nonsuch 30: weird or wonderful?

[coondogger]

Since I''m in the market for a boat, a friend of mine suggested a Nonsuch 30 because of its large cabin and easy handlling. I am, however, a little skeptical about the ease of handling a 540 square foot mainsail. Can anyone with experience with the Nonsuch offer any insight?

[gunnyman]

Have sailed on a friends a few times and was impressed with it''s abilities.The cabin is awesome!Rigging is very simple and one man can handle it with no problems.Good luck in your search.

[PaulBl]

Friends had one. They liked it sort of. The one complaint I heard most was it couldn''t point for anything and reducing sail was a hard.

It''s hard to say if it singlehands easier than a modern sloop with lines led aft.

[Jeff_H]

Very complicated question. They actually sail quite well in a pretty wide range of conditions. They point better than most people assume. In some ways they are a little easier to sail than a modern sloop as in turn the helm and tack, or turn the helm and jibe. Trim only one sail. On the other hand there are far more limitations on and fewer options for controlling sail shape.

All of that said, they do not sail as well as a boat that is more clearly oriented to be a performance cruiser, and if you care about performance they may not be the best choice. Also their extreme beam means that it can be hard to get a 30 foot slip that is wide enough and so you may end up renting a bigger slip than the 30 foot length would suggest. I also missed having the shrouds and backstay to use when moving around the boat, but then again you don''t need to go forward as often.

Jeff

[Johnrb]

Although I don''t have first hand experience with the Nonsuch 30 - here is a pretty good used boat review of them in Canadian Yachting.

http://www.cymagazine.ca/onlineExclusiveViewer.php?onlineExclusiveKeyword=6 0

[williamjchampion]

I just sailed on one the other night for the first time in a dozen years. My cousin, who owns it, normally races on Etchells and SC 70s, but wanted something his wife would sail on. Because the beam is so wide (and it carries it pretty much the whole way), the boat is remarkably spacious for a 30. Very easy to sail. We were scooting along a 7 kts in about 15 kts of breeze. They seem to have held their value very well over the years, particularly the fresh water boats. Dedicated following.

[coondogger]

Did anyone find the mainsail to be unmanageable in fresh breezes? Or difficult to hoist? Although everyone seems to concur that the boat is remarkably easy to sail, I must admit, I find a 540 square foot mainsail somewhat daunting, or even intimidating, even if it is the only sail on the boat. Does the mast flex spill wind as the designers claim?