Experience with two Nonsuches.
Good Afternoon Gentlemen, To introduce myself, my name's Kristen Posey. My father bought a Nonsuch 26C, way back in 1984, when I was just a baby. I giggled from the quarterberth behind a leeboard and piles of rope and blankets with my even smaller brother till we were old enough to be in the cockpit and eventually on deck. We did and still do take her sailing on weekends, although haven't taken her for overnighters very often. Privately, my father and I have been out in rougher weather than we should have, on occasion, and found that the boat handles it better than the two of us do. My trust in the boat is absolute for those day and weekend excursions, and we have always had plans of more adventurous cruises for her. After college (Webb Institute of Naval Architecture--you could say the Nonsuch had an impact on me) I settled in Louisiana and became well acquainted of a bigger sister--an '87 Nonsuch 36. Not just any little Nonsuch 36, but one that's been tested pretty rigorously, completed a Transatlantic cruise for the America 500 back in 1992. By all accounts it was a trip not without incident or damage. However, both boat and crew certainly survived to tell about it. The boat now resides in Madisonville LA, and the owner and I have developed a symbiotic relationship--I spend plenty of time on the 36 and am allowed to sail her and overnight on her, in return for acting as primary caretaker for her. (He's developed a relationship with a new sloopy Mistress.) You might say it keeps me from feeling Homesick. I've spent some rough weather nights on her, tied up to the dock, and she has always come through well. She survived Katrina and Rita without so much as a complaint, beyond a few extra leaves on deck. She is not without her own personality, of course, but I think the overwhelming personality trait of all the Nonsuches must be that they're easy to sail, and they preferred getting sailed. When you get an inkling to reef, don't hesitate. It might just be my upbringing, but there are few boats I think I could enjoy being on, wether it's living on, daysailing on, sunbathing on, or hiding from storms in, than the Nonsuch. I'd be happy to take either of these boats on almost any kind of cruise, weather window permitting. I don't think I care to go across oceans in Any Boat except a cruise ship, though. (I've been on a supertanker in hurricanes off the coast of Australia, and it still wasn't a picnic on something that big. Granted, I was probably the only one who didn't get seasick.) My father often recalls a phone conversation he had with Hinterhoeller, back when they were setting up to get the new mast in the mid-80s. (There was a design change in the masts, and Hinterhoeller brought new masts to everyone. Someone else here knows more details, since I was too young to understand what a mast actually was at the time.) Dad had asked Hinterhoeller "How long would it take my old mast to fail?" "The old one? Oh, with average use, we were projecting 7 years." "Oh." (He was really surprised at the quality of people he was dealing with for them to be replacing the mast for him, masts being not cheap.) Dad went on to ask, "Well, how long should the boat ask." Hinterhoeller got a bit irritated with the question: "Listen, BUB, with any kind of care at all, 50 years." There are some books written by Nonsuch owners who have attempted Transatlantics before. They're honest and sincere books that explain the triumphs and the few resident weaknesses in the Nonsuch. There are weaknesses in any sailboat design out there. Now that I know some more about sailboat design, I spent part of my time during my masters degree checking certain design aspects of Dad's 26 against an Index put together for boats made to go way offshore and across oceans. While she did mediocre, the results did point to me that these Nonsuches really aren't meant to be doing Oceans--I mean, come on, I was testing the 26! While some of their weaknesses can be soothed or worked around, it's honestly not the primary mission they were designed for. I'm sure Mr. Ellis would willingly say that. And so, to prospective buyers, I suggest you plan out what you want in a boat, such as where you want to take it, what weather you expect, do you need shoal draft or is that not necessary, who will be with you, and what do they need to be happy? (A happy wife is often a happy boat, for those of you who aren't singlehanding.) If the Nonsuch meets your needs, then ask any of the very proud and happy owners (or caretakers) for a sail. They'd be happy to let you handle the foredeck, and you'll only take up a small percentage of their cockpit. If the high price of some of the Nonsuches for sale scares you, remember that these boats go for so much because of their high quality of manufacture, and that she will continute to retain her value for a long time. (At least 50 years, I suppose!) By the way, on the 36, there is just enough room, for a very lazy and very content person, to sit on a comfortable deck chair, prop their feet on the stainless bow pulpit or samson post, read a nice book, and drink a good margarita, on a nice sunny afternoon at the dock. I suspect the 30 and 33 may just have almost as much room as well. And I honestly don't get these boats with all these stays and shrouds. My boyfriend has one, and they're a pain to walk around. On another note, for those enthusiastic about all kinds of catboats, there's another discussion forum available at http://www.trailersailor/com. There is also a Catboat Association, which tends toward the more traditional, although there are a few Nonsuch owners involved. Their website is http://www.catboats.org. Let's hope winter ends quickly, Kristen S/V Kiddie Kat - Nonsuch 26C S/V Peryton - Nonsuch 36
Your 30C question started useful dialogue that clearly educated and illuminated a bunch of people. BTW, let's PLEASE try not fall into N and NS here if it can be avoided. When talking about C&Cs everyone knows what a 41 or 37R means. In a Nonsuch dicussion, I've never heard an owner say, "I own an NS 26C". They say, "I own a 26 Classic (26C)". It's also what the brochures and literature call these boats.