HISTORY and REVIEWS

FOUNDER:

Henry R. Hinckley founded the Hinckley Company in 1928 as the Manset Boatyard in Southwest Harbor, Maine, initially focusing on servicing local lobster boats and yachts. 

Early Years:

• In 1933, Hinckley built his first boat, the 36-foot fisherman "Ruthyeolyn". During World War II, the company expanded, building various watercrafts for the war effort and then resumed production of recreational vessels in the late 1940s. 

The Bermuda 40:

• The Bermuda 40, designed by William H. Tripp, Jr., was introduced in 1959 as Hinckley's first fiberglass boat. 
• The B-40 was a radical design at the time, with its squared-off transom and wide beam. 
• It was intended to be a hot racing boat and became a bellwether for future production, establishing Hinckley as a premier yacht builder. 
• The last B-40 was built in 1991, ending its 32nd year of production with the 203rd rendition of the trendsetting yacht. 

A review in 2010 by Charles Doane indicated, "with its classic long overhangs, perfectly pitched sheer line, wide side-decks, graceful cabin profile, and distinctive near-vertical transom, the Bermuda 40 has inspired severe lust in the heart of many a cruising sailor. Designed by Bill Tripp, Jr., it is without doubt one of the most attractive production sailboats ever conceived."

In May 1998 Jack Horner of spinsheet.com wrote “the B-40 was to become the bellwether for future production and established Hinckley as the premier North American Yacht builder of exceptional quality sailing yachts”.

In a 2017 used boat review, some 59 years after it was designed, a The Spin Sheet reviewer stated, "I don’t recall a time when my sense of style, balance and proper proportion of sailing yachts has not been influenced by the design work of the late Bill Tripp. The Bermuda 40 is a quintessential example of Tripp’s art and masterful eye for near-perfect balance. I think it can be safely said that this boat has stood the test of time, and, although the design is now 40 years old, many people, myself among them, still consider the Bermuda 40 one of the most beautiful yachts afloat."