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.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nonsuch 30. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 20 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 2 | $44,000 | — |
| Feb 25 | 1 | $54,900 | +24.8% |
| Apr 25 | 1 | $49,950 | -9.0% |
| May 25 | 2 | $50,750 | +1.6% |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $57,500 | +13.3% |
| Jul 25 | 4 | $28,500 | -50.4% |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $60,000 | +110.5% |
| Sep 25 | 14 | $47,750 | -20.4% |
| Oct 25 | 2 | $36,726 | -23.1% |
| Nov 25 | 4 | $36,900 | +0.5% |
| Dec 25 | 4 | $36,764 | -0.4% |
| Jan 26 | 6 | $36,211 | -1.5% |
| Feb 26 | 6 | $56,900 | +57.1% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $39,900 | -29.9% |
| Apr 26 | 5 | $39,000 | -2.3% |
| May 26 | 11 | $44,500 | +14.1% |
| Jun 26 | 10 | $44,700 | +0.4% |
| Jul 26 | 4 | $33,500 | -25.1% |
| Aug 26 | 9 | $54,900 | +63.9% |
| Sep 26 | 15 | $47,141 | -14.1% |
Where they're listed
Nonsuch 30 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 59 (77.6%), followed by Canada.
Country view
76 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $39,900 | 59 | 19 | 77.6% |
| Canada | $42,000 | 17 | 8 | 22.4% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonsuch 30You are here | — | $ 39,900 | 78 | 28 |
| CS Yachts 30 | 30' | $ 20,978 | 20 | 1 |
| Freedom Yachts 30 | 29.97' | $ 25,000 | 17 | 13 |
| Nonsuch Nonsuch 30 Classic | 30.33' | $ 34,000 | 16 | 6 |
| Kingfisher 30 | 30' | $ 33,085 | 16 | 5 |
| Victoria Victoria 30 | 29.67' | $ 26,497 | 15 | 6 |
| Nonsuch 33 | 33.42' | $ 66,264 | 12 | 4 |
| Sparkman & Stephens 30 | 30.5' | $ 52,682 | 6 | 1 |