You don’t always get what you pay for! With such great reviews we decided to use Hinckley to paint our boat. Expensive, but good, right? WRONG. We got a bid to have our 49 Hylas to have our yacht painted in Awlgrip in January 2016. We have used Awlgrip paint before and found it to be durable, easy to clean and long lasting. A few weeks after we got the bid to paint the topsides in Awlgrip by Brian the manager, we were handed off to Chuck to coordinate the work we needed done. Then came the hard sell (emails and phone calls) from Chuck to use Imron paint. Imron paint is cheaper than Awlgrip and in hindsight we felt that was the reason for the big push to use Imron. Although we loved Awlgrip we decided the “professionals” knew better and so we went with their product Imron. We felt that on every step Hinkley pushed us to do more and more work we felt unnecessary. It always started with “at Hinckley we do it this way because it’s the best”. They faired the transom and built it up with a compound to fix a few dings. We were not in Florida when the work was done which was Big mistake. When we arrived in late January the first issues started. First issue was we had covered our boat to protect the deck from the harsh Florida weather .We always do this when leaving our boat in storage. Hinckley removed it when they stepped the mast right after we left and never replaced as they deemed it unnecessary. We reminded them to put it back on after the mast was stepped and were assured they would do so. When we returned the deck needed to be waxed and the sun had damaged fabrics in the boat and other damage from being uncovered and unattended. Next we track down the edges! had new signs put on the boat. When I showed Chuck that they were peeling, he suggested a little clear nail polish on the edges to keep them from peeling off! I was starting to regret using Hinckley. Most worrisome was the paint job. The Imron just wasn’t the right type of paint for a sailboat that actually gets used. This became apparent a few months later. We sailed from Hinckley directly to the Bahamas and Cuba for 4 months. The boat was only in a marina once where it was rinsed down and washed. It was there we noticed that salt had etched the paint. When we returned to Hinckley five months after the initial painting we had to haul the boat and they had to use an acid to remove the salt. Even the yard and paint distributor said they had never seen anything like it. Never in 25,000 miles of sailing with Awlgrip had we ever used anything but Awlgrip wash to clean our boat of salt residue. It always looked great. Next issue was discovered by the guys who polished the boa. He t noticed small cracks all over the transom. Brian tried to explain it as fiberglass from under the bonding they used was suddenly erupting through the paint. Riduculous? Of course. But our choice was to stay in Florida and haggle with Hinckley or just consider this a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. We realized we would never be satisfied and left. We are currently in Europe and have now noticed that everything scratches this paint. Mooring lines that rub remove the paint down to the primer. Bumpers rubbing wear off the paint, a small bump on a plastic dock scratches. Even my finger nail can scratch through the paint! Two professional painters here in Europe laughed at their explanation on why the transom had cracks. Both explained it was too much compound used and the compound was cracking underneath. This of course makes more sense. I will say that Hinckley did reimburse me the costs of the signs. Lessons learned .Never would I recommend Imron paint and never would I recommend Hinckley Boat yard
Have stayed in Thunderbolt several times this Spring. Once at Morningstar Bahia Bleu and twice at Hinckley Yacht Services. Stayed on the facing docks at both marinas. Plenty of water and easy approach. Bahia Bleu is a “real” marina and has some nice facilities, although the bathrooms/laundry are all on the 2nd deck of the building. Hinckley is a boatyard (wonderful boatyard by the way) so facilities are a little more spartan, i.e., no laundry. We’ve gone to Tubby’s Tank House restaurant everytime. Good food and a lively spot. Very short walk from Bahia Bleu and about half mile from Hinckley Tom Callan o/b Great Escape 53 DeFever POC
If you want to take a cab to Savannah, we recommend staying in Thunderbolt (we use Hinckley for price even though it is not as nice as other marinas there – it is a boat yard), but the cab ride to town is shorter, therefore cheaper. Also, docking at HInckley is a breezeThe bus from Isle of Hope to downtown is ok, but you have to make a transfer and it therefore takes some time. John Winter
By telephone we contacted 7 reputable boat yards including 2 in Florida where we had hauled in prevous years for quotations. For a fair comparison we reduced each quote to a $ per foot cost. The quotation from Hinkley Yacht Services in Thunderbolt GA came right in the middle of our tabulation. After several discussions with Gebel Seese , Hinkley Service Manager, {Contact: {912} 629 2400 } it became apparent to us that Hinkley offerred the best possible value consistent with top quality materials and skilled labor. We found the Sea Hawk web site informative and following Gebel Seese advise we specified Sea Hawk, Tropikote, based on proven longevity and effectiveness of anti fouling properties. Further, via Sea Hawks appointed applicators a written guarrantee is issued which appealed to Jean and I. Haul out day saw LILY MARIA in the slings for a full 8 hours while she was scraped,pressure washed and lightly sanded. Of special note,the running gear and scoops were restored to bare metal by the addition of a small amount of silicone sand added to the pressure wash water.This coupled with the extensive work undertaken the prevous year at the Chesapeake Marine Railway has restored the bottom of LILY MARIA to a clean fair surface. As one interested bystander said “Your 35 year old boat now has the bottom of a 4 year old”. We especially appreciated the care and hard work in prepping the bottom on which the finished job would depend. Metal primed, 2 coats of Tropikote applied with 3 on the waterline and LILY MARIA was ready to be launched within 5 working days. Durring the haul out we lived aboard with minimal inconveience. Hinkley provides good clean shoreside facilities adjascent to the work area. The work areas are tidy, well organized and the work scheduled so the job progresses without interruption. The labor force,many of whom worked at the old Palmer Johnson yard, are experienced, skilled craftsmen and proud to carry on the the quality work that Hinkley is renowned for. This full service yard maintains many boats that are not Hinkley built and despite there insistance on customer service and quality there priceing is most competitive.Hinkley is not a do it your self yard. We are extremly satisfied with our Hinkley experience which was beyond our expectations. The job was completed on time, within budget and to a high standard. On the run south we have noted at least a 1.25 increse in speed at cruising RPM plus resultant fuel savings. Jean sums it up best of all by saying “the only problem I see with Hinkley is that we now have no choice but to return for all future haul outs!! Colin Day Jean Henderson
Personally we had very good results from the Hinckley yard that is just south of Savannah. Prices were very reasonable, they work fast and they know what they are doing. David
I can highly and strongly recommend Hinckley Yacht Services, about a mile north of Thunderbolt (suburb of Savannah, GA). They are a full service yard with some of the best marine service staff I have ever seen. They also have a storage yard and 35 ton lift. Their work is not cheap, but reasonable for the results. In spite of what is written in some guidebooks, they do offer transient berthing, but they aren’t very close to shopping. Neither is Thunderbolt. There is a bus line about 3/4 mile away. Check them out at http://www.hinckleyyachts.com Bill
Subject: Hinckley Yacht Services, Cruising News: We just had a long list of repairs and improvements done to our vessel, Docker’s Inn, at Hinckley Yacht Services in Thunderbolt, GA. All the work that we had done was first rate, including the rebuilding of our aft deck wet bar/storage area, which was a major project that our “normal” mechanic at Hilton Head abandoned. Mike Pranschke, the service operations manager, was very accommodating and professional and had good ideas for fixing that which needed repair. In the end, we had a list of over 30 items that needed work and which we could not get done on Hilton Head. The folks at Hinckley can do just about anything, including major refits to very large vessels. The only critique I would have is that they seem to be a bit overbooked, which leads to delays in completing the work on time. All in all, it was a very satisfying experience, and I would return. Ken & Sharon Vogel M/V Docker’s Inn
After a recent electrical fire on board Life’s2Short I wanted to take a moment to thank the crew @ Hinckley Yacht Works in Savannah (Thunderbolt) GA. It’s so refreshing not to hear “Hmmmm, never seen this before?” from a mechanic when they step on board. The guys (Tim & Michele) who helped me rewire a number of items that got fried were fast, very knowlegeable & professional! I would highly recommend Hinckley to those of you who might need assistance as you travel the ICW! I would also suggest to those of you who have a davit motor to check and make sure that it has some type of fuse or breaker in-line, ours did not. What happened was that over years of use the wire on the control box of the davit motor wore through, shorted itself out on the crane and melted the wire and every other wire that was touching it as it passed along 30′ of chase. It’s quite scary when you’re anchored out enjoying the evening on the sundeck and all of a sudden your smoke alarm goes off. You then open the salon door and can’t see 3′ in front of you because of all the smoke rolling through your home! However no one was hurt (physically) and we were able to head back south to Hinckley under our own power. Just thinking about this has made me thirsty, anybody for a Bloody Mary? Brenda & Todd Lanning M/V Life’s2Short
I too heartily agree with Bill and his recommendation for Hinckley Yacht Services. We were at Hinckley off & on this past summer. We left Life’s2Short there for 5 weeks when we went back to MO to visit friends & family. We also had to return back to Hinckley after heading north when we had an elcectrical fire on board just south of Hilton Head. The guys in the yard are outstanding and really know their business!! I never met Dustin when I was there but you can call Mike Pranschke @ 912-629-2400, Mike is the Service Operations Manager. We also found that Hinckley had the best in-the-water transient rate of anyone in the Savannah area. Note that the tides are between 8 & 10 foot in that area, plan your approach at slack tide if at all possible, high slack tide if they are going to put you on the inside of the face dock!! Hinckley is not a true marina when it comes to all the bells and whistles a transient might need but they have clean showers and a great crew to support your mechanical needs!! Tell them Life’s2Short sent you. Brenda & Todd Lanning M/V Life’s2Short
Reviews from Cruisers (10)
You don’t always get what you pay for! With such great reviews we decided to use Hinckley to paint our boat. Expensive, but good, right? WRONG. We got a bid to have our 49 Hylas to have our yacht painted in Awlgrip in January 2016. We have used Awlgrip paint before and found it to be durable, easy to clean and long lasting. A few weeks after we got the bid to paint the topsides in Awlgrip by Brian the manager, we were handed off to Chuck to coordinate the work we needed done. Then came the hard sell (emails and phone calls) from Chuck to use Imron paint. Imron paint is cheaper than Awlgrip and in hindsight we felt that was the reason for the big push to use Imron. Although we loved Awlgrip we decided the “professionals” knew better and so we went with their product Imron. We felt that on every step Hinkley pushed us to do more and more work we felt unnecessary. It always started with “at Hinckley we do it this way because it’s the best”. They faired the transom and built it up with a compound to fix a few dings. We were not in Florida when the work was done which was Big mistake. When we arrived in late January the first issues started. First issue was we had covered our boat to protect the deck from the harsh Florida weather .We always do this when leaving our boat in storage. Hinckley removed it when they stepped the mast right after we left and never replaced as they deemed it unnecessary. We reminded them to put it back on after the mast was stepped and were assured they would do so. When we returned the deck needed to be waxed and the sun had damaged fabrics in the boat and other damage from being uncovered and unattended. Next we track down the edges! had new signs put on the boat. When I showed Chuck that they were peeling, he suggested a little clear nail polish on the edges to keep them from peeling off! I was starting to regret using Hinckley.
Most worrisome was the paint job. The Imron just wasn’t the right type of paint for a sailboat that actually gets used. This became apparent a few months later. We sailed from Hinckley directly to the Bahamas and Cuba for 4 months. The boat was only in a marina once where it was rinsed down and washed. It was there we noticed that salt had etched the paint. When we returned to Hinckley five months after the initial painting we had to haul the boat and they had to use an acid to remove the salt. Even the yard and paint distributor said they had never seen anything like it. Never in 25,000 miles of sailing with Awlgrip had we ever used anything but Awlgrip wash to clean our boat of salt residue. It always looked great. Next issue was discovered by the guys who polished the boa. He t noticed small cracks all over the transom. Brian tried to explain it as fiberglass from under the bonding they used was suddenly erupting through the paint. Riduculous? Of course. But our choice was to stay in Florida and haggle with Hinckley or just consider this a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. We realized we would never be satisfied and left. We are currently in Europe and have now noticed that everything scratches this paint. Mooring lines that rub remove the paint down to the primer. Bumpers rubbing wear off the paint, a small bump on a plastic dock scratches. Even my finger nail can scratch through the paint! Two professional painters here in Europe laughed at their explanation on why the transom had cracks. Both explained it was too much compound used and the compound was cracking underneath. This of course makes more sense. I will say that Hinckley did reimburse me the costs of the signs. Lessons learned .Never would I recommend Imron paint and never would I recommend Hinckley Boat yard
Have stayed in Thunderbolt several times this Spring. Once at Morningstar Bahia Bleu and twice at Hinckley Yacht Services. Stayed on the facing docks at both marinas. Plenty of water and easy approach. Bahia Bleu is a “real” marina and has some nice facilities, although the bathrooms/laundry are all on the 2nd deck of the building. Hinckley is a boatyard (wonderful boatyard by the way) so facilities are a little more spartan, i.e., no laundry. We’ve gone to Tubby’s Tank House restaurant everytime. Good food and a lively spot. Very short walk from Bahia Bleu and about half mile from Hinckley
Tom Callan
o/b Great Escape
53 DeFever POC
If you want to take a cab to Savannah, we recommend staying in Thunderbolt (we use Hinckley for price even though it is not as nice as other marinas there – it is a boat yard), but the cab ride to town is shorter, therefore cheaper. Also, docking at HInckley is a breezeThe bus from Isle of Hope to downtown is ok, but you have to make a transfer and it therefore takes some time.
John Winter
By telephone we contacted 7 reputable boat yards including 2 in Florida where we had hauled in prevous years for quotations. For a fair comparison we reduced each quote to a $ per foot cost. The quotation from Hinkley Yacht Services in Thunderbolt GA came right in the middle of our tabulation. After several discussions with Gebel Seese , Hinkley Service Manager, {Contact: {912} 629 2400 } it became apparent to us that Hinkley offerred the best possible value consistent with top quality materials and skilled labor.
We found the Sea Hawk web site informative and following Gebel Seese advise we specified Sea Hawk, Tropikote, based on proven longevity and effectiveness of anti fouling properties. Further, via Sea Hawks appointed applicators a written guarrantee is issued which appealed to Jean and I.
Haul out day saw LILY MARIA in the slings for a full 8 hours while she was scraped,pressure washed and lightly sanded. Of special note,the running gear and scoops were restored to bare metal by the addition of a small amount of silicone sand added to the pressure wash water.This coupled with the extensive work undertaken the prevous year at the Chesapeake Marine Railway has restored the bottom of LILY MARIA to a clean fair surface. As one interested bystander said “Your 35 year old boat now has the bottom of a 4 year old”. We especially appreciated the care and hard work in prepping the bottom on which the finished job would depend.
Metal primed, 2 coats of Tropikote applied with 3 on the waterline and LILY MARIA was ready to be launched within 5 working days.
Durring the haul out we lived aboard with minimal inconveience. Hinkley provides good clean shoreside facilities adjascent to the work area. The work areas are tidy, well organized and the work scheduled so the job progresses without interruption.
The labor force,many of whom worked at the old Palmer Johnson yard, are experienced, skilled craftsmen and proud to carry on the the quality work that Hinkley is renowned for. This full service yard maintains many boats that are not Hinkley built and despite there insistance on customer service and quality there priceing is most competitive.Hinkley is not a do it your self yard.
We are extremly satisfied with our Hinkley experience which was beyond our expectations. The job was completed on time, within budget and to a high standard. On the run south we have noted at least a 1.25 increse in speed at cruising RPM plus resultant fuel savings.
Jean sums it up best of all by saying “the only problem I see with Hinkley is that we now have no choice but to return for all future haul outs!!
Colin Day
Jean Henderson
Personally we had very good results from the Hinckley yard that is just south of Savannah. Prices were very reasonable, they work fast and they know what they are doing.
David
Stayed in May 2011. Great cheap transient rates. Nice showers and cheap dockage.
Kerry Appleton
I can highly and strongly recommend Hinckley Yacht Services, about a mile north of Thunderbolt (suburb of Savannah, GA). They are a full service yard with some of the best marine service staff I have ever seen. They also have a storage yard and 35 ton lift. Their work is not cheap, but reasonable for the results. In spite of what is written in some guidebooks, they do offer transient berthing, but they aren’t very close to shopping. Neither is Thunderbolt. There is a bus line about 3/4 mile away. Check them out at http://www.hinckleyyachts.com
Bill
Subject: Hinckley Yacht Services,
Cruising News: We just had a long list of repairs and improvements done to our vessel, Docker’s Inn, at Hinckley Yacht Services in Thunderbolt, GA. All the work that we had done was first rate, including the rebuilding of our aft deck wet bar/storage area, which was a major project that our “normal” mechanic at Hilton Head abandoned. Mike Pranschke, the service operations manager, was very accommodating and professional and had good ideas for fixing that which needed repair. In the end, we had a list of over 30 items that needed work and which we could not get done on Hilton Head. The folks at Hinckley can do just about anything, including major refits to very large vessels. The only critique I would have is that they seem to be a bit overbooked, which leads to delays in completing the work on time. All in all, it was a very satisfying experience, and I would return.
Ken & Sharon Vogel
M/V Docker’s Inn
After a recent electrical fire on board Life’s2Short I wanted to take a moment to thank the crew @ Hinckley Yacht Works in Savannah (Thunderbolt) GA. It’s so refreshing not to hear “Hmmmm, never seen this before?” from a mechanic when they step on board. The guys (Tim & Michele) who helped me rewire a number of items that got fried were fast, very knowlegeable & professional! I would highly recommend Hinckley to those of you who might need assistance as you travel the ICW!
I would also suggest to those of you who have a davit motor to check and make sure that it has some type of fuse or breaker in-line, ours did not. What happened was that over years of use the wire on the control box of the davit motor wore through, shorted itself out on the crane and melted the wire and every other wire that was touching it as it passed along 30′ of chase.
It’s quite scary when you’re anchored out enjoying the evening on the sundeck and all of a sudden your smoke alarm goes off. You then open the salon door and can’t see 3′ in front of you because of all the smoke rolling through your home! However no one was hurt (physically) and we were able to head back south to Hinckley under our own power.
Just thinking about this has made me thirsty, anybody for a Bloody Mary?
Brenda & Todd Lanning
M/V Life’s2Short
I too heartily agree with Bill and his recommendation for Hinckley Yacht Services. We were at Hinckley off & on this past summer. We left Life’s2Short there for 5 weeks when we went back to MO to visit friends & family. We also had to return back to Hinckley after heading north when we had an elcectrical fire on board just south of Hilton Head. The guys in the yard are outstanding and really know their business!! I never met Dustin when I was there but you can call Mike Pranschke @ 912-629-2400, Mike is the Service Operations Manager. We also found that Hinckley had the best in-the-water transient rate of anyone in the Savannah area. Note that the tides are between 8 & 10 foot in that area, plan your approach at slack tide if at all possible, high slack tide if they are going to put you on the inside of the face dock!! Hinckley is not a true marina when it comes to all the bells and whistles a transient might need but they have clean showers and a great crew to support your
mechanical needs!! Tell them Life’s2Short sent you.
Brenda & Todd Lanning
M/V Life’s2Short