A modern classic
At the 2025 Newport International Boat Show, one vessel quietly stole the spotlight. The Hinckley Picnic Boat 39, designed by Massachusetts naval architect Doug Zurn, took out Best New Boat Overall and Best New Powerboat Under 45ft. The awards reaffirmed Hinckley’s mastery of the Downeast aesthetic — that blend of elegant lines, practicality, and quiet confidence that has made these boats iconic for nearly three decades.
For New Zealanders, the idea of a “picnic boat” still feels novel. Locally, we’re more likely to call them weekenders or day cruisers, but the appeal is the same — a refined yet practical boat built for short coastal escapes, harbour cruising, and long lunches at anchor. The Picnic Boat 39 embodies that Kiwi ideal perfectly: beautifully detailed, quietly capable, and easy to handle whether you’re a lifelong sailor or a powerboater looking for something with soul.
Timeless form, modern function
Zurn describes the boat as “everything that makes boating special — timeless beauty, excellent performance, and the simple joy of sharing time on the water.” Those words could just as easily describe New Zealand’s boating lifestyle.
Behind the 39’s classic sheerline lies a thoroughly modern structure: lightweight composite construction, advanced jet propulsion, and fingertip joystick control. The result is a boat that’s both elegant and responsive, offering performance that belies its traditional look.
Before the first hull even touched the water, 25 units had already been sold, confirming that the market still loves boats that marry craftsmanship with technology.
The Palm Beach connection
The rise of the Hinckley Picnic Boat has inspired others, including Australia’s Palm Beach Motor Yachts, whose models such as the Palm Beach 45 reinterpret the Downeast-style launch with a modern twist. Where Hinckley draws from its Maine heritage, Palm Beach brings an Antipodean flavour — light, efficient hulls, hand-laid teak, and meticulous attention to detail.
Like Hinckley, Palm Beach builds boats designed for families and coastal cruising, but with a distinctly Southern Hemisphere sensibility. Both brands celebrate craftsmanship, performance, and simplicity — values that resonate strongly with New Zealand boaters who favour style and function in equal measure.
Palm Beach Motor Yachts marks 30 years at the Melbourne Boat Show
Dibley Yacht Design parallels
That same design philosophy has found fertile ground here in New Zealand. Dibley Yacht Design, for example, has embraced the Picnic Boat ethos with its locally built range, capturing the Kiwi preference for a large, social cockpit and seamless indoor–outdoor flow. As designer Kevin Dibley notes, New Zealanders spend far more time outside than their northern counterparts, so the focus is on cockpit living rather than interior accommodation — a design cue that distinguishes Kiwi picnic boats from their American cousins.
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A spirit that resonates
There’s a quiet kinship between Hinckley’s American artisans and New Zealand’s coastal designers. Both traditions value craftsmanship over excess and practical elegance over flash. Whether it’s a Hinckley carving across Narragansett Bay or a Palm Beach slipping out of the Bay of Islands, the essence is the same — boating as it should be: simple, beautiful, and shared with people who matter.
