PMY TESTED: HINCKLEY TALARIA 40

Pride of •

wners I While classic lines belie her high-tech

construction technique, there's no mistaking the Talaria 40's pedigree.

By Capt. Ken Kreisler

For those of you who don't know it, Shep McKenney is respon­

sible for Hinckley's latest jet boat, the 40-foot T a laria.

"I grew up around beautiful boats-Rybovich, Matthews,

Huckins," the former (1982 to 1997) co-owner of the Southwest Harbor, Maine-based Hinckley Company tells me. "We lived in

Virginia, and my grandfather had a 14-foot cypress skiff he'd

take me out on." But it was the Lyman lapstrake runa bout­

with her batten-style ribs and varnished mahogany interior and

transom contrasting with the sparkling white topsides and

graceful, upswept bow-his father gave him that most probably

planted the seed for the design.

DUling his tenure at Hinckley, McKenney and Haywood May,

president of Bass Harbor Marine, the Hinckley-owned service

yard, came up with the idea for a lobster-style runabout built on

the lines of many of the Downeast workboats plying their trade

in Southwest Harbor during the summer. "In particular we liked

the low, sleek profile and even-running attitude of the boats,"

McKinney recalls. The two figured that ifthey applied the latest

techniques in design and matelials, the boat they built would be

for superior to anything in her class, so they called in the well­

known naval architect Bruce King to draw the 36-foot Picnic

Boat. That boat, introduced in 1994, created a design phenom­

enon not seen since the hollowed-out log got its pointy end.

Opposite: Don't let her obvious Downeast lines fool you . Th e

Tala ria 40 uti lizes the latest in high-tech construction techniques.

Inset: While the helm stil l offers a traditional wheel , the JetStick

Oust behind the throttle controls) makes it just a bout obsolete.

The Talaria 40--so-named for the winged sandals worn on

the ankles ofthe mythical figure of Mercury, a.k.a. Hermes-is

the latest evolution of McKenney's vision and joins the progen­

itor 36 and big sister 44. And while the beauty of her lines, fine

joinerwork, and excellent fit and finish are evident, to me it is

her construction techniques that make the 40 special, just like

her siblings.

Construction of th 40 b gins with Hinckley's patented Dual­

Guard composite construction. The skin coat is chopped E-glass

mat and low-shrink, vinyle ter resin, while the outer skin be­

neath the skin coa t (hence the telm DuaIGuard), where no mat

is used, is DuPont Kevlar and E-glass. The core utilizes aircraft­

grade balsa and high-density foam, and the inner skin is 100

percentT-700 carbon fiber.

A;; with her sisterships, the resin is infused into this sandwich

by SCRIMP. This proprietary vacuum-bagging system fully sat­

urates the resin, virtually eliminates noxious emissions, creates a void-free structure, and according to Hinckley, results in a

vessel 14 percent lighter than similar-size boats built with tradi­

tional FRP construction techniques.

Each portion of th is com posite construction has a specific

purpose. The chopped E-glass, with its vinlyester resin, not only

protects against osmosis but also creates an exceptional outer

fini sh, something ea sily noticeable as I looked down the hull

from stem to stern . The Kevlor and E-glass combination provides

extra protection against impacts, such as those caused by errant

docking maneuvers-highly unlikely due to Hinckley's paten ted

JetStick technology. More about that later.

The balsa and foam core combination supplies stiffness and acoustic insulation, which is enhanced by SoundDown in the double-gasketed hatches, decking, and interior areas right up to the shaft. This was evident to me as I registered only 80 dB-A at WOT on my sound meter with the bock curtain open (65 dB-A is the level of normal conversation). That's for quieter than many open/express boots of her size and horsepower I've tested. Finally, the carbon fiber in the inner skin, with its excell ent

strength-to-weight ratio, supplies extra stiffness. While examining the areas housing the twin 420-hp Yan­

mars-o fl ip of a switch hydraulically raises the cockpit settees doubling as engine boxes-I noticed that the through-hulls fit­tings were Marelon boll valves and that every hose connection below the waterline was doub le-clamped. The space a lso afforded easy access to all critical engine maintenance areas.

According to Eric Champlin, Hinckley's South Florida sales manager (and who, ac­cording to his biography, has spent more time on Picnic Boots than anybody else in the company), the engine beds are lami­nates of carbon fiber, E-glass, and vinyl­ester resin over a high-density core. The thickness of those laminates on the tops

and sides measures some one-half inch. While her construction techniques are

certainly important features, it is her flaw­less finish and fine lines that make the Talaria 40 impressive to look at. She has

72 POWER & MOTORYACHT April 2002

stately curves and a flared bow reminiscent of her lobster boat ancestry. Her sheer is refined, and the tumblehome is nothing

less than dramatic. And her cabin tops are in perfect proportion. While her intelior is small for her LOA, it is nonetheless still

effective for her dayboat or long weekend purpose a nd, of course, reflects Hinckley quality. There's 6'1/." of headroom here,

and the overhead is cambered with satin-vamished cherry cross­members contrasted against gleaming white. The brightly fin­ished sole is of teak and tulipwood, and the forward V-berth, with slotted bulkheads, a llows a comfortable if somewhat close

space for two. Stowage is limited. There's a small locker to either side and four cubbies in the bulkhead for sma ll items. The compact galley to starboard has a space-saving refrigerator sunk in the countertop, stainless steel sink, and four-burner stovetop, while the head, with VacuFlush toilet and shower com­

portment, is to port. From here it's two steps up to the helm,

where I found unobstructed 360-deg ree views coUltesy of a three-piece windshield,

two large side windows, and, of course, that open cockpit, whether I was sitting in the Stidd helm choir to starboard or the matching one to port. Aft there are settees to either side, the port one having a hi-lo

Above: Fine woodwork is evide nt through­

out. Left : A Hinckley t echnicia n checks t he

many connections on the SCRIMP syst e m.

-;

~ -0 I

§ '" o ~ ~ I o ~ z o

1

Heavy insulation and double-gasketed hatches kee p th ings quiet.

table that converts it to a sleeper couch. There's additiona l

seating in the cockpit just abaft of the drop curtain, to either side

on engine boxes that double as settees, and at the transom.

The helm offers plenty of space for electronics and, to star­

board, the patented JetStick. If you get weak in the knees

maneuvering around the dock, this nifty gizmo will have you

tapped into your inner skipper once you get the hang of it. A twist to port or starboard produces near-instantaneous side-to­

side movement, while a push to either side activates the bow

thruster while vectoring the flow of water through the jet buckets

for surgically precise docking . There's even a hover mode for standing still. I know, I tried it.

I fou nd the Talaria 40 to be an exciting boat to drive and

noted a cruising speed of just under 30 knots. At that rate, with

her 340-gallon fuel capacity and 34.9-gph burn, m y test boat

had a 263-NM range. When I cut her back to a more leisurely

22.4 knots, I calculated a 353-NM range while she sipped 19.4

gph. She handles like a sports car, turns on a dime, and acceler­

ates without significant bow rise. Unfortunately my test day saw

calm winds a nd an easy seaway, and therefore I could not ascer­

tain her seakeeping abilities in deteriorated conditions. As far as

tracking is concerned, by utilizing the fine-tuning setting on the

JetStick control, J noticed little difficulty in keeping her straight

and tJUe.

The Ta laria 40 does not come cheap: $743,000 with a pair of

420-hp Yanmar diesel inboards coupled to Hamilton 322 water­

jets for what basica ll y is a day boat and, at best, a weekend

cruiser. But you get what you pay for, and with Hinckley that

includes a ll the quali ty and care that a semicustom builder can

put in to its product.

I can sum up my impressions of the Talaria 40 by referring to

something McKenney told me during a follow-up conversation

about the kind of people who buy this boat. "Owning a boat like this, with its looks and construction, sets its buyer apmt from

others because it's that spedal," he says. "Having a vessel like the

I PMY TESTED: HINCKLEY TALARIA 40

50 45 40

::2 35 = S 30

-= 25 <D 20 <D = 15 V)

10

5 / II' o

Base price: $743,000 with 2/ 420-hp 6lY2STE Yonmar diesel inboards ond 2/ Homilton 322 woterjets Optional power: N/A Standard equipment: 25,000'BTU Marine Air re­versIKycie A/ C; 35·lb. Delto onchor; Perko seo·woter stroiners; Rocor fuel·woter seporotors; fuel·tronsfer pump; 1 O-gol. sis Bolmar woter heoter; Grohe foucets; 35·gol. holding tonk w/Seolond mocerotor pump; 3/ 3,500-gph Rule bilge pumps; Forespor Marelon seococks ond through-hulls; 80ilmp Chorles bonery charger; Side Power bow thruster; Hinckley JetStick system SPE(IFICATIONS LOA: 40' 1" Beam: 12'5" Droit: 2'2" Weight: 26,000 Ibs. Fuel capacity: 340 gol. Water capacity: 100 gol. Test engines: 2/ 420-hp 6lYSTE Yonmar diesel inboards with Homilton 322 woterjets Transmissions: ZF IRM 301 Pl Ratio: 1.41 :1 Steering: Teleflex SeoStar hydroulic (ontrols: Mothers MicroCommonder w/ Hinckley JetStick system Optional equipment on test boat: 8·kW Fischer Pondo genset w/soundshield; electronics: Roy· marine ST60 TriDoto disploy, Furuno 1932 MK2 rodor w/ 41" open orroy, Northstor 962XD GPS/chortplot· ter, Stondard Horiz on Spectrum VHF, Robertson AP22 outopilot; Freedom 2500 w/link 2000 inverter

ACCElERATION CURVE

....... -./

V /

/ /

10 20 30 40 50

Time (seconds) Acceleration based on overage of 4 recipracol runs using Stolker ATS rador gun ond OceonPC loptop.

RPM MPH GPH MPG SM tiM DECIBELS (KNOTS) (IIMPG) RANGE RAIIGE

1800 13.7 (1l.9) 9.6 l.42 (l.24) 435 378 72 2000 16.4 (14 .3) 12.8 1.28 (1.ll) 392 341 74 2200 20.4 (1 7.7) 16.0 1.27 (1.11) 389 338 76 2400 25.8 (22.4) 19.4 1.33 (1.15) 406 353 77 2600 27.9 (24.3) 23.5 1.19 (l.03) 364 316 78 2800 29.6 (257) 28.4 l.04 (0.91) 319 277 79 3000 34.4 (29.9) 34 .9 0.99 (0.86) 302 263 79 3200 4l.6 (36.2) 41.7 1.00 (0.87) 306 266 80

Conditions: temperature: 72'; humidity: 85%; wind: S mph; seos: calm; load: 200 gal. fuel, 50 gal. water, 2 persons, 200 Ibs. geor. Speeds are two-way overages measured w/Stalker radar gun. GPH based on fuel curve supplied by Mostry Engine (enter. Ronge: 90% of odvertised fuel co po city. Oecibels meosured on A scole. 65 dB is the level of normal conversation.

Talana 40 just makes you fee l good." 0

The Hinckley Company ~ (207) 244-5531. Fax: (207) 244-

9833. www.thehinckleyco.com. Enter code xapy, Reader Service No. 274, at www.leadnet.com.

For additional photos, visit our Web site at powerandmotoryacht. com/webreatures_

Apri t 2002 POWER & MOTORYACHT 73