Design and Construction
Ellis applied the unstayed catboat concept in a practical, efficient way, and Hinterhoeller built the 26 using a balsa-cored laminate construction technique rather than the solid glass seen in some earlier marque work. The hull carries 2,750 pounds of lead ballast against an 8,500-pound displacement, sits on a 10-foot 6-inch beam, and draws 4 feet 6 inches with a 3-foot 9-inch shallow-draft alternative available. The builder located the mast in the bow, separated from the interior by a bulkhead, which frees the entire forward cabin from the usual compression-post and chainplate clutter. The Nonsuch cats built by Hinterhoeller can be considered the standard for the type, and the 26 was aimed mainly at owners on Lake Ontario and Long Island Sound.
Rig and Handling
The boat’s defining feature is a freestanding mast carrying a single 420-square-foot sail on a wishbone boom, with no headsail and no sleeve-luff arrangement — the cloth collects on a track the way any ordinary mainsail does. Going to weather demands different technique than a sloop, yet test sailors found she tacked easily within 80 degrees and the large freestanding rudder was easy to control. The masthead stands 49 feet above the waterline, and the absence of standing rigging simplifies deck movement and shorthanded trim, since the crew merely adjusts the lines controlling the wishbone boom’s position.
Accommodations
Because the mast is forward of the living space, there is no need to turn the forward interior over to the standard V-berth configuration with its dark, cramped space. Instead a light panel slides up and locks in position to close off the forward part of the cabin from the aft end for sleeping. The head is very large for a 26-foot hull and enjoys the widest part of the beam and maximum headroom, situated opposite the galley; it allows optional pressurized hot water. A propane heater was fitted in the surveyed boat, and the twin 30-gallon water tanks give a generous 60-gallon capacity for the size.
The Verdict
The Nonsuch 26 Classic is a purpose-built small cruiser for sailors who value uncluttered decks, walk-through forward cabins, and a rig that one person can manage without touching a headsail. Ellis’s catboat formula yields a boat that is easy to tack close and steer, with a roomy head and an adaptable sleeping plan that avoids the confined bow berth of conventional 26-footers. The balsa-cored hull and modest draft keep her suited to sheltered-water and lake sailing, though the unstayed rig and catboat handling are an acquired taste for those raised on sloops.
Pros
- Unstayed wishbone rig with no headsail simplifies shorthanded sailing
- Forward mast bulkhead frees the cabin from a cramped V-berth
- Large head at the beam’s widest point with optional hot water
- Easy tacking within 80 degrees and responsive freestanding rudder
Cons
- Catboat handling to weather differs from a sloop and may not suit all
- Shallow-draft and lake-oriented design limits offshore ambition
