Nonsuch (sailboat)
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The Nonsuch line of catboats is a series of popular cruising sailboats built between 1978 and the mid-1990s by Hinterhoeller Yachts in St. Catharines, Ontario. They are popular in North America, with over 950 boats built. The Nonsuch class was named after the Nonsuch that was the first trading vessel of Hudson's Bay Company, which in turn was named after the Baroness Nonsuch (Barbara Palmer), a mistress of King Charles II of England.
| Model | Number Built |
|---|---|
| 22 | 58 |
| 26 | 258 |
| 30 | 522 |
| 33 | 67 |
| 36 | 70 |
| 40 | 6 |
| 324 | "a few" |
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.[2] Ellis designed a Ljungström rig, modified with a wishbone boom, on a 30-foot modern hull with a plumb bow, fin keel and balanced rudder. A beam of nearly 12 feet and cambered house-top created a large interior with accommodation equal to a standard yacht several feet longer.[3] George Hinterhoeller, after some initial reservations about the design, agreed to build the boats, and the first Nonsuch 30 rolled out of his shop in the summer of 1978.[4]
Additional models were created in 22, 26, 32, 33, 36 and 40 foot lengths, with the 26 and 30 both available in "Classic" and "Ultra" configurations. The original boats were built with an unstayed, two-piece aluminum mast and wishbone boom.[citation needed] In later years, under new ownership, the factory produced new versions of 3 of its models, all with shoal draft keels one-piece carbon fiber masts. By the time Hinterhoeller closed its doors in January 1996, a total of 975 Nonsuch boats had been built.[2]
Reviewer Steve Killing noted, "The Nonsuch series of cat-rigged sailboats was one of the success stories of the 1980s. The hulls that many thought to be "funny-looking" have now found acceptance".[5]
