2021 Hunt 63

I walk the through the Hinckley yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and come face-to-face with the newcomer in the Hunt Ocean series—the 63. I walk up to the enormous swim platform and the oversized (if there is such a thing) American flag flapping playfully in the wind. The color of the hull catches my eye. A combination of teal and sky blue, it is, for a lack of better word, beautiful. Just a couple weeks before, I was going back and forth with Hinckley’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Scott Bryant, about the possibility of doing a virtual walk-through of the boat. ­Safer in these confusing times? Yes. The same thing as seeing the boat shine under a summer sun with your own eyes and feeling the bare teak beneath your feet? Not by a long shot.

We were practicing social distancing, so I opt to give myself a solo tour of the interior. This was a smart move in retrospect. As a journalist, you’re not supposed to ogle a new model in front of the builder, even if they can’t see your dropped jaw behind a mask.

The interior has a lot to like. Hinckley-level woodwork (Hinckley acquired Hunt in 2010) is everywhere you look. The boat at first glance looks like the perfect combination of modern motoryacht and classic commuter yacht. There’s plenty of elbow room for customization in this series, but hull number one has the galley down. There’s a lot to be said for the ever-popular galley up, but for me, being able to cook in private has its advantages (read: fewer witnesses). Directly across from the galley down is my favorite spot aboard. At first blush, it’s a second salon that again makes you think of classic commuter yachts. It’s a spot where you can escape the prying eyes dockside and read a book, watch a movie or steal a few minutes of shuteye.

If a couple extra guests decide to join your cruise—after a couple bottles from the built-in salon wine storage are polished off perhaps—this space converts to a stateroom in mere seconds. Pocket doors close the space off, and the settee converts into a berth plenty big enough for two, complete with access to the head.

This space would then be the third full stateroom aboard; there is a captain’s (or kid) cabin aft. If owners opt for the galley up, you have the option to add a fourth stateroom in its place below. And as someone who has spent plenty of nights on salon sofas, that space could easily be made to accommodate two more: 11 guests able to sleep aboard a 63-footer comfortably is no small feat.

The area aboard I’m most interested in inspecting is the engine room. Three years and a lifetime ago, I tested the Hunt 76 and was shocked in the best way possible by that space. I breathe a short sigh of relief when I realize the mechanical space in the 63 does not disappoint. Access to service points is, quite frankly, as good as it gets. Well-ventilated and ship-like, the engine room has walk-around access to the IPS 1350s, and access to the pods themselves—often hidden from sight and inspection—is excellent. —Daniel Harding Jr.

LOA 69’6”
Beam 18’0”
Draft 4’6”
Displ. 78,000 lbs.
Fuel 1,000 gal.

Water 300 gal.
Power 2/1,000-hp Volvo Penta IPS 1350
Cruise Speed 22 knots
Top Speed 32 knots
Price $4.4 million