Express Yachts constructed the first two boats under the name Nighthawks before the company folded. Hinterhoeller took over the remainder of the production run, with roughly 70 boats built from 1983 to 1990.
Design and Construction
The Nonsuch 36 combines traditional New England-style topsides with a modern, efficient underbody. It carries virtually no overhangs—only 2.5 feet in total on a 36-foot overall length—with full ends in plan view. A strong sheer line is topped by a complementary cabin trunk.
Compared with a Catalina 36 of the same era, the Nonsuch 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. Its beam-to-length ratio is 2.84, and its displacement-to-length ratio is 197.
The hull and deck are fiberglass over balsa core, with extra reinforcement where the deck requires it. The keel is an external lead casting: a medium-aspect fixed fin drawing 5.5 feet.
Chocks are incorporated into the deck bulwarks around the entire boat. The bulwarks are bolted to the hull through a stainless steel cap rail with a vinyl insert. Later boats replaced teak handrails with stainless steel, a change preferred by owners looking to reduce maintenance.
Rig and Handling
The Nonsuch 36’s defining feature is its unstayed wishbone rig. A single huge sail is set on a towering, unstayed mast positioned in the bow, with a wishbone boom resembling those used on windsurfers. The concept was inspired by windsurfing-board rigs and had been proven on larger boats by Garry Hoyt’s Freedom line, as well as by 19th-century Herreshoff designs.
The keel-stepped mast passes through a large opening in the deck. An aluminum collar surrounds it, wedged in place with chocks and covered by a mast boot. At its foot, the mast sits on a heavily reinforced aluminum base firmly attached to the keel.
A topping lift aft, angled about 20 degrees forward, and fixed lines at the mast support the boom. The boom’s natural pull is downward and forward, eliminating the need for a vang. A single choker line counters that forward force and flattens the sail. Five jacklines form a cradle to hold the loose-footed sail when it’s dropped.
With no jib or jib sheets, the only demanding control is the 100-foot mainsheet. It runs through two-part blocks and a turning block to a cockpit winch near the helm. The mast’s highly tapered upper section flexes to spill air as the wind builds.
Ellis recommends judging when to reef by rudder feel rather than heel. His advice is to reef when the rudder begins to drag.
Performance Under Sail
The Nonsuch 36 sails remarkably flat, with a seakindly motion, light steering, and a responsive character. When well trimmed, it picks up speed quickly. It is also forgiving and doesn’t draw attention to itself.
Test sailors recorded one boat making 5.7 knots upwind in 13 knots apparent at under 30 degrees. Another logged 7.46 knots on a close reach in 19 knots apparent, while one owner reported 9.1 knots on a beam reach in 17 knots. The theoretical hull speed is 7.78 knots, 0.4 faster than that of the Catalina 36.
Cockpit and Interior
The cockpit is relatively small. It’s comfortable for four and perhaps six, but becomes crowded beyond that. The highly crowned cabintop extends over more than half the boat’s length and stops just short of the bow-mounted mast.
The companionway drops almost to the cabin sole, with a four-step ladder leading into a huge interior. Behind the ladder, a large engine room runs beneath the cockpit sole nearly to the stern. Alongside it are a spacious lazarette, wet locker, and navigation table to port, with a commodious quarter berth to starboard.
The head, next to port, has standing headroom and a separate shower. An aft-facing U-shaped galley is to starboard. The open saloon has U-shaped seating around a table for six to port and a long settee to starboard. In the forward stateroom, a double berth is to port and a counter with sink is to starboard.
Owners report 10 Atkins and Hoyle opening portlights, four large hatches, four Dorade vents, and two solar fans. Original tankage was 49 gallons diesel, 112 fresh water, and 45 waste, with 52-horsepower Westerbeke diesels.
Known Issues and Ownership
The rig is very sturdy, but it’s unusual enough that riggers who understand and can maintain it are rare and valuable. That’s a real consideration for any owner without suitable local expertise.
Otherwise, the boat’s simplicity serves the cruiser well. Later hulls with stainless steel handrails also require less upkeep.
The Verdict
The Nonsuch 36 distills Ellis’s emphasis on simplicity into a genuinely seakindly, easy-to-handle coastal cruiser. Its voluminous interior and single-sail rig suit long-range living and short-handed sailing alike. It has few quirks, but maintaining its unusual rig depends on specialist knowledge.
Pros
- Unstayed wishbone cat rig provides exceptionally easy handling, with no jib to trim
- Huge, live-aboard-grade interior with a separate shower and forward stateroom
- Seakindly motion and flat sailing, with a hull speed near 7.8 knots
- Later stainless steel handrails reduce maintenance
Cons
- Small cockpit for larger crews
- Unusual rig requires rare, specialized riggers for service
