Brian:
It’s been quite a few years since I sold my Nonsuch 36, but I still rue that decision (caused by being too busy running my aviation charter company to get out sailing), and I have been shopping for another one in bristol condition for the past five years…but I am 80 now, and I fear that my sailing career is nearing its end.
Obviously, the longer and heavier the hull, the more seaworthy it will be if the basic hull design is sound. The Nonsuch is a remarkably sea-kindly and dry boat because of the deep freeboard and shape of the bow which casts wave spray outboard rather than allowing it to come straight back over the deck. Also, the Nonsuch sails best when fairly upright and not pinched; you’ll never bury the lee rail if you are sailing her properly.
My wife and I once sailed west from Martha’s Vineyard to Newport close-hauled and reefed into the teeth of a 45 knot gale that was the leading edge of a hurricane, and we both did the whole trip standing in the cockpit dry as a bone without any foul weather gear on! (We had a dodger but no bimini.)
Personally, I prefer the 36 over the 33 because the cockpit is at least 18” longer and the headroom below (at 7’ in the 36!) is slightly higher. (I am 6’5” so that is a definite plus for me.) The extra cockpit length in the 36 also provides the most storage room in the lazarette lockers below…a useful feature if you ever want to locate a water-maker or genset down there.
Also, we preferred the galley arrangement in the 36 over that of the smaller boats, especially if cooking while underway on longer passages.
Jim Eastland of Eastland Yachts in CT was the primary U.S. Importer of the Nonsuch for many years, and he personally loved the 33 for its spritely handling and good manners in a seaway. He actually won some big races in his Nonsuch 33 down at Antigua Race Week…beating the pants off quite a few larger conventional sloops.
The Nonsuch is a cinch to solo-sail other than when dropping the hook or picking up a mooring on a windy day which is more easily done with a spouse or fellow crew member aboard. Its secret to speed is the huge and well-shaped mainsail that, due to the wishbone boom and lack of main stays, can be let out 90 degrees or more for running downwind, although is some types of rolling seaway, the end of the boom can occasionally kiss a wave which is disconcerting but never fatal.
Just do a careful pre-purchase inspection and hire a licensed Surveyor before you commit. Most Nonsuches were build by Hinterhoeller up in St. Catherines, Canada, back in the ‘80’s more than 35 years ago, and in my experience, most owners delight in doing their own (penny-pinching) maintenance, so it’s rare these days to find one in bristol condition with brand-new sail, engine, and nav gear.
Some early boats had an osmotic hull blistering problem, but you’ll find more boats with spots of water intrusion into the balsa core of the decking with resulting (darker) soft spots in the deck. Often, you’ll find interior stains where water has leaked down the walls from small failures of the hull to deck joints. Lots of boats have major crazing in the plastic ports and hatches, engine gage cover, and binnacle cover. Some boats have leaks around the keel bolts, especially if they have ever run aground and stressed the keel.
The original electrical wiring was rather haphazard and disorganized; if you choose to upgrade the chart plotter, add an AIS unit, replace cabin lights with LED ones, or opt for vastly better new lithium iron phosphate batteries, you might want to have the overall wiring re-done, too. I can send you sample photos of all these problems if necessary.
Don’t let all this discourage you if you can find a well-maintained Nonsuch for sale…overall they are a magnificent sailboat and my personal favorite!
Barry Stott
Chadds Ford, PA
ebstott@aol.com