Hinckley 49 Ketch
Description
The Hinckley 49 Ketch is a timeless, center-cockpit cruising ketch designed by legendary builder Henry R. Hinckley himself, representing the pinnacle of early fiberglass craftsmanship from the renowned Hinckley Yachts of Southwest Harbor, Maine. Launched in the early 1970s, this shoal-draft blue water cruiser was Hinckley's personal vision for a family-friendly vessel capable of handling everything from Maine's foggy coasts to the Bahamas' shallows—prioritizing seaworthiness, comfort, and understated elegance over outright speed. With its robust construction, ketch rig for manageable sails, and versatile centerboard, the 49 Ketch excels as a long-range liveaboard or coastal explorer, often described by owners as "bulletproof" for offshore passages. Only 24 units were built between 1971 and 1976 (mostly ketches, with a few sloops), making it a rare gem today; many have logged tens of thousands of miles, including transatlantics and hurricane survivals.
Construction Details
| Designer | Henry R. Hinckley |
|---|---|
| Builder | Hinckley Yachts |
| Length | 49.000 ft |
| LOA | 49.000 ft |
| LWL | 40.420 ft |
| Beam | 13.420 ft |
| Displacement | 38000 lb |
| Ballast | 8000 lb |
| Max Draft | 10.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 5.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 49 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.80 ft |
| p | 40.70 ft |
| e | 15.83 ft |
| p2 | 27.38 ft |
| e2 | 10.20 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 ft | 18.80 ft | 40.70 ft | 15.83 ft | 27.38 ft | 10.20 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 40.7 ft - (12405 mm) |
| Foot | * 15.83 ft - (4825 mm) |
| Leech | * 43.02 ft - (13112 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 43.15 ft - (13152 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 329.472 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 41.98 ft - (12796 mm) |
| Foot | * 25.78 ft - (7858 mm) |
| Leech | * 35.33 ft - (10769 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.62 ft - (6590 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 453.85 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 49.86 ft - (15197 mm) |
| Foot | * 31.11 ft - (9482 mm) |
| Leech | * 46.3 ft - (14112 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 703.01 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 49.86 ft - (15197 mm) |
| Foot | * 32.56 ft - (9924 mm) |
| Leech | * 43.85 ft - (13365 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 28.2 ft - (8595 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9 ° |
| Area | * 702.98 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 49.86 ft - (15197 mm) |
| Foot | * 31.02 ft - (9455 mm) |
| Leech | * 45.87 ft - (13981 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1159.99 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.