Courtesy of Richard Fisher
HUNTRESS is believed to be the first of the eight wooden Pilots built by Hinckley. She was launched in 1956, and by 1962 the company had converted entirely to fiberglass construction.
Particulars
- LOA: 35′4″
- LWL: 24′
- Beam: 9′6″
- Draft: 4′9″
- Power: Beta 25 diesel with 2:1 gear
- Doc No.: 290238
- Designed by Sparkman & Stephens (K. Aage Nielsen)
- Built by: Henry R. Hinckley Co., Southwest Harbor, Maine, 1956.
As a beamier outgrowth of the Islander design that Hinckley built as a stock offering before World War II, the Pilot offered what most cruising sailors of the postwar era expected: four berths in two cabins, full headroom, auxiliary power, and an easily handled sloop rig. Aage Neilsen drew the plans for both designs while working under the Sparkman & Stephens banner.
Hinckley began building Pilots (design No. 1219) of wood using traditional plank-on-frame construction, and HUNTRESS, completed in 1956, is said to be the first of this batch. But in 1962, S&S redrew the Pilot design as their No. 1727, adapting the earlier plans for the yard’s switch to fiberglass hull construction and modifying the boat’s rig, overhangs, and layout. Pilots, along with Bermuda 40s, became Hinckley's initial and very successful offerings to be built of the new material, bringing fame to the builder and iconic names to both designs.