1959 Hinckley 42 Yawl

[gronbuck]

From a broker. The boat intrigued me too. Haven't seen in person. What I'm about to say is just personal opinion, others more knowledgable than I may know better. I think they made a mistake glassing the cabintops. Wood and glass are of course very different materials -- wood is so much more dynamic -- so interfaces between the two are often sources of trouble. So I'm not surprised to see it here. I don't like working with glass (a personal preference), so wondered about the cabintops even before I saw this picture. Of course you could argue that the glass helped keep the boat dry for a long time. Beautiful boat.

[Hinckley or Die]

I tend to agree on all accounts of what you said (especially the glass part, I redid some cars with my dad a millennium ago and though I was younger and way less patient, I couldn't get it right). I like the look of varnished deck house with some smartly inlaid teak decking. I think that is another reason a wood boat is calling me...easy to kinda customize. I don't think that is a deal breaker for me, but it may be a harbinger of other stuff. The broker is supposed to send me some more pics as well. I zoomed in on the decking and it actually looks pretty decent, at least in that spot. I wish I were closer and could just go see her, but it's a 14 hour drive. I will collect all the knowledge I can (about wooden boats, this boat) then make the drive and pre inspect before I get a survey. Thanks for the pic again

[goodnumbers64]

If you call Hinckley in SW Harbor Maine they may be able to answer all your questions. They used to say they had the plans for every boat they built. I called a couple months ago with a question on a 1970 hull and they pulled out the plans and answered my questions.

[gonesail]

i knew a guy that had an old S&S with varnished teak topsides and teak decks. he kept a full canvas over it even when it was in the water. it did not go out very much and was a sight to behold .. but an incredible amount of maintenance. in the end he could not sell it for a decent price and instead donated it to charity

[rls8r]

I think that I read that this boat has teak overlying a marine plywood base. That would be the only way I'd have a teak deck. I had one on an old wooden Rhodes 40 - and I swore I'd never have another. Even after all the caulking and sealing - the thing leaked like a sieve.

I think that wood cabin tops used to be covered in light-to-medium canvas which was then impregnated with white lead paste and then painted. I'm not sure that one can even get white lead nowadays.

In any event - I don't think you'll be looking at a varnished cabin top. As said - epoxy on planking is not a good route. Best to either cover the cabin top with thin plywood - and then epoxy would work; or cover it with felt - and then the canvas would work. But ... I'm not sure what they have to take the place of the white lead paste - best to talk with the folks on the Wooden Boat forum.

[gronbuck]

Yes decks are marine plywood overlaid with teak. Cabintops are currently marine plywood overlaid with fiberglass.

[thesaltytar]

I do agree with most of the comments here, and joining the Wooden Boat Forum is a good start. Word of caution: if you think boaters are opinionated, you've seen nothing until you get wooden boaters in the same room. Try not to get pulled apart by the wildly varying opinions and take each with a grain of salt.

I have a 1956 Bud McIntosh, so a completely different "working boat" take on a wooden yacht, but there are some things you may find useful.

The caulking isn't necessarily bad. Mine was on the hard 6 years and didn't need any caulking but was very dried out. If you don't see anything obviously bad you're probably fine. I would slick all the seams below the water with the brown Interlux seam compound. Really take your time and do it right. Go to a local coffee shop and get some of their throwaway burlap coffee sacks, line all the bilges, and keep the sacks wet for a week or two before launch. Raising the humidity in the bilge will help swell the planks. Your hull will probably seal up fine but you'll probably leak a lot from the rudder post. Hardwoods take longer to "take up" than softer woods (my boat is cedar over oak). If you want to go whole hog, setup some garden sprinklers on the outside of your hull to keep it wet. Do NOT fill your bilges with water, the hull isn't designed for that.

I'm a big fan of fiberglass over ply coach roofs on a wood boat. It will give you somewhere dry to stand. Just kidding. Mostly. Just make sure the joints for the companionway rails are tight and well caulked.

I love my wood boat. I think you will love yours.

[gronbuck]

Agree with everything thesaltytar says. About the fiberglass: as I said you can certainly argue that the fiberglass kept things dry (er) for sixty years, so the rest of the boat is in better shape because of it. I only said that it finally failed where it did because the wood was moving and the fiberglass wasn't. And then I said I didn't want to repair it because I don't like working with fiberglass. So my comment was just in the context of me thinking about the boat. I'm a big fan of all sorts of fiberglass boats -- sailed beach cats for years and grew up on fiberglass cruisers.

[Hinckley or Die]

She isn't mine yet, but I do want her. Time will tell, just beginning the dance.

[Hinckley or Die]

I agree, she will stay fiberglass over marine plywood...if i purchase.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by thesaltytar

I have a 1956 Bud McIntosh,
I love my wood boat. I think you will love yours.

You sir are a lucky man.
Bud McIntosh was one of my heroes, I read everything I could find that he wrote, including his book.
The man clearly knew a lot more than just "a thing or two" about boats, and not just wooden boats.
If I could go back to my 20s, I would have liked to have had an apprenticeship with him.

[thesaltytar]

Thank you Bowdrie, I am also a fan of Bud McIntosh predating my purchase, though I have come to learn and respect him more as a consequence.

I don't want to derail this thread or in any way disrespect Hinckley - they are amazing yachts - I simply find it an interesting study in contrasts and therefore do believe this comment belongs in this thread precisely because it counterpoints the Hinckley design concept.

Bud's boats were meant for the everyday man and his aesthetic reflects a utilitarian grace that puts paid to some of the arguments surrounding wooden boat maintenance. Of course it's still more work, but... Painted masts, minimal brightwork, tarred rigging - all of this works with his designs and suits my personal style of sailing much more closely.

Today we think of a wooden boat as a yacht, but in the 50s it was just... A boat. It didn't have to gleam. I think a lot of people aren't aware there is an alternative in wooden boat ownership.

[Hinckley or Die]

Saltytar,
Now I understand your name...lol! No worries about hijacking, any knowledge is appreciated.

I like the shiny stuff, and I like the instant gratification making it that way.

I wish there were more people looking at wood, no matter the style.

[thesaltytar]

Something to consider, whatever boat you get, is the brightwork. Please take this with the proverbial grain of salt because as mentioned above, woodies get opinionated. [emoji1]

Awlwood. I love the stuff. It stands up to UV really well and of all the varnish "alternatives" I find it the easiest to apply. In fact it's easier to apply than varnish, which is really persnickety about humidity. I actually think it looks better than varnish, coat for coat. If you are reapplying the exterior varnish definitely look into it.

As for interior varnish, I stay traditional because UV is less of a problem and I like how the real stuff smells.

[Sam Woodbridge]

Hinckely, I’ve read though most the posts. My biggest and maybe your least concern is resell value. Are you sure you want to buy something that has been passed by with people that have more knowledge than you? Are you sure your not wasting your money. You will have a terrible time trying to sell that boat just like the present owner.

Pride of life, lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes. Is what a old timer told me.

Hope it helps and I wish you the best.

Sam