motorboats about 20 miles away in Trenton. The owners, the managers, and the workers are almost all different people from back when the company was building very high quality and highly priced sailboats. Only the name and the physical facility remain the same.

I'm not sure what your price point is, but all except the older generation 35', 38', 40', 41', 43', 48', 49', and 50' boats are still quite expensive. The older generation ones look nice but only the little 35 Pilot and the 41 sail very well and none of them even have things like a separate shower stall so you can take a real shower without making a mess of the whole head. Surprising in such a civilized 'looking' boat! A while back there was a 51, which is a later generation boat from the ones I mentioned above, that was reasonably priced, and even that one had surprisingly little room for a cruiser. The Southwester 42's are very nice looking boats but with lots of teak to care for and the roominess of most 36 or 38 foot boats and the price of a decent 50 footer. The centerboard versions perform OK if you don't mind a centerboard, and the deep keel/spade rudder version performs much better but IMHO aren't too practical for serious cruising, especially in shallow waters.

Most Hinckleys were bought and gently used by aging, wealthy people who would only stay aboard for a few days or maybe a week at a time and that's what they were designed and built for. A large percentage of them were very lightly used and were stored and maintained at the Hinckley yard. Each year around Thanksgiving, each owner would receive a list of "recommended" upgrades and a surprising number would say OK to the whole list, or whoever handled their finances would say OK to the whole list. Things like radars or depth finders or plotters that were only 4 or 5 years old were replaced just because something new came out that the owner could be talked into. Awlgrip was redone every few years just to avoid any chance that the boat might look a little dull. Exterior varnish was stripped down and built up again to the tune of 6 or 7 coats charging boatyard price$! For years I used to keep my boat in SW Harbor and had many friends who worked there including a service manager so I saw it over and over. So, huge amounts of money were paid for these boat initially, and then even more money was lavished on them, but you have to ask how much of that money was spent on things that will benefit you 10 years after the fact? I love the classic good looks of almost all Hinckleys but I just don't think they're very practical for extended cruising. But, if you're in love with the image and just have to have one, then go for it, but I'd be very careful about how much you pay because their reputation that once commanded such a premium has faded significantly, and with good reason.

[tvaill]

I bought my Hinckley Sou'wester 48 10 years ago. She has been a wonderful cruising and racing boat for me and my entire family. During the winter months, she has been a hobby that I truly enjoy. I do most of the maintenance work including varnishing. I have refit her almost completely over the past 10 years. She is not inexpensive to maintain but is not any more extensive than another boat of her kind. She was built almost 40 years ago and the craftsmanship and detail is unmatched by anything built today or even in the past 20 years. She is a William Tripp design and receives complements as the "prettiest boat in the Harbor" wherever I go. I haven't seen another boat that I would prefer to own. Good luck.

[matauwhi]

G'day, Mate. I know you asked about Hinkley's, but don't rule out taking a look at Mason's. Comparable quality of build for less money. If you want to have a serious look at one, send me a private message. All the best. Cheers.

[Kim Petersen]

Jim:

You may want to look at my Hinckley Bermuda 40 which we have decided to put back on the market after a wonderful season of sailing in Florida and the Bahamas:

LINK: Bermuda 40 Yawl For Sale

Best of luck in your search!

[Kim Petersen]

Originally Posted by Kim Petersen

Jim:

You may want to look at my Hinckley Bermuda 40 which we have decided to put back on the market after a wonderful season of sailing in Florida and the Bahamas:

LINK: Bermuda 40 Yawl For Sale

Best of luck in your search!

Forgot her photo!

[Suijin]

I grew up lusting after Hinkleys. They are without a doubt absolutely gorgeous boats. That said, I strongly urge you to look at many, many other boats before you pull the trigger on a Hinkley for two simple reasons. They are rather small and dark inside, comparatively speaking, and the name commands a premium which is not necessarily commensurate with their value, depending on what your priorities are. They are great, beautiful boats for weekend cruising and an annual one or two week long cruise. And they are still competitive on PHRF. A Souwester 42 won the Bermuda Ocean Race just a few years ago, if I recall correctly.

Just to be clear, I'm not taking away anything from Hinkleys and think they are superb boats. You should just be certain that it is what you want and what the trade-offs are in acquiring and owning one.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I grew up lusting after Hinkleys. They are without a doubt absolutely gorgeous boats. That said, I strongly urge you to look at many, many other boats before you pull the trigger on a Hinkley for two simple reasons. They are rather small and dark inside, comparatively speaking, and the name commands a premium which is not necessarily commensurate with their value, depending on what your priorities are. They are great, beautiful boats for weekend cruising and an annual one or two week long cruise. And they are still competitive on PHRF. A Souwester 42 won the Bermuda Ocean Race just a few years ago, if I recall correctly.

Just to be clear, I'm not taking away anything from Hinkleys and think they are superb boats. You should just be certain that it is what you want and what the trade-offs are in acquiring and owning one.

I wouldn't say cost is a big tradeoff. That one, rebuilt at the factory in 2002, so effectively a 2002 boat, is only $169,000. You can't buy a high end European boat of that size and age for that kind of money. Seems like very reasonable cost to me for what you get.

And she's a real beauty!

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I wouldn't say cost is a big tradeoff. That one, rebuilt at the factory in 2002, so effectively a 2002 boat, is only $169,000. You can't buy a high end European boat of that size and age for that kind of money. Seems like very reasonable cost to me for what you get.

And she's a real beauty!

Do you have a link to that 2002 rebuilt Southwester 42 for $169K? I don't see it on yachtworld....