Critical safety issues ignored or created by Hinckley Yacht Services can kill you
Hinckley Yacht Services, a manufacturer and craftsman of luxury sail and powerboats, is a poor imitation of the once famous brand.
Founded in 1928, and sold by Henry Hinckley in 1979, then resold in 1982, 1997, 2001 and 2011.
Hinckley quality: a historical memory.
Hinckley Yacht is becoming an empty name– a devastating transformation that compromises the very viability of the company.Hinckley Yacht Service’s poor workmanship poses an increased risk of fire, explosion, electrocution, injury, loss of life, loss of boat.
This is the 6th version of this company; Glassdoor.com reviews suggest the craftsman have fled where quality is valued and jobs are more secure. “No clear plan for technician improvement/progression. High turnover. Lower than average pay for skilled technicians.”
Hinckley Yacht Services offer ways to die that were preventable. You deserve better.
This is an honest announcement based on real Hinckley scandals, professional Marine surveys, advanced analysis and reviews and our misfortune of having to deal with such an arrogant and incompetent group of people.
Scroll below and see why selecting Hinckley Yacht Services could be a fatal decision.
Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Two large Hinckley boats go up in flames
The Portsmouth Fire Department confirmed that they had to battle a large blaze that started at Hinckley Yachts located in a Portsmouth marina in December 2021. A large boat caught fire, sending up a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen from miles away.
Multiple OSHA violations could suggest a company cutting corners.
Not taking precautions with flammable vapors present, an excess of combustible materials and did not provide a comprehensive and understandable respiratory protection training. Training was lacking for the care of hazardous chemicals, WPRI 12 reported.
Youtube: Boat fire breaks out at Portsmouth marina
(reportage WPRI)
Superyacht Times: Drinkability and Danneskjold engulfed in
shipyard fi re at Hinckley Yachts in Portsmouth, RI
EastBayRI: Massive boat fire at Hinckley Yachts in
Portsmouth
The Marina Executive: Fire Destroys Two High- End Yachts at Newport Boat Yard
A fire broke out at Hinckley Yachts in Portsmount, Rode Island, on Friday morning. Credit: WPRI, William Reed
Massive boat fire at Hinckley Yachts in Portsmouth, Rode Island. Credit: Middletown Firefighters
Stamford Harbor: Three boats catch fire
A boat fire at the gas dock at Hinckley boat yard, 2 Selleck St., was reported in October 2020. The boat’s fuel tank ruptured, starting a floating fuel fire near the southern section of the dock at Harbor Point.
Fire officials say a boat that caught on fire at the Hinckley Boat Yard in Stamford spread to a dock, three more boats and a Tiki bar Saturday.
Flames consuming boats, a tiki bar and a dock in Stamford Saturday afternoon. Credit: Peter Adler
Stamford Harbor: brand new Hinckley Talaria 34. Fire destroys $600,000 yacht
The brand new Hinckley Talaria 34 was in the middle of three days of sea trials when it was destroyed in a fire… now under investigation.
Sam Chisholm, chief of the Southwest Harbor Fire Department, told the news provider that the marina fire was so ferocious that all his men could do was contain it, despite using 4,000 gallons of water and foam during their 90 minutes on the scene.
“We never really knocked it down. We contained it. [The boat] was gone before we got there. Fiberglass just doesn’t go out, especially when there’s fuel involved,” he said.
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in a boat tied up at Dysart’s Marina in Southwest Harbor Monday evening. Credit: Mark Good
Crews raised the Hinckley picnic boat on Tuesday. Credit: Edna Martin
Protests tarnish Hinckley boat show June 11, 2022, in St. Michael's, Maryland. Hinckley Yacht services employees forced to defend declining reputation
Public protests. The soul of Henry R. Hinckley sleeps uneasily these times, as poor quality tarnishes his once sterling reputation.
Hinckley Yacht Service employees were forced to defend poor workmanship at the Hinckley Boat Show in St. Michael’s, Maryland.
Accordion Content
Prospective Hinckley owners were treated to protest signs.
Water Bottle Protest
United States Boat Show Protests 2022: Annapolis, Maryland
9 Days of Protest
United States Boat Shows in Annapolis
- Annapolis Powerboat shows October 6-9th, 2022
- Annapolis Sailboat October 13-17th, 2022
4000 bottles 16.9 ounce limited edition Hinckley bottles were ordered in 6 original designs, to raise awareness about the decline of Hinckley Yacht Services.
The same employees who worked on the Bermuda 40 also work on the Hinckley Talaria. Our Bermuda 40 puts lives at risk. Is your Talaria safe ?
Hinckley cannot hide the truth. Our voice is powerful!
Allison talking about declining Hinckley quality
Water Bottle Protest
Annapolis Boat Show 2022
4000 bottles 16.9 ounce limited edition Hinckley bottles were ordered in 6 original designs, to raise awareness about the decline of Hinckley Yacht Services.
Why Hinckley Yacht Service is a cancer for classic boat owners ?
- “Does not have a facility with the right trades and good understanding of both classic yachts and of yacht racing in the 21st century
- Does not have a team that has passion for restoration of classic yachts that is on par with that of the owner
- Does not have project management dedicated to and capable of making decisions across the entire breath of the refit that are thoughtful, consistent and compatible with achieving a satisfactory result on a reasonable schedule and budget.”
Pressure Drop Refit Review. Conducted at Hinckley Yacht facility in Easton, Maryland on 15-December-2021.
Hinckley Yacht Services: A failure of trust and skill
The craftsman’s have left. Focused on accounting, the quality of work is life threatening. Project management is incapable of making decisions. Their approach is inconsistent, neglected, and incompatible with achieving a satisfactory result on a reasonable schedule and budget.
An independent analysis of work done by Hinckely Easton , “Some work has been done across most departments: propulsion, energy storage, charging, instrumentation, domestic, galley and head. However, this work appears to have been done without a plan … The work that has been performed is not to a standard that’s compatible with performance sailing”
Get a marine surveyor involved early in classic yacht restorations and keep them involved.
Hinckley Yacht Services may be the most dishonest boat yard in the USA. If you doubt the honesty of your workmen get a second opinion. We got four from the best in the business. It probably saved our lives.
35 years of service records from the same owner, and the same boatyard and professional opinions from some of the best in marine business, suggest a problem at Hinckley Yachts.
If you are making things up while sitting at your desk and too lazy to read the marine survey, you can get caught looking foolish by contradicting known facts, which appears to be the case here. Given a formal list of problems, Hinckley Yacht Service failed to develop a plan, set a direction and establishes priorities.
Example 1: The Galley: Fixing what is not broken.
On the pre-purchase survey the woodwork ” showed its age,” suggesting normal wear and tear of a frequently used boat. No wood rot was noted.
General Manager Daniel Vullemier / Hinckley Yacht Service urged the entire galley of a Hinckley Bermuda 40 needed to be replaced because it was “rotten”.
An second independent specialist flown in from a famous New England boatyard, found no wood rot.
How can a boat maker renowned for woodwork not recognize normal wood unless they are dishonest or incompetent ?
Example 2: Engine: fraud.
The result is predetermined because it is all about the money billed, not the tests. Unfortunately, the honest statements to independent marine surveyor, can be both embarrassing and legally problematical for Hinckley Yacht Service, General Manager Dan Vullemier and Carl.
It is not legal for Hinckley Yacht Service to bill for fake tests they only pretended to have done.
The Engine Hoses May Be New With No Evidence Of Leaks, But It Is More Profitable To Lie
UPDATE – Engine will not start,…”
How can Hinckley hope to compete against honest craftsman and superior technologies ?
Hinckley Yacht Services: Incompetence of repair work
70 critically important safety issues involving failures on one boat !!!!!
Hinckley Yacht Services is unable to prepare, the boat that made them famous, a Hinckley Bermuda 40 for ocean racing.
Independent experts counted over 70 problems that Hinckley Yacht Service caused or ignored.
22
Critical safety items, that pose a direct risk of fire, explosion, electrocution, injury, or loss of life.
31
Important safety issues that may compromise safe operation, the vessel may lose power, lose control or flood as a result of this problem.
17
Not immediately serious, that may lead to substantial failures and/or repair costs in the future.
If there is no plan ? How are decisions being made ?
Ignored written requests for correction
Hinckley Yacht Services tarnishes a legend.
"the Hinckley Death Ship"
The Bermuda 40 was Hinckley’s first fiberglass boat. “According to Jack Horner of spinsheet.com “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”. Hinckley manufactured 203 Bermuda 40’s over forty years.
How the mighty have fallen. The boat’s nickname is “The Hinckley death ship”. Independent analysis of Hinckley Yacht Services repairs exposed 53 critical and important safety items, that posed a direct risk of fire, explosion, electrocution, injury, or loss of life, loss of boat.
- See how Hinckley Yachts fixed their boat
Engine: Fraudulent examination followed by incompetent repairs
3 decades of love by a single owner summed up the B40’s recent history. Maintained by the same yard and supported with decades of records, which Hinckley had no interest in. The boat had an active season prior to it’s sale.
Against best industry practices, avoiding scientific analysis and without bothering to fully exam the engine. Hinckley Yacht services billed for engine compression tests, they just did not perform them, nor did they send out oil for analysis.
Based on pretty much nothing except greed, Hinckley Yacht Services suggested the engine needed $ 36, 212 in repairs.
Exhaust System:Burn/Fire Hazard.
Neglecting the vitals of the boat to bill on the easy and expensive.
Independent surveyor: “The exhaust system is rigidly attached to the engine, while the engine is flexibly mounted. The non-jacketed interface at the exhaust manifold lacks insulation, this is a burn/fire hazard. The exhaust system is jacketed, should the inner jacket leak, seawater will infiltrate the engine’s cylinders. ”
This system should have been “modernized using a dry riser and water lift muffler”.
Waiting for the masts to fall in the ocean: Just how bad is Hinckley Yacht Service ?
Most catastrophic failures can be prevented. A well-maintained sailboat shouldn’t experience a broken mast except in particularly harsh conditions, or when rigging is defective.
Sailing doesn’t have to be dangerous—in fact, unless your repairman is Hinckley Yacht Services, sailing can be safe and enjoyable.
The yacht’s chainplates are ferrous steel and rusting; these are known to be a weak point of the Hinckley Bermuda 40s of this era. Hinckley Yacht Services ignored specific written requests to address this issue. Chain plate below deck armature should have been removed, cleaned, dye checked and inspected.
Rigging is only as strong as it’s weakest link.
This boat was forced to withdraw from the Annapolis Bermuda race due to the low quality of Hinckley Yacht Services work. A wise choice as tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season hammered the ocean racers. We knew better than to bet our lives on Hinckley Yacht Services.
Electrical fires or failure? Simply a question of when.
“Throughout the yacht, DC wiring is oversized and installed in such a manner as to make ongoing maintenance exceedingly difficult.
Branch circuits appear to have been wired with no overall plan
No schematic drawings were evident”
Pressure Drop Refit Review. Conducted at Hinckley Yacht facility in Easton, Maryland
Hinckley Yacht Services: A parody.
Our parody reflects how focusing on profit and neglecting craftsmanship can kill your family.
The same Hinckley Easton employees work on the Talaria and the Bermuda 40. With so many obvious problems in our boat – you just have to wonder about the safety of those Talaria’s, which is why we include them in our raise awareness review.
Not for those under 18 or for people with a phobia of boats, fires or explosions, history of light sensitivity, seizures or epilepsy.
Surveyor findings: Problems across all systems. No apparent plan.
Hinckley: a historical footnote ?
Sold, resold, resold, resold, resold. A name from history is all that remains of Hinckley.
Get a boat that works!
It is sad when legends fade. The sixth version of Hinckley is just an oversold name without the former’s skills.
Don’t bet your life afloat on Hinckley Yacht because you or your family may not live to regret it.
See the full picture gallery at:
failures* = “The criteria for failure depends on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system.”Wikipedia. Founded in 1928, and sold by Henry Hinckley in 1979, then resold in 1982, 1997, 2001 and 2011 which should make this the sixth version/re-invention. In my belief system, this is a series of failures. This is a personal opinion only; you are welcome to have your own and disagree. Independent reviewers found the quality of work done on the boat not to the standard for a Hinckley Bermuda 40 destined for ocean racing. This website is a mashup of the reviews and emails and not meant to be exhaustive merely a cautionary tale. Our review is meant to be a warning; get a marine surveyor involved early in classic yacht restorations and keep them involved. Photos with explanation can be viewed on Facebook and Instagram. Make your own decision based on the photos. The boat was preparing for the Annapolis Bermuda Race, would you bet your life on work done or ignored in those photos ? Marine surveys available for view with surveyors permission.
The “Hinckley Death Boat” is O.N.285366 Capella. Yawl 12 33 1961