Design and Construction
The Nonsuch 33 carries the hallmarks of the Ellis cat-boat philosophy in a larger hull: a plumb stem, vertical transom, and a fixed fin keel beneath a 33.42-foot overall length on a 31.46-foot waterline. Displacement is 15,350 pounds with 6,050 pounds of lead ballast, a 39.4 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio that gives the boat a settled, purposeful feel for its size. The hull is built predominantly of fiberglass with a solid laminate in both hull and deck. At 12.5 feet of beam the section is broad, and the internally mounted spade rudder steered by a wheel places helm authority close to the center of the roomy cockpit.
Rig and Handling
The defining feature is the cat rig: an unstayed mast with a wishbone boom, a configuration that eliminates the web of standing and running rigging found on a sloop and reduces the boat to a single vast sail area of 669 square feet. The unstayed mast means no shrouds or headstay to trim around. Under power the design has been fitted with a variety of small diesel engines including the Japanese Yanmar 3JH2T-BE, the Universal M35, and the Volvo MD2040, driving a single wheel-steered rudder. On the race course the PHRF handicap averages 171 with a recorded low of 168, placing her among moderate performers in mixed cruiser fleets rather than an out-and-out racer.
Accommodations
The Nonsuch 33 does not follow a conventional sloop interior arrangement because the cat rig frees the foretriangle and centers the mast well forward, opening the main saloon to an uninterrupted beam. The vertical transom and 12.5-foot beam support a wide, open cabin trunk, and the plumb stem carries the hull volume to the bow. The 96 gallons of water and 40 gallons of diesel capacity indicate a cruising-minded interior rather than a daysailer, and the 25.6 comfort ratio suggests a stable platform at anchor and underway.
Ownership Notes
Production began in 1988 under Hinterhoeller Yachts, the builder that completed the bulk of the 67 hulls before Wiggers Custom Yachts took a few and eventually held the molds. The cat rig’s simplicity is the central ownership virtue: with no headstay or shrouds to inspect and a wishbone boom that manages the sail, the standing rigging survey is reduced to the mast step and the unstayed spar itself. The solid fiberglass hull and deck are straightforward to assess for a surveyor.
The Verdict
The Nonsuch 33 is a specialized cruiser for the sailor who values uncluttered decks and a single powerful sail over the flexibility of a headsail inventory. Ellis’s development of the Nonsuch 30 into this 33-foot hull produced a beamy, lead-ballasted cat boat with modest racing pretensions and a genuinely uncommon build count.
Pros
- Unstayed cat rig with wishbone boom simplifies deck layout and rig inspection
- Broad 12.5-foot beam and 96-gallon water capacity support comfortable cruising
- Solid fiberglass construction
Cons
- Only 67 built, limiting brokerage availability and spares familiarity
- Cat rig and PHRF average of 171 suit relaxed cruising more than spirited racing
- A few hulls by a second builder complicate production-history tracking
