freedom 45 sailboat review

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Edwards Yacht Sales

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1992 Freedom Yachts 45 CC

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• Fort Lauderdale, FL, US

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*** ESTATE SALE- MUST SELL!  Capable Freedom 45 CC ***  

Designed by Gary Mull and built at the Tillotson Pearson Facility in Rhode Island, "Y Knot" is a proven and capable shoal draft offshore cruiser in ready-to-sail condition. Presently lying in Fort Lauderdale, Y Knot's Freedom 45 CC design is world-renowned for ease of handling, comfort and speed. Her heavily-built carbon fiber mast is free-standing, keel-stepped and requires no standing rigging. That, combined with a self-tending foresail, simplifies singe-handling while her ample 2-cabin 2-head layout can easily accommodate up to two cruising couples in comfort and style.

Specifications

Descriptions, basic information, dimensions & weight, tank capacities, accommodations.

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Accommodations  

2-cabin 2-head 2-shower layout

Master stateroom is aft with a centerline queen berth and ensuite head is accessed through a linear passageway to starboard which also provides easy access to electrical panels

Guest cabin is a forward vee-berth with separate head and enclosed shower

Main salon features a large dinette table with 2 settees that also serve as single berths

There is a U-shaped galley to port and a nav/electronics station to starboard

Marine Air air conditioning

Galley  

Force 10 propane 3 burner stove with oven and grill

12v Seafrost top-opening refrigerator - new compressor 2017

12v Seafrost top-opening freezer located to starboard

Stainless steel sink

R&R water heater

Spectra Santa Cruz water maker- 8 gal/hr - with new pump, New membrane 2018

110v blender, toaster, mixer and kettle

Cutlery, dinnerware, pots, pans and utensils

Sails and Rigging  

Free-standing, keel-stepped carbon fiber mast

Doyle mainsail - new 2015

Doyle hank on self-tending jib - new 2015

Doyle drifter in good condition

Lazy jacks - new 2015

2 Anderson S/S 28 ST 2-speed self tailing winches

Barient 28+ electric self tailing winch

Barient 27-48 self-tailing manual winch

Manual boom vang

Engine and Running Gear  

Yanmar 4JH2 THE 66 hp inboard diesel - fresh water cooled

Racor fuel filter

Engine oil transfer system

3 blade bronze Max Prop propeller

Deck Gear and Canvas  

Custom aluminum cockpit awning/frame with full enclosure

Custom aluminum stern arch with davits and radar

Cockpit table

Cockpit cushions

Fenders and dock lines

Vented propane locker and tank

Swim platform with ladder

Scanuik deck shower

2017 Tohatsu two-stroke 9.8 hp outboard engine

Electronics and Navigation  

Raymarine ST70 auto pilot - new linear drive 2017

Furano DRS4W Radar - new 2017

Digital Yacht AIS, AIS receiver/NMEA server

Raymarine ST60 depth sounder - new 2011

Raymarine ST60 WIND direction and speed indicator - new 2010

SAT2 CAT2 406 EPRIB

Spot personal satellite locator

Big Bay repeater screen Display - 12.1 1000 NIT LED for helm - 2009

150 Watt Sea 225 VHF/SSB radio â-- ICOM M56 VHF radio

Samsung 20# HD monitor

Sony DVD player

5" Ritchie compass - binnacle mounted

Boss MA673 4 stereo - new 2014

Pioneer stereo speakers

Electrical Systems and Batteries  

4 Solar Innova 105 watt monocrystaline solar panels - New 2017

Morning Star solar charge controller - New 2017

(2)- 4D gel house batteries

(1)- 4D gel starter battery

2500 watt Freedom 25 battery charger

Xantrex Pro 1800 inverter and spare

Xantrex Pro battery monitor

50 amp shore power cable and system

Balmar 60 series alternator with spares

Balmar Max Charge MC614 voltage regulator

New Gear GI galvanic isolator

Ground Tackle  

60 lb primary CQR plow anchor

220 ft 5/16" G4 chain - New 2013

Fortress FX37 secondary anchor w/ 200 ft rode

Lewmar Pro Series electric windlass

Danforth stern anchor with 30ft chain and 150 ft rode

Raw water wash down system

Safety Gear  

Ocean XR DSB 4 man life raft in canister - 2011

MOB retrieval gear

Life Jackets

5 fire extinguishers

Stanchions and lifelines

Emergency tiller

Rule 2000 and manual bilge pumps

Miscellaneous  

Ryobi cordless drill w/extra battery and bits

Ryobi orbital sander

Craftsman 1.75 hp vacuum cleaner

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Whether you are buying or selling your next boat or your first boat, one of Edwards Yacht Sales 45+ Professional Yacht Brokers throughout the Southeast are here to assist. Since 2003 we have acted as our clients trusted advisor throughout the entire process from shopping, to making an offer, to sea trial and survey, to closing.

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Freedom Sailboat

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I am a complete novice at this, so please be nice. I have looked at a Freedom sailboat and I am wondering what other peoples opinions of these boats are. I want to be able to cruise the Gulf Coast and beyond. The 33'' ketch I looked at had a centerboard and to me (unknowing) seemed to be very well made. The ideal of free standing masts is really appealing to me. Can some of you offer your opinion and what you know first hand about this brand. Thanks.  

You will get better comments than mine from more knowledgeable participants. But I have known a few owners and they comented that jibing was out of the question, they go all the way around instead. These were on single rigs however, not cat ketches. I have also heard that they do not point well because of the fat mast not allowing proper luff filling. I would like to try one out sometime however as the simplicity is appealing. Gene  

Respectfully you “heard” wrong, in my opinion. I purchased and sailed a Freedom 30 for over a year now, and have not seen such anomalies. I agree you should experience one for yourself.  

I am somewhat familiar with the ketch rigged centerboard model of the 33. I helped a friend who lived in Savannah but was buying one here in Annapolis. I got to go through the boat quite carefully during the survey and to sail on the sail trial which actually was quite long and involved a pretty wide range of windspeeds. I frankly saw very little that I liked about these boats. In terms of sailing ability, the boat offered Okay reaching performance but was a very poor sailor in light and heavier air, and poor at pointing or running. This boat had the wrap around sail which was a bear to raise and which tended to creep around the mast leaving extra cloth on one side of the mast that tended to flap really killing speed and shaking the whole boat as the windspeeds built up. Key sail shaping controls were inaccessible under the wrap around portion of the sail. Sail shape was imposible to maintain as the wind came up and sails would be extremely expensive for this boat (kind of like buying four mainsails). In the survey a whole raft of problems came up but most serious were extensive delamination in the cored hull in those areas below the deck scuppers. In examining the specific detail used at the scuppers, I believe that this condition was bound to happen to any Freedom 33 constructed in the same manner as the boat I was on. With all due respect, I find myself saying this a lot lately and in fact this part is cloned from another reply earlier this week, but here goes. We all come to sailing with our own specific needs, our own specific goals and our own specific capabilities. The neat thing about sailing is that we all don’t have to agree that there is only one right way to go sailing. There is no more truth in expecting that there is one universally right answer about many aspects of sailing than there is in trying to prove that vanilla ice cream is universally better than strawberry ice cream. One area of sailing for which there is no one universally right answer involves the amount of knowledge one needs to go sailing. For some, all they need or want to know about sailing is just enough knowledge to safely leave the slip sail where they want and get back safely. There is nothing inherently wrong with that approach. But for others, like myself, there is much more to sailing than simply developing a rudimentary knowledge of sailing basics. If you fall into that camp, it is next to impossible to learn to sail really well on a boat as large as the one in question. While I am in no way suggesting that this makes sense for you personally, If you are interested in learning to sail beyond a rudimentary level, this kind of boat is a really lousey choice for a first boat. For someone who really wants to learn to sail well, I strongly suggest that they start out owning a used 23 to 27 foot, responsive, light-weight, tiller steered, fin keel/spade rudder (ideally fractionally rigged) sloop (or if they are athletically inclined then a dinghy.) Boats like that provide the kind of feedback that is so necessary to teach a newcomer how to really sail well. By sailing well I mean understanding the nuances of boat handling and sail trim in a way that cannot be learned on a larger boat. Used small boats generally hold their values quite well so that after a few years or so of learning, you should be able to get most of your money out of the small boat and move on to a bigger boat actually knowing something about the desirable characteristics of a boat that appeal to you as an experienced sailor rather than some stranger on some Internet BB. Respectfully, Jeff  

Jeff raises a good point. The Freedom cat-rigged ketch is not a straightforward arrangement. It would be better to learn on a conventional rig. You'll develop skills that have more widespread application. All catboats are trimmed differently and sail differently from sloops. As far as gybing, it depends. I've owned a Nonsuch 30 and a Freedom 25. Both are extremely fast boats offwind. But can be tricky to gybe in heavy air. The poster was correct. Many catboat sailors opt to 'wear ship'.  

I was also interested in Freedom Yachts some time ago. I started a post here solociting comparison between Pearson and Freedom that you may want to check out.  

Contact CardiacPaul, he owned one of these for a long time, and IIRC loved it. Most of the boats have had the clunky mast furled sail systems replaced with new conventional furling systems. TPI has a good reputation for working with carbon fiber, and makes a good boat. Notwithstanding Jeff's well informed criticism of them, I think they are good boats if you are suited to them. Many of the unfavorable sailing characteristics which he points out would be corrected with the conventional furling methods on most refits. This has no bearing on his or others' comments on what boat to sail. As for The Freedom 33, I think the centerboard version is not as useful as the full keel version, simply because of the huge CB trunk in the middle of the cabin. But you can get them more cheaply as a result. Other issues on these boats include surface delamination on the spars due to their wrapped construction. You need to examine the masts closely to determine if the fiberglass which encases the carbon fiber has cracked. This could be an expensive fix. There is also a documented issue with spider cracks on the gelcoat. Google Freedom owners groups and ask these questions before going any further. For what it is worth, I agree with Jeff that this is not the boat to learn to sail on. Good luck! Freeman  

Jeff has no idea what he's talking about Everyone knows Strawberry ice cream is better than Vanilla. JH, hope all is well. Haven't spoken in a very long time.  

I simply loved the 33. I don't know if it was easy to sail because I knew how to sail, or it was easy to sail because it was... easy to sail. And it was easy to sail. I had those damn wrap arounds, and because I'm as strong as your typical 12 year old, I had to plan my raising of the sails. It was easy to reef. I do agree with Jeff that its probably not the boat to 'learn" on, but, that being said, if you're interested in one, ask the former owner to spend some time on her with you. In lieu of that, theres another thread going that lists a VERY good contact about these boats. The CB version does cut down on cabin space, it wouldn't have been a problem for us, I can see where it'd be a pain for others. On the upside, they don't draw a heck of a lot with the board up (and it doesn't need to be fully deployed either) so the bene's outweigh the PITA factor. IMHO I know there was an "issue" concerning gelcoat crazing. I don't know anything about that, we were in texas sun, and never had a problem on a 25 year old boat. It held up a heck of a lot better than my 27 catalina (nothing against the catalina either) I think it has a lot to do with many other issues not to be addressed here. Theres been a lot of talk about CF masts and again, I think its because of the relative "oddity" of them that makes people hypersensative. Maybe I wasn't in strong enough winds, but I don't remember any discernable "flex" of the mast. Same with the "lightning" issue. i don't think, but I can't prove that they're any more apt to be struck than anything else. Damage from lightning? I can't say about that either... LOL, I don't know a heck of a lot do I? In short, If I had the chance to get a centerboard 33 here in S. Florida, I'd be all over it like a fat kid on a snickers bar.  

And I'm still looking for mine!  

Greetings all, I am new to this site as well, but having just purchased a Freedom 28 Cat Sloop (is that how you say that?) I must say the mast is a delight. I have the wing mast as opposed to the round one. We went sailing for the first time since the sea trial..which wasn't very long, and the boat performed really well. One of the interesting things I noticed about the mast is that by over rotating the mast a bit, more air flows into the sail. I am sure this cannot happen with the round carbon fiber mast. I was sailing in light air (5-10 knots) and the boat did well. Not however as well as if I had a Jib hanging out there for sure. I have owned a Cal 24 (not flush deck), a Frisco Flyer, an S&S 34' Yawl, and a Kettenburg PCC 46. While the Freedom does not sail anywhere as well as most of those (Better than the Frisco Flier though!) it IS a VERY easy boat to sail.. Point, and shoot. Not fast but acceptable. Downwind, I cannot see much keeping up with it when the spinnaker is flown. Its suprisingly fast downwind. This is not the last boat I will own, and probably not the last one even this year. In The Leigh will be for sale sometime in the spring after she has been lovingly restored. For me, the love is fixing her while I sail her. Nothing quite so nice as simply messing about in boats...  

ok.. I was reading the posting above me, and posted the wrong thing.. I own a Freedom 25' Cat Sloop, not a 28. UGH.. brain farts.  

Still Looking to sell Leigh? Hi - I realize this thread is pretty old, but I see you mentioned that you might be looking to sell your Freedom 25 sometime in the future....that's now.... Still planning to let it go? Where are you located? Bill  

Good to hear from you Michael. What sort of work are you doing on the boat these days? Bill  

I own a Freedom 25 in Savannah, GA that I bought from my parents. I have been sailing it since 1987. It is a wonderful boat to sail. It is very fast as I raced it for 12 years. The forward mast makes the Freedom a very forgiving boat. You can purchase a jib that has a built in forestay to give you additional pointing ability if you want. Off the wind with the large main there are not many boats that will keep up. A few years ago I raced a race that allowed no spinnakers. We beat 30 and 40 foot boats. We would lose a little to the wind with the larger boats, but on a reach and downwind she was untouchable. If we could have thrown the kite up no one would have stayed up with us. As for jibing, it is no different than any other boat. I have raced on Catalina 25's, 27's, 30's and Thomas 35 as well as have sailed on many others including a Freedom 35. Jibing can be controlled with the main sheet just like any other boat. Best bet is to see if you can take a test sail if you can. The Freedom line is very stable. Drawing it's design from a Cat boat that was designed as a stable fishing boat. It is meant to be crewed by 1 to 2 people. I have sailed it single handed many times. You will have fun with this boat.  

Interesting comments ...... I've just purchased Freedom 32 and never hesitated or seriously look at any other boat. She is slightly damaged and that will be my winter project. Looking forward for my first sail on her. Cheers.  

I also own a Freedom 28 Cat ketch, centerboard version and think the boat is very well designed, well thought out and sails Great! I am an experienced sailor with blue water experience and time campaigning modern go fast boats & dinghy's like the 470, 505, J-100, and Melges 24. I did learn to sail in dinghies & totally agree that the way to learn how to sail is in a small responsive boat, like a dinghy or small, tender keel boat. Once you know what your doing & how to do it, the Freedom is a great platform for fun sailing. I have the wrap around sails & am changing now to singly-ply, full battened sails, to get more roach aloft for better pointing & light air performance. Off the wind, or even close reaching in 5-knots or better, she sails great. In real light wind she has a little trouble getting going to windward, but she goes and has that nice diesel if time is running short. As a catboat, she can't point like a sloop, but crack off a few degrees, and you are off. I have no trouble with jibes or tacks - favorite on-board hail is "Tacking, everyone do nothing!" I also use a downwind "screecher" which I can fly from either mast, depending upon point of sail, but it must be doused and reset on jibes, unless I'm flying it off the end of the pulpit. She was initially called a "broad reacher" and a recommended configuration was with the apparent wind at about 150-degrees or so, set the main way out to windward, at about 110 - 120 degrees from center-line, set the missen to leeward, and fly the screecher in the hole between them - very fast & very balanced, and will keep you moving even in light air. I cruise her, and gunkhole with the board up. Planning some real traveling in her for next summer. A very nice, solid boat. - Andy Garte  

I too am considering a Freedom primarily due to the ease of single handing, not only under sail but also getting in and out of slips and in close quarters. All boats are a compromise and opinions vary depending on priorities. After reading almost every post on every site I'm noticing a distinct trend. Those who own or have owned Freedoms almost universally love them, love the way they sail and experience few if any of the concerns expressed by those who have not, many of whom seem to be very knowledgeable on sailboats in general. The mast issue is especially frustrating due to its criticality. It would be nice to know what percentage of Freedoms have actual mast failures as compared to other of comparable size/use. Same with pointing. Some stats comparing actual up wind performance would settle the issue. Is the upwind performance so poor as to cause concern when dealing with a lee shore? If not, the performance on all other points of sail would seem to more than offset the upwind performance. I do notice almost no concern with quality of build except oddly universal concern about the almost universal use of cored hull. I appreciate all the discussion and especially the conflicting views as they identify important issues for further investigation. Now, I must find a way to eliminate a Nonsuch from consideration... other than price :=)  

Upwind comparison stats will be hard to find. What I can offer is that I raced mine for the first time last year against a large variety of boats while towing a 10' RIB with motor attached. The first race was a about a 5 mile beat close hauled in which an IC24 (modified J24), Benetau 40, Ericson 36, Jeanneau 45, and Starrett 45 beat me to the mark (island). Rounding the small island the course was a deep reach for about 4 miles to another mark (island). During the reach I gained substantial distance on all the boats ahead of me. Leaving that island to port the course was a DDW run for another 5.5 miles to the finish. During the run and having my sails wing and wing I passed everything except for the IC24 flying a spinn and surfing the waves. Had the course been even .25 miles longer I would have passed the IC too. Everything except for the IC owed me time. The next day was an upwind beat in which I finished 4th on corrected time. The IC, owing everyone time, finished 1st by a large margin boat on boat. The Bene 40 with an experienced race crew was 2nd. The Ericson 36' was 3rd. After handicaps applied my Freedom finished 3rd overall towing a heavy RIB being beat by an IC that goes to weather extremely well and a well sailed Bene 40. Your question about sailing off of a lee shore. Through an unfortunate chain of events I found myself leaving an anchorage and slowly motoring through a narrow channel straight into about 15kts of wind when I lost propulsion. The main (forward) sail was raised about 2/3 before the lee shore started looking a little too close for comfort. On the helm I was able to pick up enough speed and point high enough to find a comfortable angle away from the shore for a couple of minutes before making a slow tack. In the middle of the tack I was able to get the sail the rest of the way up. Off onto a port tack and sailing with a good sail shape we easily sailed off the shore while raising the mizzen. One more tack and we were very clear and sailing away with a large enough safety margin for me to leave the helm and see WTF happened causing this little bit of unwanted excitement. In essence we sailed off of a lee shore with a partially raised sail with a horrible sail shape.  

FarCry said: Upwind comparison stats will be hard to find. What I can offer is that I raced mine for the first time last year against a large variety of boats while towing a 10' RIB with motor attached. The first race was a about a 5 mile beat close hauled in which an IC24 (modified J24), Benetau 40, Ericson 36, Jeanneau 45, and Starrett 45 beat me to the mark (island). Rounding the small island the course was a deep reach for about 4 miles to another mark (island). During the reach I gained substantial distance on all the boats ahead of me. Leaving that island to port the course was a DDW run for another 5.5 miles to the finish. During the run and having my sails wing and wing I passed everything except for the IC24 flying a spinn and surfing the waves. Had the course been even .25 miles longer I would have passed the IC too. Everything except for the IC owed me time. The next day was an upwind beat in which I finished 4th on corrected time. The IC, owing everyone time, finished 1st by a large margin boat on boat. The Bene 40 with an experienced race crew was 2nd. The Ericson 36' was 3rd. After handicaps applied my Freedom finished 3rd overall towing a heavy RIB being beat by an IC that goes to weather extremely well and a well sailed Bene 40. Your question about sailing off of a lee shore. Through an unfortunate chain of events I found myself leaving an anchorage and slowly motoring through a narrow channel straight into about 15kts of wind when I lost propulsion. The main (forward) sail was raised about 2/3 before the lee shore started looking a little too close for comfort. On the helm I was able to pick up enough speed and point high enough to find a comfortable angle away from the shore for a couple of minutes before making a slow tack. In the middle of the tack I was able to get the sail the rest of the way up. Off onto a port tack and sailing with a good sail shape we easily sailed off the shore while raising the mizzen. One more tack and we were very clear and sailing away with a large enough safety margin for me to leave the helm and see WTF happened causing this little bit of unwanted excitement. In essence we sailed off of a lee shore with a partially raised sail with a horrible sail shape. Click to expand...

Windward, leeward, round-the-buoy sailing is fun in a Freedom, but generally won't put you on top of the standings. IMHO, the boat shines in longer, downwind or beam reach, and high wind courses. Now, if I could just hurry up and become a better sailor.... I am getting better at pointing, and have not had any problems with the mast or cored-decks. I LOVE my boat. As to stats, if you find any please let me know. I have a 141 PHRF (non-spinnaker rating).  

I think that your rating of 141 is a good indicator of the relative performance hit that the Freedom's take for having a freestanding rig. I believe that you said that you have a Mull-designed Freedom 38. Mull was one of the best race boat designers of that era and designed some very fast boats. To put the impact of the freestanding rig in proportion, compare the Freedom 38 rating of 141 to the rating on something conservative like an Ericson 38 at 111, or my 38 foot performance cruiser, which is a 10 year older design, at 87 with spinnaker (non-spinnaker rating in Maine of 99). A ten year newer Mull design should have been as fast, or faster than the Ericson 38 or an older Farr 38 rather than owing 40-50 seconds a mile. I suspect the speed difference comes from the greater drag of the freestanding rig, the heavier structure required to support a free standing rig, and the distortions in the hull form that are needed to carry the mast that far forward. Jeff  

Great information regarding Freedom boats! I don't race mine (1984 Freedom32) but after extensive repair work couple of years ago I single handed sailed her to Bahamas and back to Nova Scotia and was extremely happy with her performance especially in rough weather, and easy reefing system! Unfortunately do to a health reasons, boat will be offered for sale early spring!  

Does any body have a n opinion on a 1984 28' Freedom Cat Ketch. I will appreciate your thoughts.  

I sailed on a couple and really dig them, enough in fact, to consider buying one locally. A couple issues I see though - one is on earlier models that have wraparound luff sails as opposed to conventional track luff. They are alleged to be difficult to raise, and lose their shape in a breeze. The other issue is that they have balsa cored hull and deck. On a boat as old as they are, I would be wary of wet cores. It difficult enough to repair cored decks. A rotten balsa cored hull would be disastrous. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk  

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Production of this Dave Pedrick design started in 1993 and continues today. An optional package for traditional headsails is a departure from Freedom’s self-tending legacy.

With 85 hulls built to date, Freedom Yachts of Middletown, Rhode Island counts the Dave Pedrick-designed 35-footer as a solid success story. Freedom currently builds sailboats in three sizes, at 35, 40, and 45 feet, as well as the Legacy line of powerboats. The sailboat line stakes its identity on three points: sound naval architecture, high-quality construction, and sailing simplicity based on the freestanding rig and self-tacking jib. The line blossomed after the emergence of the sprightly and bulletproof Freedom 30 designed by Gary Mull in 1986. That boat, known to many readers, can serve as a useful benchmark in a discussion of the Freedom 35.

Design Pedrick’s designer’s comments speak of his intention to make the Freedom 35 a fast, easy-to-handle boat with ample cruising accommodations in the cockpit and belowdecks, as well as the ability to perform well at the club-racing level. To those ends he drafted a hull form that’s graceful and powerful, with a slightly aggressive look — a subtle sheer rising to a shallowly raked stem and a reverse-transom, with moderate overhangs at both ends and the beam carried well aft. The underwater hull is modestly round and full at the turn of the bilge and flattens as it runs aft — flat enough to allow the boat to surf in the right conditions. The transom carries a swim-platform scoop that blends well with the hull lines. A swim ladder is attached and can be lowered from the scoop. The helmsman’s seat can be removed to provide flow-through between swim platform and cockpit.

The cockpit itself is a bit small for a 35-footer — 7′ 3″ long by 5′ 9″ wide, with a T-shaped footwell aft to make space for the Edson wheel.There’s a large cockpit locker to starboard and twin lazarettes either side of the helmsman’s seat. The size of the cockpit makes it easier for a shorthanded crew to reach the sail controls, and the sides and coamings provide good support and security; stretching out under the stars, however, probably wouldn’t be worth attempting.

Like other Freedoms, the 35 carries a tall, unstayed carbon fiber mast with a big full-roach main and small standard jib, although the foretriangle on the 35 is relatively larger than that on the 30. The jib is fitted with a CamberSpar, a sort of internal wishbone that stretches the sail from the clew to a point on the lower luff. It articulates from tack to tack, more or less forcefully according to wind strength, thus helping shape the lower part of the jib upwind while allowing it to be winged out effectively downwind.

Unlike the Freedom 30, which was not rigged to carry more than its two basic sails, the Freedom 35 is offered with an optional overlapping headsail package, consisting mainly of a set of running backstays to oppose the headstay on the 3/4 fractional rig, and a set of primary winches in the cockpit for trimming. This set-up allows genoas and spinnakers to be hoisted to the hounds; the tip of the mast remains unsupported. In standard jib mode the runners aren’t needed — in fact, in the stock Freedom sailplan the jib exists more to create a slot upwind than to provide substantial horsepower itself; the headstay remains almost slack, tensioned only by the push of the CamberSpar, and luff tension is maintained by the jib halyard, as on a sailing dinghy.

Aside from initial cost, which is roughly $10,000 more than an equivalent aluminum spar and standing rigging would be on this 35-footer, the unstayed carbon rig has few apparent drawbacks — in fact, some of the cost of the carbon spar is recouped by the fact that the hull requires no chainplates, tierods or related supporting structures. It’s simpler and requires less maintenance than stayed aluminum rigs, and without the downward pull of the stays and shrouds, compression at the mast step is reduced.

Freestanding carbon spars are big and round at the partners and taper as they rise. They do obstruct airflow to the sail, especially down low, but as for windage it may be that without stays, shrouds, and spreaders they play about even with their aluminum counterparts.

In one of the few substantive changes to the F-35 since the introduction of the boat, Freedom a few years ago shifted the sparbuilding contract to Goetz Marine Technologies, known for its expertise in carbon fiber work. GMT produces a “lighter, stiffer” spar, according to Freedom spokeswoman Roe O’Brien, who also says that there have been no reported rig failures on the 35, before or after the change. The spar comes with a transferable 10-year warranty, or a lifetime warranty to the original owner.

It may be that the only shortcoming of the carbon spar these days is psychological: The scarcity of wires can be disconcerting. We all tend to grasp at the shrouds when we’re working at the mast or coming aboard amidships, and when they’re not there, something seems askew with the world.

The boat is offered with two keel options, a deep fin with a Pedrick-designed “whale tail” profile, or a shallower (not to say shoal-draft) wing keel. The whale-tail rudder is a big, high-aspect foil on a carbon fiber stock. Owners report that Freedom’s and Pedrick’s extra efforts in designing responsive steering have paid off: The boat turns quickly and accurately, and provides good feel through the Edson system.

There’s little question that the deep keel provides better lift than the winged version. This translates into acceleration in a puff, less heeling and slippage as boatspeed increases, and often less leeway once the boat is up to speed.

For some owners, the Freedom 35’s draft may be the hardest nut to crack. The deep keel is quite deep at 6′ 6″, and the wing keel, at 4′ 6″, isn’t all that shallow.

Construction Hull construction standards are at the top end of the production scale — skins of biaxial and unidirectional E-glass with vinylester resin, sandwiching an end-grain balsa core. The hull/deck joint is bonded with 3M-5200 and through-bolted on 6″ centers. There’s a transferable 10-year warranty against hull blistering.

Down below, furniture is fastened to the bulkheads, and the bulkheads are glassed directly to the hull. There are solid fiberglass transverse supports under the floorboards. There are five Lewmar hatches on deck, 19-3/4″ square in the forward and main cabins and 10″ square over the head, galley and aft cabin. All ports are 316-grade stainless steel — another indication that these boats are stretching outside the standard production mentality. Stainless ports add significantly to the builder’s initial cost, and certainly bump up a new boat’s price, but without question they save the owners problems and headaches, and of course this ends up saving Freedom time and frustration.

The Yanmar 3GM auxiliary lives under the L-section of the port settee. The shaft exits the transmission and emerges underwater about a foot to port of the keel and at a 5° angle to the centerline.

This engine and shaft placement serves several purposes: First, it creates more room throughout the area of the aft cabin, companionway, and head. Second, it puts the engine’s weight in a better fore-and-aft position without sacrificing much balance athwartships. Third, it makes for very good engine access everywhere but on the engine’s port side, and even that’s not bad. Fourth, it helps concentrate plumbing through-hulls in one zone, under the galley sink. Fifth (and this is the feature touted by Freedom) it’s a built-in correction for “prop walk” when the engine is in reverse — the slight angle of the shaft off centerline helps neutralize the tendency of the left-rotating prop to drag the stern to port.

On deck, sailhandling hardware includes two Harken two-speed winches at the aft end of the cabin trunk, and a Harken traveler. Halyards, reefing lines, main and jib sheets, and traveler controls are led through Lewmar stoppers.

Accommodations Belowdecks the Freedom 35 is laid out to provide good comfort and privacy for two couples, with full cabins fore and aft. Each has standing headroom (6′ 1″) behind closed doors, each is ventilated by two opening ports and a hatch, and all bunks are 6′ 7″ long. There’s room for two more people on the settees in the saloon, and an equipment option that allows the port settee to be converted to a double berth. Underway in standard layout the leeward settee is comfortable, but for sleeping at anchor it makes sense to remove the side cushions for more elbow room.

The saloon has a warm, traditional feel, with varnished cherry cabinets, hull ceilings, and handrails. The cabin sole is teak and holly, while the overhead is covered with a removable vinyl headliner. Headroom throughout the saloon is 6′ 2″.

The cabin table folds up and stows against the bulkhead to port. This opens up lots of valuable space for people to wrestle with bathing suits, foul-weather gear, sleeping bags, duffle bags, grocery bags, and the various other bags that make their way aboard. Stowage for personal gear is good in the fore and aft cabins and adequate in the saloon, where the absence of chainplates or tie-rodes is a help.

The head compartment is to starboard of the companionway steps. This is always a smart arrangement on a single-head boat: It keeps saloon traffic to a minimum and makes use of a wide part of the hull for more space; in this case the compartment includes a separate shower stall with teak grate and a proper wet locker. Stowage for toiletries in the head is adequate; more importantly, with the shower stall isolated there’s less chance for everyone’s stuff to get soaked when someone takes a sloppy shower.

The L-shaped galley, according to Freedom Yachts, incorporates many features suggested by Freedom owners. There are two deep stainless steel sinks on the counter section athwartships, and a gimballed Force 10 stove/oven to port. The ice chest incorporates a nice touch — a separate section and door for drinks and quick snacks, which allows the main part of the chest (8.5 cubic feet) to stay closed most of the time.

Two PS survey respondents bemoaned the lack of counter space in the galley. This space was surely sacrificed to the enclosed standing room and hanging locker in the aft cabin. On a boat this size, some things have to give, and in this case the working areas below — galley and nav station — gave it up to the head and the private cabins.

There are no standard foot pumps for fresh or salt water in either the galley or the head. With today’s reliance on pressure water systems this omission is commonplace among boatbuilders. Admittedly, it adds expense and labor on the builder’s side, and there may not even be that much demand from buyers — but it’s poor practice, in our view, especially noticeable when batteries or water supplies are low.

Performance Soon after it was introduced we were able to sail the company boat, Hull # 1, in conditions that ranged from about 18 knots to nothing. That boat, rigged with a 120% Mylar genoa, was clearly a fast and nimble performer, particularly in light air and downwind. It’s chief failings were the lack of a dedicated mainsheet winch, and a traveler system that was too small for the loads imposed by the big sail in heavy air. Both of those problems were addressed early in the production run of the boat.

Part of the Freedom 35’s agility comes from the big, light whale-tail rudder; other contributing factors are the balance of the sailplan, the self-tacking jib, and the extra roach on the mainsail, which acts as an airbrake in jibes. With this combination the boat can be spun around upwind or down in a small radius with sails trimmed and locked. It may not be pretty, but it can be done.

As the wind increases, the unsupported tip of the carbon fiber spar will tend to sag to leeward, automatically depowering the sail, but also creating more and more weather helm. The F-35 mainsail needs to be reefed sooner than later — there’s plenty of power left in the roachy main, the boat stands up straighter, the rudder is relieved, and everything speeds up. The boat is “simple to reef with minimal or zero loss of speed,” says one owner. “Very little weather helm in gale warning winds.”

The sail area/displacement ratio of 19.8 on the standard rig is respectable, but there’s an inevitable lack of headsail power upwind in many conditions, no matter how big the main and how closely sheeted the jib. No doubt this is one reason Pedrick increased the size of the foretriangle — not only to increase racing options, but to make life happier for cruising sailors willing to do some cranking in order to punch their way upwind. (Of course, at that point the Freedom’s sailplan loses a substantial measure of its freedom.)

Most F-35s today are sold with the overlapping jib package, says Freedom’s Roe O’Brien, but few are raced actively. (The standard boat carries an average PHRF rating of 114.)

Conclusions Whether or not people race these boats, Dave Pedrick and Freedom certainly have succeeded in their design aims: The Freedom 35 is a comfortable performance cruiser, well built, easily handled, seaworthy, and attractive looking.

With a real voice in design issues from the outset, and the ability to work with the company on semi-customization of new boats, veteran owners are a loyal bunch. “In general, people who buy Freedoms become big devotees,” says O’Brien.

While a new Freedom 35 costs $188,200, second-hand boats cannot be had for a song. The BUC Used Boat Price Guide lists the high and low of the average price for a 1993 model Freedom 35 as $107,000 to $118,000. For a used 1999 model there’s quite a jump: $183,000 to $201,000. These figures reflect actual sale prices of boats, reported by brokers back to the BUC network. A look around for current asking prices showed exactly one boat available, in Stamford, Connecticut, for $149,000. (Not for long, we think.)

Contact- Freedom Yachts, Inc., 305 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842 800-999-2909.

Also With This Article Click here to view Owner Comments .

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Founded by Gary Hoyt. Most feature unstayed cat, or cat ketch rigs. The boats were built by Tillotson Pearson Inc.

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29 sailboats built by Freedom Yachts

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