George Hinterhoeller
The Man Behind the Yachts of Niagara
Will Kieffer
Niagara - 2024
As the era of wooden ships came to an end and the modern era of luxury and innovation through fiberglass began the 1940s marked a time of great development in the boating industry. The boating world was evolving in the decades leading up to the Second World War such evolution continued to develop throughout Canada, especially in Niagara-on-the-Lake where the Niagara Sailing Club was founded in 1934. The purchase of land for expansion of the sailing club in the 1950s and the implementation of permanent docks allowed for the continued growth of the sailing and yachting community within St. Catharines and the Niagara region. However, the growth of the Niagara Sailing Club was not the only movement within the Niagara region regarding sails and masts, this period was when a yacht builder from Mondsee, Austria, George Anton Hinterhoeller who is pictured in Figure 1, began his superior boat manufacturing journey on Canadian soil.1 Although the yachting industry within the Niagara Region developed after its counterparts in Hamilton which was founded in 1888 and Toronto which was founded in 1852; the rise of recreational sailing clubs at Niagara-on-the-Lake was prominent within the history of the Niagara region.2 The formation of the Cuthbertson and Cassian (C&C) company by George Cuthbertson and George Cassian in the 1960s, and later Hinterhoeller Yachts contributed to growing the sport. The development of many innovative, modern, and advanced yacht models from talented boat manufacturer and designer George Hinterhoeller changed the sailing community in Niagara drastically. Evidently, the increase in yachting and sailing popularity throughout Niagara could not have happened without Hinterhoeller himself.

Figure 1: Photograph of George Anton Hinterhoeller.
George Anton Hinterhoeller first emigrated to North America in 1952, where he entered the shipbuilding profession with Shepherd Boats in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a premier boatyard that manufactured motorized ships. However motorized boats were not Hinterhoeller's passion and thus he built sailboats in his spare time. It was this side-project that led to Sandy Edmison purchasing a Y-Flyer from him which was the boat he used to win the Canadian Sailing Championship. After this miraculous accomplishment, the boat building expert Hinterhoeller began his own company in 1963, Hinterhoeller Ltd., through which he built nearly 40 Y-Flyers before the market depleted.3 However, the two companies, C&C company and Hinterhoeller Ltd., later amalgamated with Belleville Marine Yard Ltd. and Bruckmann Manufacturing Ltd. to create the C&C Yachts Ltd.4 Under this newly founded company, they developed many of the sailing ship models that continue to be used today in modern races as well as for leisurely activities. Through the wholly owned corporation of C&C Yachts Ltd., the Hinterhoeller Ltd. was able to expand their ship manufacturing plant, mainly due to decreased production at the Belleville Marine Yard.5 Later that year, Hinterhoeller was promoted to president by the board when president Ian Morch stepped down from the role, however, Hinterhoeller was always a builder and was not pleased in the role of president, only lasting one year before returning to the workshop to get his hands dirty again.6 Eventually Hinterhoeller left the C&C company in 1975 and resurrected his independent company as Hinterhoeller Yachts, bringing several C&C employees with him to begin his next yacht building journey. Hinterhoeller ultimately hired Mark Ellis, an American naval architect, as the designer for his new company's catboats, The Niagara and The Nonsuch in 1977.7
In 1959 Hinterhoeller first proved his yacht building prowess when working on a personal project in Canada, The Teeter-Totter. The Teeter-Totter was a twenty-two-foot-long sloop that encompassed a flat bottom with a straight bow and a keel fin, making the ship very fast and very agile on the treacherous Canadian waters.8 This sloop ultimately became The Shark 24 after a few design changes by Hinterhoeller, which resulted in a newly found

Figure 2: The Shark class sailboat is used around the world. It was designed by George Hinterhoeller in NOTL.
desire for a fine yacht and the production of a new class of boats. Although The Shark 24 was originally produced of plywood, one customer asked for a fiberglass model of the sloop, which was then deemed the aquatic and sporting version of the Ford Model-T. Figure 2 depicts The Shark 24 taking on the open Canadian waters.9 It was the first of its kind to be manufactured using fiberglass, which is a much cheaper and immensely easier to maintain product, ultimately entering a new era of yacht production.10 Thus the old-ways of plywood production were quickly phased out as the emergence of fiberglass took over the boat building procedure. Today, The Shark 24 is produced worldwide, although mainly in Europe and specifically in Sweden and Austria, where Hinterhoeller first learned his trade.11 Evidently due to its tremendous speed and robust construction, many people continue to purchase the fibreglass Shark 24 ships, resulting in the ship's continuing popularity sixty years later.12 With several modern Regattas specifically for Shark model ships, such as the 2024 Homecomers Regatta at the Niagara-on-the-Lake sailing Club, the 2024 Golden Horseshoe Regatta at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and the 2024 Shark Trillium Regatta at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, and many others throughout Ontario, it is evident that the popularity and demand for competitive yachting continues to grow.13
Apart from The Shark 24, Hinterhoeller designed and commissioned several outstanding boats such as the Y-Flyers, Invader 36, and Redwing 30 and Redwing 35 prior to joining the C&C company.14 Hinterhoeller spent nearly 10 years with Cuthbertson and Cassian, before he ventured

Figure 3: Advertisement for a Limestone 24 boat.
onto his own company, the Hinterhoeller Yachts. While working at Hinterhoeller Yachts, he went on to develop the Nonsuch, the Niagara and the Limestone line of boats.15 One such boat line, the Limestone 24, was advertised to 'Demand attention through line and detail...' and 'performs with economy of effort brought forward by champions' which is true regarding the overall design and strength of such a vessel.16 The advertisement, pictured in Figure 3, is only one of many that praised the design, ingenuity, and overall prowess of Hinterhoeller's quality in production in not only the Limestone, but every yacht production he completed.17 This Limestone advertisement holds similar praises to the Shark 24, which the Royal Canadian Yacht Club comments on the Shark's durability, agility, and elegance among the yachting and sailing community.18 One Shark 24 owner and enthusiast mentioned how they travelled across the globe on the ship, ultimately entrusting the safety of his wife and child to Hinterhoeller's innovative yacht designs.
Hinterhoeller's designs and quality of manufacturing were very well revered, that even when Hinterhoeller Yachts went out of business in 1996, the Wiggers Custom Yachts company acquired many of the plans for the ships that Hinterhoeller Yachts produced, such as the Nonsuch, Shark, and the Niagara 35 and Niagara 42, which were continued through the acquisition in smaller-scale production. After Hinterhoeller ceased to design boats himself, his incredible designs and craftsmanship remained present in the continued reselling and use of Hinterhoeller produced yachts, even to the present day. The president of the broker company, Harris and Ellis Yachts, Dave Ellis, praised the high-quality design and craftsmanship of the original Hinterhoeller Nonsuch which had a traditional aesthetic with modern methods of production.19 Furthermore, Wiggers continued to produce and resell the favorable Nonsuch, while customizing the interior to fit customers needs, keeping the original quality manufacturing by Hinterhoeller the same throughout the ship, and adapting more economically affordable materials for certain aspects of the body, such as a carbon-fiber mast instead of the old and costly solid aluminum ones.20
Sadly, on March 18, 1999, George Anton Hinterhoeller passed away due to a heart attack.21 However, his contribution and legacy within the Canadian Sailboat Industry will likely never be forgotten. Although Hinterhoeller passed away in Niagara-on-the-Lake, his personal drawings and corporate files were donated to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston Ontario, where they will continue to remain safe and on display for all marine and sailing enthusiasts to view and adore.22 Although The Shark 24 drawings remain with the International Shark Class Association, it is hoped by enthusiasts of Hinterhoeller's work that the drawings will be brought together in the museum collection either or digital form. Hinterhoeller was inducted into the Legends of Ontario Sailing in 2011 based on his lifetime contributions and revolutionary designs which helped to transform the sailing community.
Hinterhoeller's legacy did not cease at his passing, as his son, Richard Hinterhoeller, continued his father's passion for sailing. Richard, who was raised surrounded by sailing due to his father's line of expertise, volunteered with World Sailing and other international marine groups and held the position of Race Director at the 2023 World Shark Championship that was hosted at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club that August.23 Richard commented during an interview that Nona Hinterhoeller, his mother, continued to receive royalty cheques from companies in Europe who produce Hinterhoeller's innovative designs.24 Although the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club is considered to be a newer club, Niagara has long been a key location to the sailing community, as part of the route for many Ontario regattas such as Hamilton and Toronto. Today, Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club hosts their own Regattas, encouraging Niagara residents to view experienced sailors taking on the harsh waters of Ontario, in many Hinterhoeller designed and manufactured vessels from the Niagara region and beyond.
George Anton Hinterhoeller played a major role in the development of the Niagara sailing and yachting industry throughout the region. With the timeless development of The Shark 24 line of sailing ships, followed by the cat-rigged Nonsuch and many others, Hinterhoeller was a master of his yacht building craft. Hinterhoeller's achievement in manufacturing the first boat to be made of the strong and durable fiberglass ultimately revolutionized the way sailing yachts are manufactured. The Shark sailing yacht was the first to revolutionize Great Lakes sailing, through fiberglass manufacturing, family friendly designs it ultimately became the first of the next generation of sailing boats that could handle the unpredictable Canadian waterways. The excitement surrounding Hinterhoeller's ship building prowess, and increased interest in sailing, pushed Niagara Region to become a community of sailing and yachting that helped the sport to grow larger than ever. The increased desire to sail alongside the subsequent economic success within the ship manufacturing industry led to the immense growth and expansion of the Niagara Sailing Club in the 1950s and 1960s and the founding of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club, which is pictured in Figure 4.25 Thus Hinterhoeller's continuous contribution to the sailing community throughout his life resulted in the growth of the sport of sailing in the Niagara Region and across the globe.

Figure 4: Aerial view map of the modern-day Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club (pictured in the red box) in 2023.
-
Rimmer, Mike. "George Hinterhoeller." Great Lakes Museum. Accessed November 17, 2023. ↩
-
Figure 1. "George Hinterhoeller: 1928-1999." Photograph. Sail Boat Data. Accessed 2024. ↩
-
Spurr, Dan. "C&C - Then, C&C - Now." Professional BoatBuilder no. No. 92. Accessed January 27, 2024. ↩
-
Spurr, Dan. "The History of C&C Yachts." Good Ole Boat: Still Sailing After All These Years. Accessed November 16, 2023. ↩
-
Spurr, Dan. "The History of C&C Yachts." ↩
-
Spurr, Dan. "The History of C&C Yachts." ↩
-
Spurr, Dan. "The Nonsuch 30 Man." Good Old Boat, 2003. ↩
-
Coutts, Ian. \"CY Profile: George Anton Hinterhoeller.\" Canadian Yachting, 1999, 12, ↩
-
Figure 2. "The Shark class sailboat is used around the world. It was designed by George Hinterhoeller in NOTL." 2022. Photograph. Niagara Now. ↩
-
Coutts, Ian. \"CY Profile: George Anton Hinterhoeller.\" ↩
-
"RCYC Models: Panel 11 - Royal Canadian Yacht Club." RCYC Models Panel 11 Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Accessed November 16, 2023. ↩
-
Slobodian, Somer. "Shark Sailboat, a NOTL-Born Creation, Star of Upcoming Sailing Competition." Niagara Now, August 17, 2023. And Lush, Bob. "Canadian Sailing Forum Jan 1978 Hinterhoeller." Sailing Forum, January 1978. ↩
-
"Regatta Schedule Canadian Shark Class Association Shark 24 Sailboat." Canadian Shark Class Association, January 2, 2024. ↩
-
"George Hinterhoeller." Kingston Yacht Club, n.d. ↩
-
"George Hinterhoeller." Kingston Yacht Club, n.d. ↩
-
Hinterhoeller Ltd., "Limestone 24: Less Is More." Canadian Yachting, December 1986. ↩
-
Figure 3. Hinterhoeller Ltd., "Limestone 24: Less Is More." Canadian Yachting, December 1986. ↩
-
"RCYC Models: Panel 11 - Royal Canadian Yacht Club." RCYC Models Panel 11 Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Accessed November 16, 2023. ↩
-
Macia, Xavier. \"The New Wiggers Nonsuch 33.\" Canadian Yachting, Spring, 2001, 20. ↩
-
Macia, Xavier. \"The New Wiggers Nonsuch 33.\" Canadian Yachting, Spring, 2001, 20. ↩
-
"In Memoriam of George Anton Hinterhoeller". cncphotoalbum.com. Accessed January 31, 2024. ↩
-
Rimmer, Mike. "George Hinterhoeller." Great Lakes Museum. Accessed November 17, 2023. ↩
-
Slobodian, Somer. "Shark Sailboat, a NOTL-Born Creation, Star of Upcoming Sailing Competition." Niagara Now. August 17, 2023. Accessed November 17, 2023. ↩
-
Slobodian, Somer. "Shark Sailboat, a NOTL-Born Creation, Star of Upcoming Sailing Competition." Niagara Now. August 17, 2023. Accessed November 17, 2023. ↩
-
Figure 4. "Ariel Image of Niagara on the Lake Sailing Club" Map. Google Earth. Accessed February 1, 2024. ↩