Hinterhoeller Nonsuch 36 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Ellis combined traditional, New England-style topsides with a modern, efficient underbody, a plumb stem, and a vertical transom. The hull and deck are fiberglass over a balsa core, with localized deck reinforcement where loads require it. An external lead keel carries 6,500 pounds of ballast.

Chocks run around the full length of the deck bulwarks. They’re bolted through a stainless steel cap rail fitted with a vinyl insert. Later boats replaced the teak handrails with stainless steel, a change that owners looking to reduce upkeep tend to prefer.

The Nonsuch is a notably substantial 36-footer. Compared with a Catalina 36 of the same era, it has 8 inches more beam, 3 feet 6 inches more waterline, a full ton more displacement, a mast a dozen feet taller, and 188 square feet more sail area. Those advantages in size and stability help explain its composure at sea.

Rig, Sailing, and Handling

The boat’s defining feature is its unstayed cat rig. The towering, keel-stepped mast sits in the bow and passes through a large hole in the deck. An aluminum collar surrounds it, secured with chocks and covered by a boot. At its foot, the mast sits on a heavily reinforced aluminum base firmly attached to the keel.

A windsurfer-like wishbone boom carries the single 742-square-foot sail. Its geometry was inspired by board rigs, while Garry Hoyt’s Freedom line and 19th-century Herreshoff designs had already proved the concept on larger boats. The boom naturally pulls down and forward, eliminating the need for a vang. A single choker line counters that forward bias and flattens the sail. When the loose-footed sail is dropped, five jacklines slung between the sides of the boom cradle it.

With no jib or jib sheets, the only line demanding attention is the 100-foot mainsheet, which leads to a cockpit winch near the helm. The highly tapered masthead flexes as the wind builds, spilling breeze.

Test sailors recorded 5.7 knots upwind in 13 knots apparent at under 30 degrees, and 7.46 knots on a close reach in 19 knots. One owner has logged 9.1 knots on a beam reach in 17 knots. The Nonsuch sails remarkably flat, has light steering, and picks up speed quickly when properly trimmed. It’s also forgiving enough not to betray a casual hand.

Because the boat doesn’t heel much, Ellis advises judging when to reef by rudder feel rather than heel: “reef when you feel the rudder dragging.”

Cockpit and Accommodations

The cockpit is relatively small for a boat of this size. It’s comfortable for four people but becomes tight with more than six.

The four-step companionway ladder descends almost to the cabin sole, opening into a huge interior designed for extended cruising. A large engine room lies behind the ladder and runs beneath the cockpit sole almost to the stern.

To port are a spacious lazarette, wet locker, navigation table, and a standing-headroom head with a separate shower. To starboard, the layout provides a commodious quarter berth and an aft-facing U-shaped galley.

The open saloon has U-shaped seating around a six-person table to port, with a long settee to starboard. In the forward stateroom, a double berth lies to port, opposite a counter and sink to starboard.

The highly crowned cabintop extends over more than half the hull’s length and stops just short of the mast. Owners report 10 Atkins and Hoyle opening ports, four large hatches, four Dorade vents, and two solar fans for ventilation.

Rig Maintenance

The rig is very sturdy, but it’s unusual enough that riggers who understand and can maintain it are both rare and valuable. Buyers and owners should plan on specialist care for the unstayed wishbone system rather than assuming that any yard can service it.

The Verdict

The Nonsuch 36 distills Ellis’s live-aboard vision into a genuinely easy-to-handle, single-sail boat with enough substance for coastal range. Its unstayed wishbone cat rig eliminates the foredeck work associated with headsails, while the beamy, balsa-cored hull and lead fin keel provide a seakindly, flat-sailing platform.

The trade-offs are a small cockpit and a specialized rig that requires rare expertise to keep properly tuned.

Pros