The newest Hinckley boatyard in Chesapeake Bay builds on a legacy of excellence—anchored by artisans like Jim Brighton, whose three decades of paint and varnish work remind us that every finish is as much about relationships as it is boats.
“We’re not only selling our expertise, but we’re fostering relationships,” Jim Brighton says matter-of-factly. This simple statement speaks volumes on why a Hinckley yard is exceptional: skill, stewardship, and a team who takes the time to get to know you and your boat.
From Cambridge, Maryland, Brighton was introduced to boats by his grandfather Jim Richardson (the famous Maryland Dove boat builder). His childhood, he says, was spent with “marsh mud between my toes.” He went away to study English, then returned to the Chesapeake Bay area, drawn to the yard not by nostalgia but by craft. He started where most do—unskilled on the paint crew—and soon discovered a natural calling in varnish and paint. “I was good at it,” he says humbly. Today, after nearly 30 years at Bachelor Point, he is the person boat owners seek out when they want a stellar finish that stands the test of time.
Devotion to detail is what makes Hinckley’s recent acquisition of Campbell’s Boatyard at Bachelor Point feel like an act of preservation rather than expansion. The initiative deepens Hinckley’s Chesapeake presence while keeping the Bachelor Point team, relationships, and craftsmanship intact. “Campbell’s has built something truly meaningful on the Eastern Shore—an environment rooted in skill, care, and integrity,” says Gavin McClintock, CEO of Hinckley. “This was more than a strategic acquisition—it’s the alignment of two companies that believe in doing things the right way, and in taking care of boaters the way they deserve.”
If you ask Brighton what project best captures that devotion, he doesn’t pick a trophy job. Rather, he recalls an owner’s Shannon power boat that came in for brightwork. Brighton spent the better part of a winter (and four months straight on the exterior varnish) to coax the wood back to life. The owner visited weekly, and there were no surprises throughout the collaborative effort. For Brighton, continuity of care mattered most.
“The craftsmen at this yard have fostered relationships with owners,” he adds. “It’s not just the owners speaking to management. As workers, we’ve been involved with the owners in a lot of large projects. There’s one customer we’ve had at Bachelor Point since I started working here nearly 30 years ago. I’ve painted their boat three times. That relationship aspect of the job is equally important to the skills involved to get the job done.”
A Team That’s Like Family
Continuity of care is also what Hinckley promised when it welcomed Campbell’s into the family: Keep the full team in place and give them access to Hinckley’s national service network and technical resources. With this, owners benefit from scale without losing the personal touch that has kept them loyal.
Working at Hinckley, Brighton says, feels like being part of a family. “We disagree and we love,” he quips—and that intimacy shows up in the work. Senior artisans mentor apprentices; paint crews swap tips on a mixing ratio; an owner and a painter speak directly about the next hundred hours of restorative work. Those conversations are the unseen structure of great ownership, not just a completed job.
“I’ve been here for nearly three decades, and many of my coworkers have been here equally as long. We are family, and the relationships built are really strong. The team, hands down, is why I’ve stayed at this yard.”
As for Hinckley, the Bachelor Point acquisition is an extension of a tradition. It’s putting more docks and more skilled hands in places where boats are loved as heirlooms. For Brighton, it means more room to mentor up-and-comers, plus opportunities to take on projects that don’t just change a boat’s appearance but restore its dignity. For owners, it’s reassurance: boats are known by name, and the person who signs off on the finish remembers the boat’s story.
There’s a privilege in that kind of work. As Brighton walks the Bachelor Point waterfront, he looks to a future that honors the past—one varnish stroke at a time. In a world of scale and speed, Hinckley exemplifies how legacy lives in the details, and how the brand remains true to what it was always meant to be: a place where craftsmanship, respect, and the love of the sea still matter the most.
