Discover How Hinckley Yachts Blends Timeless Tradition with Innovation

While its primary fabrication facilities are in Southwest Harbor, Maine, the manufacturer’s restless energy is nowhere more evident than in its massive finishing and maintenance facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. “Maine is where Hinckleys are born; Portsmouth is where they’re cared for,” says John O’Connor, vice president of the 15-acre location. O’Connor guides a massive logistical process that provides repairs and alterations to some 475 new and existing pleasure craft per year—and not only Hinckleys, but “many other premium boats,” O’Connor notes, all of them looked after by a highly trained staff working across every imaginable discipline. Yet for all the old-fashioned industry and ingenuity to be found there, Hinckley’s compound just north of fashionable Newport is only one part of a very 21st-century strategy—one aimed at keeping the company ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Hinckley’s presence in Rhode Island coincides with the modern evolution of the shipyard. The runaway success of the first Picnic Boat was something of a surprise: then its second generation of family stewardship, Hinckley was known up to that point as a first-rate maker of sailboats; the decision to produce a motorized yacht was “a bold move,” explains Bryant. The sudden breakthrough helped attract a new set of corporate owners, who spotted an opportunity in a former naval refueling depot in Portsmouth. Over the ensuing quarter century, Hinckley has steadily expanded its footprint in the eight-structure center; its 100-slip marina is now full for most of the year, and its staff of 150 works round the clock, in particular during the post-season and immediate pre-season rush periods in early fall and late spring.

On a recent visit, the buzz of activity was fairly deafening. In one warehouse, artisans sat at a sewing machine, hand-stitching the details on branded Hinckley upholstery for boat interiors. Among the most celebrated skill sets of the Hinckley craftsmen is their famous varnishwork: Bryant demonstrated how the company applies a thin layer of liquid finish to wooden railings and panels, sands and cleans it assiduously, and then repeats the process no fewer than ten times. “There are faster ways to do it,” he notes. “But our way really yields the best results.”

Responsible for adding custom touches and general maintenance, the Portsmouth yard is the key to the brand’s client-relations strategy. “We have to be psychologists,” says Bryant. “The buyer has an image of their perfect day on the water. We have to make that a reality.” At the same time, the yard is also busy turning the dreams of other boat owners into a stunning, floating reality—non-Hinckley boats on the premises this month included an outrageous cherry-red cigarette boat, capable of speeds up to 120 miles per hour, as well as a towering, “dry-racing” sailboat, kept out of the water except during competition. The array of on-site competencies has made Portsmouth—and Hinckley—a byword for professionalism in the maritime field. And it is that reputation the company is eager to capitalize on.

“What we’re really building is a string of pearls,” says Bryant. Complemented by 12 other service outposts on the East Coast—including ones in Florida and Connecticut—the Rhode Island location is now the central node in a system that promises to maintain Hinckley’s status as a boutique boatmaker while accommodating commercial growth. At a time of massive consolidation in the maritime sector in the U.S., with companies undergoing acquisitions and reducing their physical footprints, Hinckley believes its custom approach and ability to take on any project, anywhere, is essential to maintaining its cache. Fortunately for them, they have something of a captive clientele. “Our clients are boat owners because they have to be,” says O’Connor. “It’s a part of their way of life.”