Yacht Review: Hinckley Bermuda 50

Hb501

Just two years ago the Hinckley Company and Tripp Design announced plans to collaborate on a modern racer/cruiser. The new boat, an evolution of the famed Bermuda 40, has a plumb bow, lifting keel, twin wheels, ultra-modern styling and is definitely not your grandfather’s Hinckley. Designed by Bill Trip III, the B50 is a candidate to lead the pack in offshore and club venues in addition to providing its owners a sleek, comfortable modern cruiser fit for any adventure — coastal or offshore.

On deck, the Hinckley 50 features a sleek deckhouse topped in teak for secure footing, wide teak side decks, a wide racing cockpit, twin wheels and an open transom. The yacht’s hull is DualGuard SCRIMP carbon Kevlar composite hull with vinylester resin for stiffness and strength with a carbon-fiber deck. The mast height is 80 feet. The 80-foot-high mast is a custom-built carbon fiber spar with triple-swept back spreaders, all painted to match the deck color. The carbon fiber boom is V-shaped to capture the main when down. The headsail system is a Reckmann UD2sc below-deck hydraulic furler. Standing rigging is Navtec rod rigging with a hydraulic backstay. The mainsail is fully battened Dyneema. All blocks are Harken. 

Winches include two electric  Harken Radial 60.2STEA24H primaries, two Harken Radial 60.2STEA24H electric halyard winches, and one Harken Radial 50.2STEA24H electric mainsail winch.

The cruising accommodations plan is shown here. Accommodations can be set up for either cruising or racing. 

Courtesy Hinckley

To maximize upwind performance, the B50 has a lifting keel that retracts into a keel trunk that is shaped in carbon fiber and can be clad in the owners’ choice of wood. The keel trunk also forms a bulkhead that supports the cabin roof, making for a very rigid structure. The remainder of the boat’s bulkheads are cored with Corecell to reduce weight. Reducing weight is a constant consideration, right down to the custom carbon handrails along the coachroof. In all, the boat has 22,000 square feet of carbon fiber, 2,200 square feet of Corecell and more than three miles of wiring. There are actually no metal chainplates on the boat.

Below deck, the saloon is wide and open with a forward owner’s stateroom with centerline queen berth and ensuite head to port. Moving aft, there is a starboard side galley followed by a nav station with facing settees.

To port there is a crew head and shower, and a main dining area with settees. Above the saloon there are four large hatches for light and ventilation.

Two double crew cabins flank the companionway beneath the cockpit. The layout is Spartan, clean and functional for all endeavors — inshore and off.

The Bermuda 50 marks an interesting new era for Hinckley Yachts and may take a little getting used to for old-timers who could spot those classic Hinckley lines a mile away.

 

By Ocean Navigator