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 Yachts in St. Catharines, Ontario. They are renowned for their rugged construction and ease of handling.

History

In the mid-1970s, Gordon Fisher, a respected Canadian sailor, commissioned 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. A wide beam and cambered house-top created a large interior with accommodation equal to a standard yacht several feet longer.

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. The Nonsuch class was named after the Nonsuch (ship), the first trading vessel of Hudson's Bay Company. That vessel was named after the Baroness Nonsuch (Barbara Palmer) of Nonsuch Park, Surrey, England, the most notorious mistress of King Charles the Second's, and mother to his only two natural sons. The Baroness also had a daughter Lady Barbara FitzRoy who was assumed to be the illegitimate daughter of John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough, and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1685.

The first 30 Nonsuch yachts rolled out of the Hinterhoeller shop in the summer of 1978. 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. By the time Hinterhoeller closed its doors, in January 1996, a total of 975 of these boats had been built:

   58 - 22's 
   258 - 26's 
   522 - 30's 
   67 - 33's 
   70 - 36's 

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. 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. This may help account for the rather high price of Nonsuch boats as compared to other contemporary designs.

Regional chapters of the International Nonsuch association (INA) are organized in Canada, the U.S. , the U.K. , and Europe, with the largest fleets on Lake Ontario, and the U.S. east seacoast.

As of January, 2007, Canadian yacht builder, Andy Wiggers of Wiggers Custom Yachts in Bowmanville, Ontario has acquired the molds for the Nonsuch line. Operating under licensing agreements with designer, Mark Ellis, Wiggers will build boats to order. One NONSUCH 33 has been delivered so far, with work on a second underway. Information can be obtatined from Harris & Ellis Yachts.

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
• Wiggers Custom Yachts:Link to builder
• Niagra Yacht Sales: Link to Brokerage