If one had to make a list of the yacht-iest East Coast boatbuilders ever, Hinckley would be on it. Known for their no-expenses-spared style, the company has roots that go back to 1934 when founder Benjamin Hinckley purchased a small boatyard in Southwest Harbor, Maine. He turned production to his son, Henry R. Hinckley, who graduate from Cornell University with an engineering degree.
One of the first Hinckley sailboats was the Bill Tripp-designed Bermuda 40 yawl, launched after WWII. Over 200 of these classics have been built over the decades, the last in 1991.
A look at one of these Bermuda 40s will give classic yacht lovers a deep ache of yearning. There’s no modern smoke and mirrors here, just an elegant stern overhang, compact seaworthy cockpit with high wood coamings, arrow-like narrow beam, and that yawl rig. Since the rise of the sloop, and all its convenience, finding a yawl rig anywhere can be a challenge.
Below, the old-fashioned elegance continues with a simple layout. The salon is built around a folding table, the galley positioned to port. The seating also serves as seagoing berths, and the lone stateroom forward has a double bed near the single enclosed head. There’s no desperation to squeeze out every square inch of boat here, no delusion that a sailboat is supposed to be a high-end condo.
A Hinckley Bermuda 40 Yawl, Black Irish, equipped with a 46-horsepower Westerbeke inboard diesel engine is currently for sale in Newport Beach, California, with local dealer Chuck Hovey Yachts.
Simplicity and elegance do not equate to cheap, and this high-end, old-fashioned sailing yacht is listed at $179,000.
