24 • August • 2016 • SY CESARINA

Today for us was a special treat on the program. As now good customers HINCKLEY We have received an invitation, us to look at the production of new yachts in Bar Harbor. We were received there very friendly and immediately made us with the production manager Frederick on the way into the hallowed halls. Here are of ca. 370 Employees with a lot of passion and skill ca. 60 new yachts 12 to 23 Meters manufactured mainly by hand. but these, only 5 piece sailing, the rest are motor yachts. The shipyard was 1928 founded on the US East Coast and a high reputation as a manufacturer of quality yachts has developed internationally. I myself had already the chance one of the boats with two 500 PS Jetantrieben in freier Wildbahn zu testen. Wie cool war das denn 🙂 ?

First of all, we had the opportunity, take a look at the boat joinery or "carpinterie". Here all kinds of fine woods are processed according to customer requirements and the individual parts and components manufactured, which are then subsequently fitted to the ship. Since each vessel has a very high degree of individualization and is custom made, resembles not a single ship to the other. That this high cost in the price of yachts reflected, thereby each very easy to understand. A 12 Meter sailing yacht for example can cost considerably more than one million US Dollar. In the large-scale you get a ready to sail yacht for less than two hundred thousand US Dollar

Before the individual components leave the carpentry, get this up to 12 Layers clearcoat. Large areas are painted in a painting by spraying and for smaller areas come brush and roller for use. But this process already overcrowded volumes with expertise and experience reports. The result has then piano lacquer quality.

In the next hall hull and deck shell are produced. How this is done, Fred has good clear to us from a model.

First, the spraying method is the so-called gelcoat, so the outer skin and later visible surface, applied to the so-called negative mold. Thereafter, multiple layers of Kevlar, glass fiber, laid carbon fiber and yet so few other materials about the negative mold, which is standardized for every type of boat of a class. These layers are then finally covered with a film and thus sealed against the mold, that you can draw a vacuum on it. The air is sucked off at one end and a special resin is then pumped into the other via a hose system. The high art is now to steer the process in this way, that all voids or bubbles have completely disappeared. There is only one try and if it goes in your pants, a lot of material and time is lost. The resin then hardens and at the end the shell is separated from the mold again. The process is called the vacuum infusion process.

Negative form for a cover shell. Before the layers are laminated, the shell is sprayed with a release agent, so that the gelcoat does not stick to the shape.

In the next area, the entire drive technology is installed in the fuselage shell, the diesel and water tanks, the cabins, Steering positions, Electronics and much more built in. Now all areas are still freely accessible. With the abundance of individual components, later it will be incredibly tight below deck as you can see. Ship technicians are therefore usually smaller and usually very flexible people. The hatches are already in the lid, Windows and all imaginable fittings installed.

The next step is called "wedding". That means, that waiter- and lower part are glued and screwed together. But before that happens, really all imaginable individual parts are checked for accuracy of fit and function. Again, there is only one attempt. Once the glue has set, there is no turning back.

At the end of the production line, the ship is then finally assembled and approved by quality assurance. Before it is then presented to the happy customer, All components are also subjected to very detailed tests on the water. Because in the end, HINCKLEY wants to and will maintain its reputation as a premium- and quality manufacturers meet with every single yacht.