History
Hinckley was founded in 1928 by Benjamin B. Hinckley after he purchased a small boatyard in Southwest Harbor, ME. In 1932 Benjamin’s son, Henry R. Hinckley, an engineering graduate from Cornell, took control of the company. A 36 foot “fisherman motorboat” dubbed “Ruthyeolyn” built in 1933 was Hinckley’s first boat. Five years later, in 1938, Hinckley came out with its first sailing vessel, a 28 foot Sparkman & Stephens sloop. Hinckley would go on to produce 20 of these sloops, making them the company’s first mass production line. Straying away from boatbuilding, Hinckley opened Manset Marine Supply Company in 1940 for which he designed many fittings for fuel tanks, stanchions, deck plates, and the like that are still utilized today.
With the start World War II, Hinckley turned to manufacturing war-designed boats. At the end of the war Hinckley’s contributions totaled nearly 40% of all war boats built in Maine. For this outstanding effort Hinckley was awarded two Army-Navy “E’s” for excellence in 1942 and 1943. Hinckley’s production of pleasure boats began soon after the war.
In 1945 the Sou’wester sailboat was created. Still Hinckley’s most popular sailing design today, 62 original Sou’Westers were built, making it the largest fleet of single design cruising boats of its time. During the 1950s, Hinckley began experimenting with the use of fiberglass to construct his yachts’ hulls. His first fiberglass boat, the Bermuda 40 sailing ship, was released in 1959. The last Hinckley-built wooden boat was the 1960 “Osprey.” Throughout the 60’s the company continued its innovation of yachting by using sophisticated navigation systems along with auto-pilot and electric-powered furling mainsails.
In 1979 Henry sold the company to Richard Tucker, but after Tucker’s death in 1980 Henry’s son Bob was quick to buy the company back with the help of his business partner Shepard McKenney. The two released Hinckley’s first fiberglass powerboat christened “Talaria” in 1989. The last of the Bermuda 40’s was produced in 1991, bringing the total number of B40’s produced to 203 over its 32 year lifespan.
Furthering its reputation as the leader in innovation, Hinckley became the first American boat company to use SCRIMP technology (a method of making composite material with nearly no volatile organic compound emissions) in its yachts. For this reason Hinckley was awarded the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Merit Award in 1994. Also in 1994, the company first used its now famous jet propulsion technology.
The company again fell under new ownership in 1997 when it was purchased by The Bain, Willard Companies for approximately $20 million. William Bain, Ralph Willard, and Alexander Spaulding took over operations. Under the new ownership, Hinckley began to market power boats equipped with jet drives. The company also developed more advanced fiberglass construction techniques dubbed "Dual Guard" to create a superior strength hull.
In 2001 Bain, Willard Companies sold a 51% controlling interest in The Hinckley Company to Cambridge, Massachusetts based Monitor Clipper Partners for $40 million in debt and equity.
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