MANSET Southwest Harbor

44° 16.23’N 068° 18.44’W

4th ed. Cruising Guide page 308

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Charts: 13321, 13312, 13313, 13318

Chart Kit: 74, 23

Mount Desert region overview chart Harbor chart

MANSET is on the southern shore of Southwest Harbor. On this side of the harbor, the well known Hinckley yard provides a multitude of services for yachtsmen, although by land you will be a long way from the activities centered across the way.
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Call it a cult or call it a group of sailors who know they own the best boats in the world, Hinckley owners are a breed apart. Now well into its second half-century, the company was started by Henry Hinckley in 1932, building wooden boats including Sou’westers and Pilots. By the late 1940s, Hinckley had become the nation’s largest builder of cruising sailboats.
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Then came fiberglass. Hinckley was one of the first manufacturers to learn how to use the new material. Their first glass model, starting in 1959, was the classic Bermuda 40. Well over 200 of these comfortable, beamy centerboarders have been built, and the B40 is still in production.
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Henry Hinckley sold the company to Canadians in the late 1970s, but in 1983 it was purchased back by Shep McKenney and Bob Hinckley, Henry’s son. So the family tradition continues. The yard today limits production to 10 or 15 boats a year, including the B-40, the popular Sou’wester series, and, more recently, Talaria jet-powered picnic boats.
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Still on the leading edge of technology, Hinckey is building their hulls with a new resin infusion process. In addition to molding hulls, Hinckley fabricates all its own spars, electrical panels, and metal parts—everything except the engine—with the emphasis, always, on quality.
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Anchorages, Moorings. Hinckley has the first very long dock on the south side of the harbor, marked with a little gray building at the end. The yard maintains a large number of moorings, and dockage for boats to 100 feet. There is also plenty of room to anchor off the moored boats in 20 to 30 feet of water at low.
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The next dock to the west belongs to Manset Yacht Services. Their dockage is for water or loading only, but they do have rental moorings. The Manset town dock is west of Manset Yacht, with temporary tie-ups for boats to 45 feet, plus water and electricity.
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Getting Ashore. Take your dinghy in to the floats at Hinckley, Manset Yacht, or the Manset town dock. Hinckley has a launch service that responds to channel 9 or three toots.
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For the Boat. The Hinckley Company (Ch. 09 or 16; 207-244-5531; www.thehinckleyco.com). This major boatyard provides diesel, water, ice, pump-outs, and electricity at the floats with 10 feet alongside at low. Hinckley has a marine railway that can handle boats to 65 feet, a 20-ton crane, and a 70-ton lift, and they still are expanding their service facilities. Hull, rigging, electronics, metalworking, and engine repairs of all kinds can be made, or they can spray a new coat of gloss on your topsides. There is a well stocked ship’s store (244-2553).
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Manset Yacht Services (207-244-4040). Manset Yacht has rental moorings and water at their floats for transients. They haul with a 40-ton boatlift and can handle general repairs, and they are a dealer for J-boats. Their real specialty is storage, and lots of it, in a huge, heated indoor storage shed.
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Manset Town Dock (harbormaster, Ch. 09) allows limited tie-ups and has water and electricity.
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Fortune, Inc. (207-244-9104). This loft of the large Falmouth sailmaker is at Manset Yacht Services.
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Manset Dive Service (Ch. 09, 10, 16; 207-244-0469). Let’s hope you don’t need them.
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For the Crew. Showers, laundry, and a pay phone are right at the head of Hinckley’s dock, and the Moorings Restaurant (244-7070) is right next door. The XYZ Restaurant (244-5221), by the town dock, serves superb regional Mexican food.

1.07.05 Janet Strong, owner, writes:

FYI The Moorings Restaurant did not open last year- Not sure what their plans are for 2005.

The XYZ Restaurant has moved around the corner. We are walking distance from the Manset town dock, less than 10 minutes. The phone # is the same 207 244 5221. The new physical address is; end of Bennett Lane, off Rt., 102A (Rt. 102A runs parallel to Shore Rd.) We reopened in the NEW building late August 2004. Menu and owners remain the same.

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Walk south about a quarter of a mile from Hinckley to the Double J Grocery & Deli, at the intersection of Route 102 and look for their fresh-baked muffins. From Hinckley to the center of Southwest Harbor via the shore road (Route 102A and then 102), it is 1.7 miles. Or you can work up an appetite by rowing directly across the harbor.
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Things to do. Once you’ve picked up the jaw you dropped when you were walking around the Hinckley Yard, you might want to stroll over to the boatshop of Lee S. Wilbur, where perfection comes in the form of beautiful Downeast lobsterboat hulls, both for work and pleasure. His shop is across the street from Manset Yacht Services on Seawall Road.
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The free Island Explorer shuttle bus stops in Manset and can take you all over Mound Desert Island and Acadia.