Niagara Yachts for Sale

Niagara is not a company. It is the cruising sailboat line of Hinterhoeller Yachts, the Ontario yard George Hinterhoeller restarted in 1977 after helping found C&C Yachts in 1969 and selling his shares in 1975. From a purpose built plant at St Catharines on Lake Ontario, Hinterhoeller built the Niagara 26, 31, 35 and 42 alongside the unstayed catboat rigged Nonsuch line, of which 975 were built. The Niagara 35 is the one that matters: drawn by Mark Ellis, shown at the Toronto boat show in 1978 and built until 1990, 260 hulls, a medium displacement fin keel sloop of 14,000 pounds with traditional looks, a heavy layup and a reputation as a coastal cruiser that will go offshore. Almost every boat listed as a Niagara is a 35.

Hinterhoeller closed in November 1995 and the trademarks lapsed in 1998, so there is no factory, no warranty and no parts department. In practice that matters less than it sounds, because these are simple boats: the deck hardware is off the shelf Canadian and American gear of the period and the Universal diesel is still supported. What a survey needs to cover is age, not build quality. Check the chainplates and their bedding, deck core around every fitting and stanchion base, the rudder and its bearings, the original tanks, and every hose and seacock, and expect the standing rigging and the engine to be due unless there is paperwork. These are Canadian built boats, so confirm US duty status and check that the boat has proper US documentation or state title before you get far, particularly on one that has stayed in Ontario. Prices sit below equivalent American boats of the same age and quality, which is the opportunity.