Texan Mike McVean on the Build and Delivery of his New Hinckley, Sunshine
Mike McVean, owner of Sunshine, a Hinckley Talaria 48 MKII, has a penchant for red. Whether piloting a jet, driving his Jeep through Dallas, or navigating open water, his vehicle of choice is finished in masculine pops of color. So, when he placed the order for Sunshine and collaborated with Newport Yacht Interiors on color palettes and fabric selections, naturally, red anchored the interior design inspiration. The result? A boat as stylish as it is powerful — Sunshine, like its captain, is sophisticated yet poised for play.
“I had a 38-footer for 10 years, which was fine, but it was a small fishing boat, and I couldn’t live on it,” says McVean. “I went to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and met the Hinckley team and discovered you could customize the interior of a Talaria 48 MKII, I was hooked.”
That freedom to personalize Sunshine closed the deal. “When I was shopping with other boat builders, I’d ask, ‘Can you make a small bedroom, a second bathroom?’ And the answer was no, in every case. I called and asked, ‘Could you build it just like I wanted inside?’ and they said yes.”
The build began in November 2019, and after delivery in April of this year, Sunshine has all the bells and whistles McVean desires. He explains, “I actually told the build team to drag their feet because I didn’t want to pick it up in Maine in November — too cold!” I wanted to wait until the warmer spring months, so I could take her on the water immediately. What blew me away was the hull number, 42. The fact there were only that many built in 11 years feels extremely special. I entertain a lot of my people — customers, friends, family, and extended family — so I wanted it to be great for entertaining and great for me to live on, and it turned out perfectly.”
An avid adventurist, McVean is quick to add that Sunshine will also allow him to slow down. “My favorite thing to do is fly to my boat and sit on it — relax, bring a couple good books, and not move.” He adds that Hinckley’s reputable service team was a big part of his purchase decision. “When I’m running my own boat and don’t have a captain, I can pull it into a Hinckley service location at any point anywhere along the east coast, and say, ‘Here are three things that I’d like to have done, and then put her in your heated warehouse. Then I’ll call you when I’m coming back, and I want you to put her back on the water, fill her with fuel. Hinckley does a 113-point check on it to make sure she’s all set — it’s such an easy experience for a boating operator.”
This summer, McVean has planned a months-long Sunshine debut, beginning with friends meeting him in June for a trip from the Maine service yard to New Hampshire. “We’ll travel to all the islands around Maine,” he says. “I’ve never been and want to learn more about boating in the area.”
With past boats, McVean would head straight for the Bahamas — one of his favorite places to tackle open seas. With Sunshine, he’s keen to keep the boat on the water versus storing her for winter. “I call it ‘Chasing 70’ — wherever it’s 70 degrees, that’s where the boat will be. And I’ll just keep going south. After picking her up in Maine, I’ll move her to New Hampshire, maybe Boston in June, then down to Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard in July. Next, Long Island in August and then Delaware and Chesapeake Bay in September. Maybe I’ll take her as far south as Savannah or Florida, where there are Hinckley service yards. Having said that, I told this loose plan to a couple of my buddies and they’re all like: ‘You’re gonna be in the Bahamas in no time, and you’re never gonna leave.’”
