Hinterhoeller Nonsuch 36 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Ellis drew a boat that pairs traditional New England-looking topsides with a modern and 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 demand it, and the keel is an external lead casting carrying 6,500 pounds of ballast. Chocks run all the way around the deck bulwarks, bolted through a stainless steel cap rail with a vinyl insert. Later boats swapped teak handrails for stainless steel, a change owners seeking less upkeep tend to favor. Against a Catalina 36 of the same era the Nonsuch carries 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 — size and stability advantages that frame its composure at sea 8 inches more beam than a Catalina 36 of the same era.

Rig and Handling

The defining feature is the unstayed cat rig: a towering mast stepped in the bow, keel-stepped and dropped through a large deck hole, surrounded by an aluminum collar wedged with chocks and booted, then seated on a heavily reinforced aluminum base firmly attached to the keel. A windsurfer-like wishbone boom — its geometry inspired by board rigs and proven for big boats by Garry Hoyt's Freedom line and 19th-century Herreshoff designs — holds a single 742-square-foot sail. The boom's natural pull is down and forward, removing any need for a vang; a single choker line counters the forward bias and flattens the sail. Five jacklines slung between boom sides cradle the loose-footed sail when dropped. With no jib or jib sheets, the only line demanding attention is the 100-foot mainsheet routed to a cockpit winch near the helm. A highly tapered mast top flexes to spill breeze as wind builds. Test sailors found her making 5.7 knots upwind in 13 knots apparent under 30 degrees, 7.46 knots on a close reach in 19, and one owner has logged 9.1 on a beam reach in 17. She sails remarkably flat, steers light, picks up speed quickly when trimmed, and is forgiving enough not to betray a casual hand. Ellis advises reefing by rudder feel rather than heel — "reef when you feel the rudder dragging."

Accommodations

Below, the companionway drops nearly to the cabin sole via a four-step ladder into a huge interior planned for extended cruising. A large engine room behind the ladder runs under the cockpit sole almost to the stern. To port sit a spacious lazarette, wet locker, navigation table, and a standing-headroom head with separate shower; to starboard are a commodious quarter berth and an aft-facing U-shaped galley. The open saloon offers U-shaped seating around a six-person table to port and a long settee to starboard, while the forward stateroom holds a double berth to port with counter and sink to starboard. The cabintop runs over half the hull length, highly crowned and stopping just shy of the mast. Owners report 10 Atkins and Hoyle opening ports, four large hatches, four Dorade vents, and two solar fans for ventilation. The cockpit itself is relatively small — comfortable for four, tight beyond six.

Known Issues

The rig is very sturdy, but unusual enough that riggers who understand and can maintain it are rare and valuable. A buyer or owner should plan specialist care for the unstayed wishbone system rather than assuming any yard can service it.

The Verdict

The Nonsuch 36 distills Ellis's live-aboard vision into a single-sail boat that is genuinely easy to handle yet substantial enough for coastal range. Its unstayed wishbone cat rig removes the foredeck chore of headsails entirely, and the beamy, balsa-cored hull with lead fin keel gives a seakindly, flat-sailing platform. The trade is a small cockpit and a rig that demands rare expertise to keep tuned.

Pros