Nonsuch (sailboat)

This article is about the line of cat-rigged sailboats. For other uses of the word "nonsuch", see Nonsuch.

A Nonsuch 30 Under Sail

The Nonsuch line of catboats is a series of popular crusing sailboats built between 1978 and the mid-1990s by Hinterhoeller in St. Catherines, Ontario. They are renowned for their rugged construction and ease of handling.

History

In the mid-1970s, Gordon Fisher, a respected Canadian sailor, comissioned designer Mark Ellis to create a design for a cruising sailboat which would have decent accommodations, but still be easy for a singlehander to manage. Ellis designed a Lundstrom-type rig modified with a wishbone boom, on a modern hull with a plumb bow, fin keel and balanced rudder.

George Hinterhoeller, after some initial reservations about the design, agreed to build the boats, and the first 30' Nonsuch rolled out of his shop in the Summer of 1978. By the time Hinterhoeller closed its doors, in January 1996, a total of 975 of these boats had been built.

The original 30' design was modified in 1984 with a different cabin arrangement and called the Ultra. Additional designs were added, in 22, 26, 33 and 36 foot lengths. Most of the boats were built with an unstayed, two-piece aluminum mast and wishbone. In later boats this was replaced with a one-piece carbon fiber mast.

Today

Nonsuches are generally considered to be very sturdily built boats, which accounts for their high resale value. In fact, two Nonsuches, David Philpott's "Serenity", and Brian Shelley's "Saci IV" were abandoned at sea and found floating months later. Both boats were refurbished and are sailing today.

External Links

• What is a Nonsuch?: The International Nonsuch Association's description of the Nonsuch
• Nonsuch 30, Good Value for the Money: Paul Howard, Canadian Yachting