All photos courtesy Hinckley Yachts
There is perhaps no more quintessential line of Maine-built production boats than those designed and conceived by Hinckley Yachts, the eponymous brand founded by Henry R. Hinckley in Southwest Harbor in 1928. In the ensuing decades, Hinckley was primarily known for their prodigious output of cruising and racing sailboats, including the graceful and iconic Bermuda 40 that made its debut in 1960. Its distinctive profile, with a sweeping sheer line and long overhangs bow and stern, can still quicken the pulse of any committed sailor, including me.
These days, however, Hinckley produces nothing but motoryachts, and is perhaps best known for a very specific type of craft: the Picnic Boat, a jet-driven, open-air express cruiser. Picnic Boats are easily recognized by their pillar curve—sometimes referred to as “the Hinckley swoop”—the arcing, subtle, trailing edge that defines the aft border of the coach-roof pillar that runs through the entire line.
It’s right there, in all its swooping glory, on Hinckley’s latest offering, the Picnic Boat 39.
First introduced in Rhode Island at last fall’s Newport International Boat Show, the credit for the 39-footer was not aimed at a single, specific naval architect but a committee of the company’s “best and brightest” designers, engineers, and marketers. The boat clearly struck a chord with the upscale boating public, as 25 units were sold before it was even launched. The Picnic Boat 39 also sports a unique feature that separates it from its siblings in the collection: a forward cockpit with bow seating that maximizes the livable deck space with a set of comfortable, wraparound settees, and also provides ample room to handle docking or mooring lines. It’s your basic win/win situation.
Working our way aft, the layout and accommodations are compartmentalized into a trio of dedicated sections. Down below, beneath that forward seating space is a very comfortable double berth adjoined by an enclosed head. The central cabin, beneath the hard top, includes a nice, protected settee with a small dining table to port, and the steering station and mini-galley to starboard. To bookend those forward seats, the very spacious aft cockpit is a very inviting outdoor living room with more settees for socializing or stretching out (yes, it occurred to me that it would be a lovely spot to catch some rays or a nap).
To cap it all off, a transom door provides access to a wide boarding platform all the way aft that’s ideal for hopping aboard, landing a fish, or taking a dip. Altogether, as a versatile platform for day trips, cruising, kicking back, watersports, and even the occasional overnight stay in a secluded Maine cove, the Picnic Boat 39 is pretty hard to beat.
Not surprisingly, the resin-infused construction technique (which is post-cured in the great New England outdoors) is also top-notch; a carbon-fiber and E-glass composite sandwich is employed for the hull, and E-glass and vinylester for the deck. The varnished teak used for the trim and furniture is simply exquisite: hand-sanded between the 12 to 14 coats that are expertly applied. As with a gourmet meal, the best ingredients provide the most satisfying results.
And that’s all before we even get to the yacht’s stellar performance. Taking a Picnic Boat for a spin is something like setting out for an excursion on a high-end condominium, if the condo just happened to be a proper sea boat. It’s all a bit otherworldly.
We had the opportunity to test Hull Number One of the line, called Fishbowl, on a stellar fall afternoon on Narragansett Bay in ideal conditions: flat water and a gentle breeze. The propulsion package is impressive, featuring twin Volvo Penta D6 480-hp diesels with contemporary Common Rail tech, coupled with a pair of twin Hamilton HJX27 water jets. If you’ve never driven a jet boat before, it’s at first a bit startling. There’s no prop shaft and hence zero vibration. You push down the throttle and just glide.
At the helm station, with its incredible 360-degree visibility, you can toggle between the steering wheel and the stylus, which Hinckley refers to as the JetStick 4 control system. To enjoy the full jet experience, manning the joy stick is the only way to go. Before we got going, we checked out Hinckley’s new Dockhold feature that basically parks the boat in a stationary position, ideal for fishing, setting up dock lines or just checking out the sunset.
Then came the real excitement, as we got underway and opened her up. It’s hard to describe the sense of acceleration, or the ease with which the world flies by, while making 30 knots. Throttling up, at 3,500 rpm, Fishbowl settled into cruising mode at a very tidy 34 knots. Just for the heck of it, at full speed we leaned into a turn that almost knocked me off my pins. It’s sometimes said that a boat feels like it’s on rails, but that’s truly the case here.
Duly impressed, my final impression of Hinckley’s newest ride was that it may be misnamed. Sure, you can go for a picnic on it. But that’s just the start of the fun.
✮
Hinckley Picnic Boat 39 Specifications
LOA: 42' 7"
Beam: 12' 11"
Draft: 2' 2" Displ. 21,000 lbs.
Power: 480-hp Volvo D6 (2)
BUILDER:
Hinckley Yachts
Trenton, Maine
hinckleyyachts.com
Herb McCormick is a veteran marine writer and editor based in Newport, Rhode Island.
