Eye Candy

[Wolverine]

do i have your attention? good. this is just a tease, but i'll write something up later. the oriental, nc boat show had an interesting sailboat on display. a 26' trailerable cold molded mahogany sailboat hand built by Hank Hinckley of Hinckley Yachts.



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[Riley Smith]

Oh, you ain't kidding that's some eye candy!!! Very nice! I'd hate to have to keep the varnish up though. Maybe he has covered storage. I do admire varnished mahogany though. And really, it's so fun to do because it goes from a decent looking wood to something magical. Just not that much!

[Wolverine]

this boat was offered by triton yachts here in town. an employee who set it up said it had 2 masts. an aluminum and carbon fiber. they had picked up the aluminum mast but was told the boat was to be sold with the carbon fiber mast. he said there wasn't much of a difference in weight. it took 3 of them to raise it, but before they did, it sold. the show hadn't even begun.

the story that was told to me by this gentleman is that the boat was designed and built by Hank Hinckley. the son of the original owner of Hinkley Yachts. now 75 years old, he decided to sell this beauty. in 2003 it cost him about $200,000 to build it. it sold friday for $85,000. triton yachts have been contracted to build more of this model and other lengths in fiberglass. new boats are expected to priced around $100,000. Hank Hinkley is building the molds himself and overseeing the general operations to make sure they live up to the Hinkley name. the boats will be built here in oriental, nc.

there was some discussion among attendees as there are no visible bungs. nobody is sure how the outside layer of mahogany is fastened. some speculated is was wrap, but a very close inspection showed the fiberglass cloth and a wrap would have a repeating pattern.

i found the rudder housing interesting. the elevated "box" at the stern lowers into the hull and along with it, the rudder. the keel has a bulb but the representative didn't know how much it weighed or the draft. he stated they tried to lower the rudder, but it would have rested on the pavement. the drop boards have brass slides and are very smooth. i didn't think to ask about the size of the diesel.

for those of you who interested in ordering one, or two of these beauties, i'll be taking deposits. checks, paypal, square, and of course u.s. currency is excepted. once checks clear i'll mail receipts. 

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[Riley Smith]

Sorry, all I can pony up is Monopoly money    Thanks for all the pics!

[Frank B.]

Well, since I'm struggling to find the time to maintain my mostly GRP boat, I don't think taking on an all wood boat would be prudent.  Besides, those who own Hinckleys generally are of a class that have "hands" to take care of such mundane work.

An opportunity missed; back in my working days I ran a factory that made stationary woodworking machinery, branded Delta and Biesemeyer.  I was talking with the regional sales manager for the area that included Bar Harbor and he mentioned that Hinkley was a major customer.  Asked if he could arrange an extensive tour for me.  He said without a doubt, they love our stuff.  Never got the time, and long retired from that position now.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

At first, I thought the hull finish had scrapes or striations or....oh, no.  Those are REFLECTIONS in the shiny shiny varnish.  Beautiful boat!

[rfrance0718]

Wow, very cool. $75,000 seems like a pretty good price. Molded plywood Thistles involved brass staples until you got to the outer layer. Cassette rudder and inboard motor keep it classic. It's really easy to sand through the top ply, so keeping it nice in the first place is paramount. Thanks for the post!

[jack jackson]

Thanks for all the pictures, I worked the boat show for Nautical Wheelers (I'm even in the far background of one of the shots) so I looked at it all weekend. What a beautiful boat! I didnt know that it sold.

[Wolverine]

Hello Jack! Good to see another local sailor here. We should get together at the Bean for a chat.

[jack jackson]

Would love to!