Design and Construction
The Sou'wester 51 has a solid fiberglass hull and a keel-and-centerboard configuration. With the board down, maximum draft is 11.09 feet; raised, it provides a shoal draft for thin-water access.
Her displacement-to-length ratio of 372.49 and comfort ratio of 48.29 describe a vessel built to carry a cruising payload without punishment. A capsize screening value of 1.60 reflects a hull form considered stable for offshore work.
Hinckley had moved fully to fiberglass by the late 1950s, and the Sou'wester line had already passed through earlier fiberglass iterations before this 51-foot design. By the time the Sou'wester 51 was first built in 1984, the yard was under the family-linked ownership established when Bob Hinckley repurchased it in partnership with Shepard McKenney in 1982.
McCurdy & Rhodes, which had previously worked with Hinckley on the 43, drew a masthead sloop on a lead-ballasted hull. The result is a purposeful ocean cruiser.
Rig and Handling
The masthead sloop rig carries a reported 1,240 square feet of sail area: a 583-square-foot mainsail and a 656-square-foot foretriangle. The mast stands 69.42 feet above the waterline.
A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.99 is moderate—enough to move the 44,000-pound hull with authority in a breeze without demanding extreme rig loads. The I measurement of 64.99 feet and J of 56.89 feet define a large foretriangle that drives the boat upwind, while the E measurement of 20.51 feet gives the main a powerful, roach-free footprint.
The centerboard is the defining element of the boat's handling. Lowered, it provides the lateral grip of a deep fin. Raised, it allows the hull to enter shoal coves beyond the reach of a fixed-keel 51-footer.
Accommodations
The authority documents used here don't itemize berth counts or joinery details for the Sou'wester 51. What they do establish is a 14.08-foot beam and a displacement of 44,000 pounds, giving McCurdy & Rhodes a voluminous hull in which to arrange the living space.
The comfort ratio of 48.29 points to a platform that doesn't pitch and roll like a lighter vessel. The centerboard trunk necessarily takes up part of the accommodation footprint amidships, a trade-off accepted in return for flexible draft.
The Verdict
The Hinckley Sou'wester 51 is a thoughtfully conceived McCurdy & Rhodes cruiser. Its centerboard reconciles upwind performance with shoal-water freedom, while its heavy, solid-fiberglass hull has a reassuring stability profile.
She isn't a lightweight, and her moderate sail plan won't win buoy races against modern, flat-out designs. For a couple or family planning serious cruising, however, the numbers describe exactly the boat the specification sheet promises.
Pros
- Centerboard keel provides an 11.09-foot draft when lowered and shoal-water access when raised
- 44,000-pound displacement and 34.18 percent lead ballast support offshore stability
- Comfort ratio of 48.29 and capsize screening value of 1.60 indicate a seakindly hull
Cons
- Heavy displacement and a moderate sail-area-to-displacement ratio limit acceleration in light air
- Centerboard machinery adds maintenance and inspection demands not found on fixed-keel boats
