The History of Hinckley Yachts Chronicled in a Lush New Monograph

Anybody who has sailed Eggemoggin Reach in Maine’s Penobscot Bay or sat at Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse to watch boats come into Portland Harbor knows the excitement of spotting a Hinckley yacht. It is a point of pride for native, as well as aspiring, Mainers that these beautiful crafts are still made in Southwest Harbor, where the company was founded in 1928. But Hinckley’s appeal reaches far wider than a single state. The boatbuilder’s exceptionally well designed and technically advanced vessels are sought after around the world by racers and recreational sailors alike.

Nick Voulgaris III, author of the new book Hinckley Yachts: An American Icon ( Rizzoli , $65), purchased a 1968 Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawl in 2006 and embarked on a stem-to-stern restoration. In the process of taking apart his boat, he became obsessed with the firm that designed it. Established by Henry R. Hinckley, whose family owned a summer house on Mt. Desert Island, the company started out making motorboats and then added sailing models in 1938.

The Hinckley Co. expanded quickly during World War II, building various watercrafts for the war effort, and then resumed production of recreational vessels in the late 1940s. Voulgaris has unearthed many photographs and documents about the firm’s early years and used them to piece together an illuminating narrative about the evolution of an important American brand. For nautical newcomers, the volume offers a primer on the world of fine boatbuilding; for aficionados, it provides fascinating details about Hinckley’s many technological advances, races won, and extraordinary track record making new models that become instant sensations.

Voulgaris enlisted some well-known Hinckley owners to contribute essays to the book, including banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller (his most recent Hinckley is a Talaria 55), Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend (who owns a 36 Picnic Boat), and magazine publisher and TV personality Martha Stewart (who also has a 36 Picnic Boat). Each expresses admiration for Hinckley boats and for the skill and ingenuity of the craftspeople who make them. It’s a common refrain, writes Voulgaris. Even though the company has only produced around 2,500 vessels in its 85-year history, the boats attract outsize devotion. As he notes, “Hinckley owners often refer to themselves as ‘stewards’ of these fine craft, preserving them for the next individual to hold the proverbial keys.”