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 an organization. Quality has slipped.
Hinckley Yacht Service’s poor workmanship threatens one with an increased risk of fire, explosion, electrocution, injury, loss of life, loss of boat.
The craftsman have fled where quality is valued. Private equity is about money; separating you from your money in particular. Emphasis on craftsmanship, left the building five companies ago.
You deserve better than Hinckley.
Instead of peace of mind and security, Hinckley Yacht Services offer ways to die in ways that were preventable.
This is an honest announcement by Classic Sailboats Ltd., 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 sailboats 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 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 2022 Hinckley boat show 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
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.
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”
The most dishonest builder/chain of boatyards in the USA ?
Hinckley Yacht Services may be the most dishonest boat yard chain of in the USA.
Hinckley Yacht Service advised the entire galley of a Hinckley Bermuda 40 needed to be replaced because it was “rotten” when the only thing rotten was Hinckley Yacht Service’s ethics.
An 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, or is defrauding the customer, the company policy ?
Focusing on short-term results, and profits and not investing in new markets, equipment, tools, in their people, and new talent – this is how you lose the critical elements for future success.
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. The boat is unsafe to tie up to the dock.
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
Against industry practices and based on zero scientific studies and without bothering to fully exam the engine Hinckley Yacht Services suggested the engine needed $ 36, 212 in repairs.
Adding insult to injury, Hinckley Yacht Services fraudulently billed for scientific tests for engine evaluation; they just did not perform them.
After formally requesting to have the engine examined and serviced by a qualified Westerbeke mechanic, only to learn of Dan, the Hinckley Yacht Services manager, brag about how utterly ridiculous their engine evaluation was to an independent surveyor. They ran the engine for a few seconds, that was the exam. When you plan is to just rip off the customer, what is the point of tests.
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
Hinckley Yacht Services: a parody video.
Hinckley Yacht Services: A parody.
Our parody reflects how focusing on profit and neglecting craftsmanship can kill your family.
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 fifth 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.
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