Nonsuch 30 Sailboats for Sale

Mark Ellis Design/Gordon Fisher·1978 – 1989·~1,080 hulls·Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd.
Nonsuch 30 drawingBuilder drawing
Hull Type
Monohull · fin
Rig
Cat Rig
LOA
30.33' · 9.24 m
Disp.
10,500 lbs · 4,763 kg
First year
1978

The Nonsuch 30 is a finkeeled, spaderuddered boat with an unstayed wishbone cat rig, a configuration that set her apart from conventional sloops when Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd. launched the design in 1978. Conceived by former ocean racer Gordon Fisher and drawn by Mark Ellis, she was the created child of George Hinterhoeller, himself formerly president of C&C, and she remained in production until 1989 with just over a thousand hulls completed. Built in Canada and originally a Great Lakes phenomenon, she carried construction details that look very much like those of C&C boats, with good attention to finish detail and highquality, balsacored hull construction.

Market snapshot

Median asking · 12 mo
$39,900
Asking price · 76 listings
Recent listings · 90 d
25
76 tracked · 12 mo
3-month price trend
+18.4%
vs. 12-mo median
Countries with listings
2
United States (82.2%) · Canada (17.8%)

Recent Listings

51 for sale · showing 10 newest

Nonsuch 30 Buyer's Guide

Shopping the brokerage market for a Nonsuch 30 means looking at a distinctive Canadian cat-rigged cruiser built between 1978 and 1989, with a beam and waterline that mirror a much larger contemporary cruiser-racer. Her unstayed wishbone rig and balsa-cored construction make her a turnkey shorthanded coastal boat, but the used fleet carries the quirks of a design that prioritized simplicity over offshore hardening.

Layouts on the Used Market

The Nonsuch 30 came in Classic and Ultra interior generations, so buyers will see variation in belowdecks arrangement while the core plan holds: forward hanging lockers and storage, a port midships galley opposite the head, and quarterberths aft with a starboard double. A separate shower stall and seven opening ports define the volume-forward cabin. On deck, the large deep cockpit lacks a bridgedeck and sits well above the companionway, with three lockers including a propane lazarette. Cross-shopping a Freedom 30 is common for those weighing different cat-rig philosophies.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most Nonsuch 30s on the market carry autopilot, chartplotter, hot water, bimini, dodger, and electric winches as standard brokerage fit, meaning a buyer can expect self-steering and protected helm as delivered. Often-seen additions include heating, solar, air conditioning, and a short-handed setup that suits the boat's easy tacking nature. Less common owner upgrades run to radar, inverter, AIS, cockpit shower, and swim platform—nice-to-haves rather than baseline. For consequence, the power-and-energy cluster (solar with the often-seen heating or air conditioning) matters most for liveaboard plans, while canvas and sail-handling items like bimini and dodger protect the large cockpit that testers found glare-prone.

What to Inspect

The cockpit seats and coamings contain a surprisingly large number of sharply-radiused turns, and gelcoat cracks develop there earliest in the hull. Check the aluminum rudder quadrant stops for sharp edges that could cut into the exhaust line inside the cockpit lockers. Below the waterline, most through hulls use gate valves rather than seacocks, and drains and exhaust lines at the transom bottom have no valves—inspect these paths for flooding exposure.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Nonsuch 30 is typically found in the United States and Canada. For a buyer, the checklist is short: confirm the mast-step hardware and forward bulkheading are sound, budget for cockpit cushion thickness to see over the cabin, and plan to upgrade gate valves and transom drains to modern seacocks. A well-kept example rewards with effortless sailing and 36-foot interior comfort in a 30-foot slip.

Where they're listed

Nonsuch 30 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 60 (82.2%), followed by Canada.

Median ask by country
USD
Share of listings
Count · past 12 months

Country view

73 listings · 2 countries
CountryMedian askListings · 12 moActive · 90 dShare
United States$39,900602082.2%
Canada$44,61113317.8%

Comparable models

Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.

Similar boats to compare

8 similar designs
ModelLOAMedian askListings · 12 moActive · 90 d
Nonsuch 30You are here$ 39,9007625
CS Yachts 3030'$ 24,499275
Kingfisher 3030'$ 33,925174
Nonsuch Nonsuch 30 Classic30.33'$ 33,000167
Freedom Yachts 3029.97'$ 25,400146
Victoria Victoria 3029.67'$ 27,126144
Nonsuch 3333.42'$ 62,62894
Sparkman & Stephens 3030.5'$ 62,50080

Frequently asked questions

01How much does a used Nonsuch 30 cost?+
The median asking price for a used Nonsuch 30 over the past 12 months is $39,900. Prices vary by condition, year, equipment, and location.
02How many Nonsuch 30 sailboats are for sale?+
25 Nonsuch 30 listings have gone live in the last 90 days, and 76 have been tracked across the past 12 months.
03Are Nonsuch 30 prices going up or down?+
The median asking price for the Nonsuch 30 is up 18.4% over the last 3 months compared with the 12-month median.
04Where are Nonsuch 30 sailboats for sale?+
The top markets for used Nonsuch 30 listings over the past 12 months are United States (82.2%), Canada (17.8%).
05Do Nonsuch 30 listings get price reductions?+
About 15% of Nonsuch 30 listings have had a price reduction, with an average discount of 21.7% off the original ask. If a listing has been on the market for more than 90 days without a cut, the seller may not be in a hurry.
06What should I look at instead of a Nonsuch 30?+
Comparable models include CS Yachts 30, Kingfisher 30, Nonsuch Nonsuch 30 Classic. Use the comparison table above to check pricing and availability.