freedom 35 yacht review

The Freedom 35 ON DECK SAIL PLAN - UNDERWAY SAFETY INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION CONCLUSION

By Thom Burns

How do you define the perfect coastal cruiser? Wouldn�t it be nice if it could also take you across some blue water in comfort and safety without a big crew? We sailed the Freedom 35 from the perspective of a cruiser with room for four or, in a pinch, six to sleep, but which is manageable by a couple, or can be effectively single-handled. We were also looking for performance.

This David Pedrick design, first introduced in 1992, has been very successful with 30 boats built in the first two years. We sailed hull number 47, a shoal draft version, with Gary DeSantis of Sailor�s World. The breeze was a bit strong at 20 - 22 knots with gusts in the 29 - 30 range. I brought along Alexis Olson, a young, small sailor with limited bigger boat experience who also sailed with me on the Freedom 24 earlier in the year. We thought she would be a good test of just how easy this boat is to handle in these conditions.

Alexis Olson at the helm of the Freedom 35 going upwind.

Note the clear, unobstructed decks, several ports and hatches, and two dorade vents on the Freedom 35. Quality hardware lowers your maintenance.

One of the most striking impressions about the Freedoms in general and the 35 in particular is how clean and uncluttered the deck is. The carbon fiber, freestanding mast eliminates the shrouds, the backstay, the spreaders, the chainplates and associated gear. The mainsheet, working jib sheet, halyards and reef lines were led through turning blocks and Lewmar stoppers to a couple of Harken winches on the cabin roof within easy reach of the cockpit.

The cockpit while not huge is comfortable. The 44 inch diameter Edson �Destroyer� wheel gets your attention. Lines stow in flip open halyard boxes. Cockpit stowage is provided in twin lazarettes and a large locker to starboard. The crowned helm seat is removable and stowable. The open transom steps and swim platform allow for easy stern access or dinghy boarding.

Sailplan - Underway

Another big advantage of having no shrouds or backstay to chafe or hang up on is a large, full-batten main with a lot of roach. This powerful sailplan proved to be very manageable. The standard foresail is a self-tacking Camberspar working jib. In lighter air, various overlapping genoas are available for more power. This Freedom 35 carried a self-tacking 105 genoa on a Furlex roller furler.

We found the boat to be very responsive under power. The helm feels good with no vibration under power and a slight weather helm under sail. Freedom has done a good job on their bearing style steering system. The main went up without a hitch. I had chartered a Freedom 44 in the early eighties for two weeks. The full-batten cars on today�s mains are dramatically better than when I struggled with them back then. We were overpowered in the gusts going up wind with the full main up. Before reefing we decided to fall off to a broad reach and jibe a few times. With a hard, fixed vang, no backstay or shrouds, this is a smooth operation even in a brisk 20 plus knot breeze. We were very impressed with the downwind speed on a reach. The boat was heeled less than 10 degrees and cruised at or near 8 kts, hitting 8.6 on one tack and 8.45 on the other in the gusts. We then brought the boat around into the wind; Gary reefed it from the cockpit in short order.

Here is where the simplicity of the rig really showed off. Not only had the reefing gone without a hitch and we were no longer overpowered, but it was so simple to tack through 80 - 85 degrees upwind. With the main adjusted, the traveler centered and the jib self-tacking, the helmsman simply tacks upwind, as often and quickly as desired. Gary moved into his coaching mode with Alexis going upwind. Within 10 - 15 minutes, he had her tacking and staying in the groove on both upwind tacks. It takes a comfortable degree of knowledge of and confidence in your equipment for a dealer to turn his boat over to a 17 year old sailing reporter and then bring her up to speed in such a short time.

One of the factors in the performance of most keel boats is how flat you can sail them. The flatter you can sail them the easier they are to control. This added control equates to greater safety and generally more speed. In addition to the carbon fiber mast being simple, it is also lighter. Less weight aloft makes it easier to maintain the boat in a more upright position. Another safety issue is the control that can be exercised without leaving the cockpit. On the Freedom 35 virtually every sailing and motoring function can be performed from the cockpit. The swim platform on the stern makes dinghy access safer and overboard retrievals easier.

The open transom is often a defining difference between open ocean vessels and coastal cruisers. Freedom has defined and built a coastal cruiser in the 35.

Freedom has used enough cherry and teak to keep the boat elegant inside. They�ve balanced the lighter woods to give it a �Light and airy� feel. There are five opening ports and a main hatch in the main saloon. A luxurious mix of cherry panels and trim and a holly and teak sole functionally decorate the main saloon. There is 6�2� headroom, a drop-down table and stowage behind louvered doors outboard. The galley is L-shaped. It has large, deep, stainless sinks. The icebox is large and well insulated with a separate compartment for serious provisions. The gimbaled stove is a Force Ten complete with oven and broiler. The 27 hp engine is below the sinks. The engine seemed well insulated and very quiet. I had read that an early test boat had been noisy, this one was not. The Nav Station is simple and functional with sufficient area for chart viewing. The vertical area for instrumentation is well placed near the electrical panel located above the starboard settee. This is convenient for wiring from the nav station. The cabins are particular strong points on the Freedom 35. Long berths, lots of light and air, and privacy mark both the forward and aft cabins. The forward cabin has two opening ports and a full-size hatch while the aft cabin sports the same number and a generous athwartships full-bed. The woodwork and cabinetry are first class. The head located to starboard of the companionway has a separate shower stall and its own wet locker.

Construction

The hull construction is an endgrain balsa sandwiched between multiple layers of unidirectional and biaxial fiberglass. The fiberglass is hand-laid and is bound with vinylester and polyester resins for optimal strength-to-weight ratios, blister and fade resistance. When I�m looking at a new boat, hopefully there is evidence of superior workmanship beneath the surface. Climb into the deep, aft starboard lazarette and look at the hull to deck joint, steering gear and rudder post. If that bullet-proof hull to deck joint doesn�t make you feel good, you�re looking at the wrong boat. The 3� reverse flange is bonded and bolted on 6� centers with stainless carriage bolts, through the aluminum toe rail. While the interior of the Freedom 35 is elegant with cherry and teak, upkeep on deck is kept to a minimum by quality Harken and Lewmar hardware and very little teak. The handrails are close to no maintenance. They are made from 316 grade electropolished stainless. The toe rail is anodized aluminum.

The Freedom 35 is a well-built, cruising boat which can be easily handled by a non-atheletic couple or single-handed. It affords nice creature comforts while maintaining an essential degree of privacy for two couples or a family out for a couple of weeks. The simplicity of the rig provides for a very uncluttered deck and excellent sailing performance. Glenn Yarborough, after he had circumnavigated the second time, bought a Chinese style junk rig for his new 35 footer because of the simplicity of it. The folks at Freedom must have been listening to his ballad, �I Coulda Been a Sailor.� Their rig, while not nearly as old as the Chinese style junk rig, is also self-supporting. The similarities pretty much stop there. The Freedom 35�s rig is high tech, light and supports a far more powerful sail plan. This sail plan, 740 square feet, compares favorably to several other 35 footers that I checked. These other boats were all in the 610 to 620 square foot range. When a company combines a powerful sail plan, a lighter, simpler rig aloft and remarkable ease of handling they may be close to the ideal coastal cruiser. I would feel very comfortable and safe taking this �coastal cruiser� all over the Great Lakes and even across the ocean.

Thom Burns publishes Northern Breezes and Sailing Breezes.

Sailor's World: 952-475-3443 or Freedom Yachts: 800-999-2909. Freedom Yachts

All contents are copyright (c) 1996 - 2003 by Northern Breezes, Inc. All information contained within is deemed reliable but carries no guarantees. Reproduction of any part or whole of this publication in any form by mechanical or electronic means, including information retrieval is prohibited except by consent of the publisher.

Review of Freedom 35 Cat Ketch

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat equipped with a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.

CentreBoard

The Freedom 35 Cat Ketch is equipped with a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.98 - 1.08 meter (3.22 - 3.52 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Freedom 35 Cat Ketch is 1.92, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Freedom 35 Cat Ketch is about 205 kg/cm, alternatively 1148 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 205 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1148 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio) Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind: - Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15 - Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20 - Racers have ratios above 20 - High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24 Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 17.58

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 44m 2 (473 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Freedom 35 Cat Ketch it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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• Sailboat Guide

1999 Freedom 35

• Description

Seller's Description

The Freedom 35 is a world-renowned Pedrick design known for sturdy construction, simple rig, beautiful interiors, ease of handling and exhilarating performance on all points of sail. Features include two private staterooms, a head with a stall shower, and a walk-through transom. The Freedom 35 is rigged for short-handed sailing with great performance and a comfortable, cheerful interior.

Equipment: Yanmar 3GM30F diesel engine. Kiwi feathering prop. Mainsail new 2013, jib new 2015, both lightly used. All lines lead to cockpit for easy short-handed sailing. Easy to furl mainsail with stackpac and lazy jacks, and two reefing lines. Roller furling jib. Well-ventilated, spacious head with separate stall shower. Additional hot/cold shower on transom with sugar scoop swim platform and swim ladder. Beautiful, light-filled, well-ventilated cabin with teak, holly, and cherry. Numerous SS opening ports. Screens for all hatches and ports. Folding drop-leaf table and comfortable seating in main salon. Gimballed stove and double sink in galley. Dual anchors and anchor locker. Easy access to engine. Cockpit cushions. Dodger, bimini, and full cockpit enclosure with removable connector and side panels. Fairclough winter cover and frame. Radar, GPS, chartplotter, autohelm, depth, wind, speed, VHF. Freshwater 80 gal. Diesel 31 gal. Waste 40 gal. w/ deck & OVB pumpout. Recent survey showed no substantial issues; copy of report available to serious buyers. Google the “Practical Sailor” review of Freedom 35 for independent opinion of quality, features, and performance.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Winged keel version - draft:4.5’

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1993 Freedom 35

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Shakedown Sail in a Freedom 33

• Nic Compton
• February 8, 2022

After falling hard for a Freedom 33, Nic Compton finds out if the love affair will last during a series of shakedown sails in the West Country

Searching for a new boat to replace our beloved Victoria 26 wasn’t easy, writes Nic Compton . During September 2020, after nine months of looking, we placed a Facebook ad that read: ‘Thinking of selling your Freedom 35ft ketch? My wife and I are keen to buy one. Any age and any condition considered.’

We had looked at hundreds of ads online and examined nearly 20 boats in the flesh, including everything from Hillyards to Tahitianas and any number of Sadlers, Saltrams and Standfasts. But the boat that had really excited us was a Freedom 35 we saw out of the water in Plymouth. My wife, Anna, and our children loved the modern (well, ok, 1980s!) interior and I was intrigued by the boat’s rig.

For years, I’d noticed the Freedom range and liked their clean, unfussy lines and bold free-standing ketch rig. But they’d always been out of my budget – until now. We saw that first Freedom on a Saturday, but by the time we called on the Monday to put in an offer, she had already been sold. It was peak pandemic and the boat-buying fever meant anything good was being snapped up very quickly.

We saw two more Freedom 35s in the following weeks, but both needed a lot more work than we were prepared to take on. In desperation, I posted an ad on the Freedom Yachts Owners’ page on Facebook, and two weeks later got a message that an ‘American version’ of the Freedom 35 was coming up for sale in Plymouth.

It turned out that this was a Freedom 33 – exactly the same hull as the Freedom 35, but measured by the LOD rather than the LOA – built by Tillotson Pearson in Newport, RI, in 1982. She was the shallow-keel version (4ft 6in draft) with carbon fibre masts and aluminium booms.

Zelda is like a Tardis inside – with a huge amount of space for a 33-footer. Photo: Nic Compton & Matthew Griggs

The boat had spent six years based near Seattle before being shipped to Scotland in 1988, where she acquired a doghouse. Since then, she had cruised the Celtic fringe, from Scotland to Ireland and then to Cornwall and Devon.

We went to see her three days later and were smitten. Despite the lack of aft cabin, the interior felt like a breath of fresh air after the pokey, compromised interiors we’d seen in the previous months. Anna was delighted with the doghouse, and I was impressed with the boat’s general conditions.

What’s more she had hot water, a large fridge and a cabin heater, as well as all the necessary navigation equipment – all in immaculate condition. Luxury indeed. And so, one rainbow-filled morning, we drove to pick the boat up and sail her the 40-odd miles from Plymouth to our mooring three miles up the River Dart.

As we raised the sails in Plymouth Sound for the first time, I noticed something that would become a recurring theme: people staring. At first I wondered what they were staring at. Had I left the fenders over the side? Was the exhaust on fire?

But then I remembered doing exactly the same thing whenever I saw a Freedom: staring with astonishment and (in my case at least) admiration that such a curious rig should exist and, apparently, work. first sail And work it does, as we soon discovered.

That first trip was a bit of an anticlimax, as we motor-sailed home in a near-calm – though we were delighted to be greeted by a pod of dolphins halfway around. A few days later, we were joined by one of our daughter’s friends for the short trip downriver to Dartmouth.

It was a gusty day and, almost by impulse, I put two reefs in the main and a single reef in the mizzen. Unlike the centreboard version of the Freedom 33, which has almost equal sized main and mizzen, Zelda has a relatively large mainsail (348sqft) and the advice from the previous owners was to ‘reef early’.

Despite this precaution, I was completely unprepared for what followed, as we were hit by a series of sudden squalls, first downwind – when we clocked 5.8 knots on the log – and then on the nose once we rounded the first bend.

Back on her mooring on the River Dart. Photo: Nic Compton & Matthew Griggs

Yet, even as we short-tacked against the incoming tide, with a novice crew on an almost unknown boat, there was none of the panic caused by the jib or genoa sheets clacking on the foredeck. We simply swung from one tack to the next, with the occasional adjustment to the mainsail carried out within the calm of the doghouse.

The wind disappeared as soon as we got around the second bend, and we were left to coax the boat through each tack, trying desperately to avoid the many boats on moorings. Coincidentally, a friend who happens to be a wooden boat aficionado was watching at this point, not realising it was us, and later commented on how well the boat carried her way, not missing her stays once despite the challenging conditions.

It seemed the lack of jib combined with the doghouse had turned what might otherwise have been a scary situation into a fun jaunt.

Part of the family

We used that winter to make a few small changes, such as reinstating the step on the forward bulkhead to make it easier to climb out of the forehatch; refitting the foc’sle bunks infill so we could turn the two singles into a (very large) double; fitting handles on the cockpit lockers so the edge didn’t bite your fingers off when it closed suddenly. The biggest alteration was changing the boat’s name from Solo – the name she’d been born with but which had zero appeal for a family boat – to Zelda , which was much more in keeping with us.

It felt like a slightly sacrilegious thing to do, but it was a huge relief to remove the big old lettering off the transom and replace it with the new name. The boat immediately felt more ‘ours’.

And to anyone who still thinks it’s unlucky to change a boat’s name, I’ll say just one word: Enza (Nigel’s Iren’s legendary catamaran which has had 12 names in its lifetime and is still going strong).

Zelda is a hybrid: shallow keel with tall rig – hence the extra lead ballast in her bilge. Photo: Nic Compton & Matthew Griggs

The plan for 2021 had been to sail to Brittany, or failing that, to Guernsey and/or the Scillies. But COVID-19 ruled out going to France, and the expense of all the tests needed for Guernsey, combined with the fact that our 12-year-old would have to self-isolate for two days after we got there, put an end to that idea too.

And, sadly, the weather window never came up at the right time for us to sail to the Scillies. Instead, Easter found us alongside Whitestrand pontoon in Salcombe, waking up to an early morning frost decorating the deck like icing sugar.

By June we had ventured as far west as Fowey. I sailed the boat from Dartmouth with my friend Matt and, as we rounded Start Point, the breeze picked up to about 18 knots and Zelda took off, clocking 7.5 knots on the GPS, the fastest we’d got out of her up until then. It no doubt helped that she had just been antifouled and that we had at least a knot of tide in our favour, but it felt good to finally see her perform as I’d hoped.

After Anna and the children joined me in Fowey, a strong southwesterly blew up and, rather than bounce around at sea, we decided to make the most of our new inflatable dinghy to head up river. We all piled in and pottered up to the village of Golant, where we had a drink at the Fisherman’s Arms followed by a picnic on the village green. It was the right thing to do, as the next day we were treated to an idyllic sail to Salcombe in 8 knots of wind – perfect family sailing.

Solid seakeeping

August found us heading west again, this time visiting Falmouth and the Helford. And again we headed upriver, this time motoring with Zelda up the Fal to Malpas, where we moored up on the visitor pontoon. After a pleasant walk to a playground on the edge of Truro, we headed back to Malpas and were treated to the best meal out of the year at the Heron Inn, with great vegan and vegetarian options.

A happy man sailing around Start Point: the log said 8.9 knots – though the GPS corrected that to 7.5 knots. Either way, her best performance yet! Photo: Nic Compton & Matthew Griggs

The weather again looked unsettled for the return trip to Devon, so I arranged for my friend Laurence to join us in Falmouth while Anna and our daughter drove home. Unexpectedly, my 10-year-old son insisted on staying and joining us on the boat.

It would be his first all-day passage and I was concerned he didn’t know what he was letting himself in for – especially when we discovered the iPad had been left in the car – but he was adamant.

It turned out to be a horrible passage, with a boisterous Force 4-5 crossing an already big swell on our starboard quarter. But it was a great opportunity to test the boat. We had a wild ride to start with, with a full sail set and the boat romping along at 7.8 knots, though the helm became increasingly hard to handle.

We eventually lowered the mizzen and put a reef in the main and she settled down immediately, though it cost us a bit of speed. As the boat surfed awkwardly down the waves, the only person who didn’t get seasick was my son. His reward for a truly stoical performance was seeing dolphins close up for the first time, as dozens of them played under Zelda ’s bow early on in the passage.

Even sailing locally on the Dart can throw up its own challenges, as I discovered one day when I set off on my own for an afternoon sail off Dartmouth. No sooner had I raised the sails than the engine conked out, and I discovered to my eternal shame that I had run out of diesel (the first time this has ever happened to me – honest!).

I carried on and enjoyed a long sail out to sea before heading into Dartmouth and back up to our mooring. It took me several hours of tense ducking and weaving between moored boats, as the breeze gradually faded, the tide turned against us and the channel got shallower.

With her shallow draft and tall rig, Zelda proved adept at this kind of sailing, inching her way to our mooring. And I discovered another advantage of her rig, as I goose-winged up the river, with the sails boomed out on either side, catching every last zephyr of wind. It’s early days, of course, and we’ve still got a lot to learn about the boat, but so far Zelda has proven that she’s a comfortable, easily managed family boat, which is exactly what we were looking for.

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Details and photographs are normally based on one specific yacht, but could be a compilation. No reliance should be placed on other yachts of the same class being identical.  Where common variations exist, we have endeavoured to indicate this in these archive details. (cat ketch) section for boats currently for sale Visit our Popular Forums Monohull Sailboats Multihull Sailboats Powered Boats General Sailing Antares Yachts Fountaine Pajot Lagoon Catamarans Cruising Business Boat Classifieds General Classifieds Crew Positions Commercial Posts Vendor Spotlight Life Aboard a Boat Provisioning: Food & Drink Families, Kids, & Pets Afloat Recreation, Entertainment, & Fun Boat Ownership & Making a Living Liveaboard's Forum Seamanship, Navigation & Boat Handling Seamanship & Boat Handling Training, Licensing, & Certification Health, Safety, & Related Gear Rules of the Road, Regulations, & Red Tape Engineering & Systems Const. / Maint. / Refit Product / Service Reviews Electronics: Comms / AV Electrical: Batts / Gen / Solar Lithium Power Systems Engines & Propulsion Propellers & Drive Systems Plumbing / Fixtures Deck Hdw: Rigging / Sails Aux. Equipment & Dinghy Anchoring & Mooring Photo Categories Member Galleries Life Onboard Sailing in the Wind Power Boats Cruising Destinations Maint. & Boat Building Marine Life Scuba Diving & Divers General Photos Recent Photos Listing Categories African Cats view more » Crew Wanted Crew Available Enhance Your Account Meet the Mods Meet the Advisors Signup for The Daily Cruiser Email   > > Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. 28-05-2009, 19:38   Boat: 82 Present, 13 ft dinghy 29-05-2009, 04:11   Boat: Samson C-Smoke 40, 42' LOA "La Rocca" from Nov. 07- Jan. '08 and enjoyed the very much. I think it was a 1985 Model (not the Wishbone boom). Very user friendly for single-handed sailing too. Have you read this piece? 29-05-2009, 04:32   Also try: 29-05-2009, 07:36   Boat: Nordhavn 5740 of possible . check out: . Practical Sailor also has on the Freedom 30 - 36 models. 29-05-2009, 07:49   Boat: cape dory 30 MKII 29-05-2009, 08:10   for ease of handling, you should also check out the Nonsuch 30 and 36. Excellent coastal cruising with a lot of room below due to the max beam being carried well forward and aft, but kind of pricey. 29-05-2009, 08:17   . They would surely sail as wellinto the as a cat though I would think.... Gentlemen never sail to anyway! 29-05-2009, 08:18   , which is the of all the J-boats, which are also cored with balsa throughout the and . I think a cored built by Tillotson-Pearson can be assumed to have been built very well with a lot of toughness and far less probablility of problems than most builders... they have probably built more cored than any other in the world. 29-05-2009, 09:28   . It's been on the market for 6 or 7 years. 29-05-2009, 09:48   some years ago with my Tanton 44 . (The Tanton has a 38 or 39 foot waterline.) We were both working our way upwind for a couple of hours into a light chop and about 15-18 knots of wind. My Tanton was under a 110% high cut lapper. He was not quite up to the task to windward, but flew along well when he cracked off a bit. Pretty similar to my experience with my 42 against a Perry designed 48 mono my friends owned. The cat got to the windward just a little late but was marginally competitive. The newer Freedoms with the little are likely better to . I love the simplicity of these boats, "just turn the where you want to go", low upkeep (little outside, no rigging) etc. You dont see many... but they seem to maintain a high .... not sure that makes sense! 29-05-2009, 16:50   Boat: Bristol 38.8 with a self-tending as well as a cat , do they not? 29-05-2009, 17:36   Boat: Lindenberg 26 & Aloha 8.2 , which is the builder of all the J-boats, which are also cored with balsa throughout the and . I think a cored boat built by Tillotson-Pearson can be assumed to have been built very well with a lot of toughness and far less probablility of problems than most builders... they have probably built more cored boats than any other builder in the world. 29-05-2009, 17:58   , i really like some of the older boats such as the 33 Bob Perry did a really bad writeup on its sailing qualities. Steve. 29-05-2009, 18:30   Boat: Freedom 32 (Hoyt) 29-05-2009, 19:03   Boat: Lindenberg 26 & Aloha 8.2 problems,i would have to say that 100% of the local j24s have wet decks. I have done a lot of recoring on the hulls of both of the local J35s so have had the opportunity to see how they were built and i can tell you that they did almost everything poorly,its like they were trying to make them not last and yet they have despite everything,there are many many many boats out there happily sailing with wet if not rotten cores with owners who are completely oblivious to the fact. Im sorry if i offended you but unless you have had one of these things cut open and actually have the knowlege to know what you are looking at you dont know what you are talking about. The reason j boats have been so sucessful has nothing to do with their build quality, the J35 is probably one of the best raceboat DESIGNS of that size ever, they cant even better it themselves,its still a POS. Now TP built some of the Deerfoots or Sundeers and while i have never inspected one i doubt if Steve Dashew would have allowed them to build crap for him,its possible the Freedoms are of better quality than the Js,i just dont know from personal experience. Steve. Thread Tools Rate This Thread : Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post gulfstar1 Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 6 14-05-2009 18:41 north stand Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 5 30-11-2008 08:57 esse0esse Monohull Sailboats 0 15-01-2008 19:06 ljsanz Meets & Greets 3 08-07-2007 19:01 - - - - - - - Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. Forum Listing Marketplace Advanced Search About The Boat Boat Review Forum SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more! Freedom 35 Cat ketch Add to quote I'm in the process of buying a used boat and found a boat that woke my interest. I'ts a Freedom 35 Designed by Gary Hoyt. Are there anyone out there who has any expeeience of such a boat ? You find more information here : FREEDOM 35 CAT KTCH sailboat on sailboatdata.com.. More than 6000 sailboats, sailing yachts, dinghies and sailing craft listed. The boat I'm looking at is this one : Freedom 35 ketch | Stockholm | Blocket The rigg is a spexial one I've never seen before so I have my doupts Juhani   to find our more information on Freedom boats I would suggest joining FreedomYachts.org • Index page where you will get a more informed answer ans support from owners of these boat.   Thanks, r.furborough I've explored the site. What I'm interested in is to find someone who actualy has experienced the Freedom 35 on sea.   That Freedom model was , in my opinion, the worst boat they ever built. It is very slow. A friend of mine, big John, tried to race one to Hawaii single handed. He is a very good sailor and he was the dealer for Freedom. I think he dropped out of the race after three days. I have another story about that boat's performance but I think you get my drift.   Which Freedom 35 are you speaking about? The original cat ketch with wrap around sails and wishbone booms is an exceptional sailing boat. Those with sails on tracks are not the same. I was CEO of the original builder in the UK, Fairways Marine. A Freedom 35 won the Round the Isle of Wight race beating 1,800 participants and won every race but one in the Solent series. Our sales director, Anton, sailed another 35 from Salcombe in Devon to the Hamble next to Southampton at an average of 9.2 knots. I bought another 35 in Scotland near Glasgow and sailed her to Gibraltar averaging 8.6 knots. I sailed all the first generation Freedoms (28/30, 33/35, 40/44 and 70). The dog as the 28. The 35 was the best in my opinion.   Thank You Bob Perry I assumed a performance issue when I saw the boat and it is now confirmed   Hani: Don't get me wrong. I am not anti Freedom rig and in fact I sailed the early Freedom 40 in the mid 70's and I was impressed. But that model just did not work and the rig was one one component of why that boat did not work.   ?             176.4K members Top Contributors this Month New Sailboats Sailboats 21-30ft Sailboats 31-35ft Sailboats 36-40ft Sailboats Over 40ft Sailboats Under 21feet used_sailboats Apps and Computer Programs Communications Fishfinders Handheld Electronics Plotters MFDS Rradar Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments Anchoring Mooring Running Rigging Sails Canvas Standing Rigging Diesel Engines Off Grid Energy Cleaning Waxing DIY Projects Repair, Tools & Materials Spare Parts Tools & Gadgets Cabin Comfort Ventilation Footwear Apparel Foul Weather Gear Mailport & PS Advisor Inside Practical Sailor Blog Activate My Web Access Reset Password Customer Service Free Newsletter Blue Jacket 40 Used Boat Review Catalina 270 vs. The Beneteau First 265 Used Boat Match-Up Ericson 41 Used Boat Review Mason 33 Used Boat Review How to Create a Bullet-Proof VHF/SSB Backup Tips From A First “Sail” on the ICW Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors Polyester vs. Nylon Rode Getting the Most Out of Older Sails How (Not) to Tie Your Boat to a Dock Stopping Mainsheet Twist Fuel Lift Pump: Easy DIY Diesel Fuel System Diagnostic and Repair Ensuring Safe Shorepower Sinking? Check Your Stuffing Box What Do You Do With Old Fiberglass Boats? Boat Repairs for the Technically Illiterate Boat Maintenance for the Technically Illiterate Whats the Best Way to Restore Clear Plastic Windows? Stopping Holding-tank Odors Giving Bugs the Big Goodbye Galley Gadgets for the Cruising Sailor The Rain Catcher’s Guide Sailing Gear for Kids What’s the Best Sunscreen? UV Clothing: Is It Worth the Hype? Preparing Yourself for Solo Sailing R. Tucker Thompson Tall Ship Youth Voyage On Watch: This 60-Year-Old Hinckley Pilot 35 is Also a Working… On Watch: America’s Cup On Watch: All Eyes on Europe Sail Racing Dear Readers Sailboat Reviews Though expensive, the Freedom 36 is a boat that sails well and is very easy to handle. Freedom Yachts were the invention of Garry Hoyt back in the early 1970s. An advertising executive and champion one-design sailor, Hoyt reached a stage in his life when he wanted a cruising boat, but he found the existing fleet ordinary and unsatisfactory. So—the story goes—he set about designing himself a boat. The result was the Freedom 40, an unusual-looking cruiser with a long waterline, conventional hull, and a peculiar wishbone cat-ketch rig. Hoyt marketed the Freedom 40 with the diligence and success you’d expect of an accomplished advertiser—claiming speed, quality, and simplicity of handling for his innovative-looking boats. In time he designed (often with the aid of professional naval architects like Halsey Herreshoff) and sold a whole line of Freedoms—a 21, 25, 28, 32, 33, and 44, as well as the original 40. At the time, Hoyt’s company was unusual—because Freedom Yachts was a “boatbuilder” that didn’t build the boats. Instead, Hoyt went to Everett Pearson, pioneer in the fiberglass boatbuilding industry and one of the founders of Pearson Yachts. Tillotson-Pearson took on the Freedom line, establishing a reputation for Freedom yachts as topend, high-quality production boats. Ultimately, Hoyt sold the company to Tillotson-Pearson. One of the first moves of the new owners was to revamp the Freedom line. The company commissioned new designs from California-based naval architect Gary Mull, well known for his race boats and his wholesome racer/cruiser designs like the Ranger 29 and Ranger 33 in the early 1970s. The Freedom 36 was the first of the Mull designs, and it was followed by a 30, a 28, and a 42. The 36 went out of production in 1989. The Mull-designed Freedoms share a profile that is rather different from the older Freedoms—with fewer curves and more sharp turns, most noticeable in the square, boxy cabinhouse that is remarkably reminiscent of a Ranger 26. The boats are generally plain and simple looking, with virtually no exterior wood trim. The most noticeable characteristic of the line continues to be the unstayed carbon fiber mast that had become a hallmark of all the Freedom boats. Most traditional sailors would describe the new designs as big catboats, with the enormous-diameter mast set well forward, but they do carry a vestigial jib and are technically sloops. All the new Freedoms are rigged with the aim of simple handling that has always been associated with the line. The Mull boats have also maintained the general concept of enormous beam and long waterline with almost no overhangs, and the boats have more interior volume for their length than almost anything else on the market. The major difference from the older boats is that the hull underbodies are thoroughly modern in the Mull designs, with flat bottoms, fin keels, and spade rudders. Hoyt originally tried to market the Freedoms directly to customers, but the company has since developed a widespread network of dealers which generally have a good reputation for servicing the boats they sell. The company has also developed a good reputation for responding to warranty problems and other customer complaints. For example, the Freedom 36 that we sailed for this evaluation had originally been sold to an owner on the west coast, and had developed some gelcoat problems on the deck. The company eventually replaced the boat with a new one—an incredibly rare occurrence among boatbuilders—had redone the deck completely, and then re-sold the boat to the current owner at a reduced cost. Similarly, while we were evaluating the 36, the owner received a package from the company with a kit to modify the lightning protection system in the boat. The new boats were being set up differently, and the builder thought the change was advisable for all boats. They provided retrofit kits—at no charge. On its latest boats, the company is also offering a 10-year warranty on the hull—even against gelcoat blisters—and a lifetime warranty on the spar to the first owner. While there has never been a boat line with no problems, buyers of Freedoms should have better expectations than most of successful dealings with the company. Hull And Deck Both the hull and deck of the Freedom 36 are fiberglass with a Contourkore balsa core throughout. There are potential problems with water absorption in both hull and deck of balsa cored laminates, with little way for the owner to guard against it except by depending on the integrity of the manufacturer. Tillotson-Pearson is one of the few companies that we would count on to produce a good, long-lasting hull in boat after boat. Basic construction is solid. The fiberglass itself is a laminate of E-glass mat and stitched unidirectional fiberglass, with vinylester barrier resins in the exterior layer of the hull below the waterline. The outside layer is an isophthalic gelcoat. Both the vinylester and the isophtalic resins are believed to provide the best protection against water absorption and blistering. This is a high-cost fabrication, but Freedom obviously has faith in it. One of the big advantages of balsa coring is the thermal and acoustic insulation it provides. Condensation problems inside the hull are greatly reduced, and the hull has a solid, quiet feel to it going through waves. The drawback of balsa coring is that one must exercise more care than normal when installing through-hull and through-deck fittings, for example being careful not to compress the whole laminate and allow for penetration of water. Cracks or other damage to the hull must be attended to promptly. The hull and deck are laid up separately and joined with an inward-turning flange on the hull on which the deck molding sets. An adhesive caulk, 3M-5200, is laid in the seam, and the joint is through-bolted with 1/4″ stainless bolts through an external aluminum toerail. We examined a number of hulls and found them generally fair, with no obvious problems. Exterior gelcoat work is generally good. Two keels are available—either a deep fin or a shoal draft fin. The 36 we sailed had the deep fin, which is an external lead casting, bolted to the hull. The shoal keel is encapsulated in a keel cavity and fiberglassed to the hull. If you can stand the draft, the deeper keel will be preferable in terms of performance as well as construction. Overall, the construction of the Freedom 36 is high-quality, with everything being done pretty much the way industry standards say they should be done. The single exception we found was not in the 36 but in a Freedom 28 we examined. The 28 had a chintzy plastic through hull fitting for a sink drain, with no seacock—an odd oversight in an otherwise well-built boat. The unstayed carbon fiber masts were quite radical when Freedom first used them, but they are well established and proven by now. They are laid up somewhat like fiberglass, with carbon fibers wound around a form and impregnated with resin. For equivalent strength, they are much lighter and stiffer than an aluminum mast. Under sail, it’s a bit shocking at first to see the mast bend in puffs, especially since it’s so tall (55′ 6″ above the waterline). But once you’re accustomed to that peculiarity, there should be little to worry about in terms of strength or longevity. We were unable to find any statistics or insurance figures on carbon fiber mast failures compared to aluminum mast failures, but we suspect the odds of a dismasting or other significant failure are no more likely—perhaps even less likely—with the carbon fiber than with aluminum. We are aware of at least one mast that was damaged in a lightning strike. The Freedom 36 was available with both a sloop rig and Freedom’s trademark cat ketch rig. Handling Under Power A three-cylinder 27 hp Yanmar diesel is standard. The engine is adequate, though certainly not oversized. Engine installation is well done, in a small compartment lined with a lead/foam sound deadener. Access to the engine is possible from the front by removing the companionway steps, and from the port cockpit locker by removing a panel. It’s hard to get at the Yanmar’s dipstick on the engine’s starboard side. There is a small screw-out port for access from the aft cabin, but the port is about a foot ahead of the dipstick. The boat comes with a solid two-bladed prop which most owners will want to trash immediately, replacing it with a folding or feathering prop. The boat we sailed had a three-bladed feathering prop, which not only lets the boat live up to its sailing potential, but also seems to improve backing power. A folding prop would be much cheaper, though motoring performance would not be as good as with the three-bladed feathering prop. It surprises us that companies which tout the sailing performance of their boats continue to fit them out with solid propellers. There’s almost nothing you can do that will degrade sailing performance more than carry an exposed, solid prop, especially when the wind turns light. With the three-bladed feathering prop, the Freedom 36 performs well. The boat backs out of a slip, goes where you want it to go in reverse, and powers easily to hull speed without overloading the engine. The engine is mounted slightly off-center so the shaft is at an angle to the centerline of the boat, and some people will tell you that this helps the boat track in a straight line under power. The 36 did track straight, but then most boats with centerline installations track straight, too. With the deep fin to pivot on and the spade rudder located way aft, the boat turns sharply. The large mast and the high topsides provide plenty of windage, but generally the Freedom 36 should be nimble enough to make handling in close quarters no problem. Handling Under Sail “Easy” is the key word in the company’s promotion of their sailboats. We found the mainsail a bit of a nuisance to hoist and lower, with the full-length battens fouling the lazy jacks, but other than that the boat is truly easy to sail. All the gear is of good quality. Halyards are led aft to the cockpit, through stoppers to self-tailing winches. The jib can actually be hoisted by hand, but the main requires the winch to raise it the last 10′ or so. Other controls (outhaul, reef lines, boom vang, cunningham) also lead to sheet stoppers in the cockpit. A neat feature is the “panel” for hanging the coiled lines, just behind the winches at the front of the cockpit. The mainsheet is a four-part tackle at mid-boom, running to a Harken traveler ahead of the companionway. Frequently, the mechanical advantage of a mid-boom sheeting arrangement is so low that mainsail trimming is hard, but we found we could handle the mainsheet by hand easily in winds up to about 12 knots. Thereafter, we used the winch. All winches are adequately sized, though self-tailers are an option that almost everyone will want. The non-overlapping jib uses a sprit that fits in a sleeve on the sail. The jib is self-tacking, with a single sheet that is easily controlled by hand. It is amazing how much speed the dinky little jib adds to the boat. Though the company’s literature talks about sailing under main alone, for performance you need the jib. Though we haven’t sailed a Nonsuch 36 and a Freedom 36 side by side, we suspect the Freedom will be noticeably faster, largely because of the jib. The pulpit-mounted spinnaker pole and the other spinnaker handling gear (all optional) are remarkable in making the spinnaker easy to hoist, jibe, and lower. Of course, the spinnaker is tiny for a boat of this size—closer to what you’d get on a J-24 than on a conventional 36′ sloop. Using the pole—which is pinned at the center so that it pivots on top of the pulpit—takes some getting used to, but once you figure things out it’s a lot easier than jibing a J-24. We raced the 36 in two PHRF triangle races to try her performance against more conventional boats. In most respects, we found the boat admirable. Full crew for the racing was two people, and in terms of performance per amount of energy expended, the boat was a clear winner. It is amazing how getting rid of a big jib lowers the activity required on a sailboat. We did find that the fully-battened main on the bendy mast required new skills, particularly going to windward. The sail has a very wide “slot” in terms of trim, and does not seem to stall out. We messed with the mainsail almost constantly, first trimming it as we would a conventional main, then dropping or raising the traveler, adjusting sheet tension, cunningham, and so on. The conventional wisdom concerning the rig is that it will not go to weather: you should foot off for maximum performance. But we found that we could point with most of the fleet, and the boat had a B&G Hornet system which kept telling us that our VMG was highest when we were pinching. Reaching is the boat’s strong suit—as you would want in a good cruiser—and the boat is a surprising combination of effortlessness and power. Handling, including sail trim, is a piece of cake, even with the spinnaker up. Running, the boat is a little sluggish, even with the spinnaker. We didn’t test the boat fully, but we suspect that jibing downwind on broad reaches may be faster than running dead down, at least in lighter air. Whatever the point of sail, the sailor used to conventional rigs will have to do quite a bit of experimenting and relearning to get the most out of the Freedom 36. In terms of absolute speed, the boat was a bit disappointing to us. We expected a little more than we got out of her long waterline. Her PHRF rating is 150, comparable to the speed of racer/cruisers of 10 years ago like the C&C 33 and 34, or the Pearson 10M. Our impression is that the boat will sail much faster than those boats on a reach, but quite a bit slower on a beat or a run. Her strongest performance will be in stronger winds rather than light air. There is not a lot that you can do about the fundamentals of yacht design, but we sort of expected that the boat would outsail a 15-year-old Mull design like the Ranger 33. In fact, it won’t. Of course, any passage on the Freedom will be much easier than on the Ranger, much less demanding, and much less tiring. But it won’t be faster, unless you can always make arrangements for a reach. Nonetheless, after our experience on the boat, we strongly recommend the Freedom 36 as a sailing machine, with the ease of sailing far outweighing any drawbacks. She is a pleasure under sail. You sail the Freedom 36 almost entirely from the cockpit, and it is big and roomy, with plenty of space to do the minimal chores of sail handling. The benches are wide and comfortable, long enough to use as outdoor berths. It’s not a T-shaped cockpit—one of the few straight cockpits we’ve seen recently, and we decided we sort of like that. There’s ample room for lounging about, and with a dodger and bimini it would be an excellent cruising cockpit. There’s a propane tank locker, and a cavernous portside locker that will be hard to use well unless you can figure out a way to subdivide it. Wheel steering is standard. The boat we sailed had an optional oversized wheel that simplified steering from the side decks, but made passage around the wheel difficult. From the cockpit forward to the mast, the Freedom is wide open. It would be an ideal working platform, though of course there’s little working of the boat to be done except from the cockpit. The nonskid of the decks and cabin top seemed generally mediocre. From the mast forward, the rig gets in the way of things. With the turret-mounted spinnaker pole, the spinnaker in its storage sock, and the wishbone in the jib, the foredeck is crowded. Anchor handling and docking are complicated by having to step over and around the gear, and we suppose many cruisers will think about not having the spinnaker equipment at all. To us, this congestion on the foredeck seems the one major shortcoming of the Freedom rig. Otherwise, the Freedom has a spacious, comfortable deck. As you might expect with the long waterline, short overhangs and wide beam, the area belowdecks is huge. We thought the size, especially the beam, might even be a problem under way, but found that that the boat is stiff enough that you should rarely be tossed about. The interior arrangement is fairly ordinary. A big forward cabin has a good V-berth which can be made into a comfortable double by using an insert in the V. There’s a bureau and hanging locker to starboard and a door to the head to port. Headroom is 6′ 1″ near the entry door. There is good stowage under the V-berth and in a small forepeak—in fact, this boat generally has more storage than is common in more conventional modern designs. The head is roomy, mostly a fiberglass molding, and has a second door to the main cabin. Opposite the head is another bureau and storage space. The main cabin is large, with an L-shaped settee around a table which folds up against the forward bulkhead. The table can be folded out so that the starboard settee becomes the outboard seat for an enormous dining table. There is good storage space behind both settees and beneath the port settee. Headroom is a true 6′ 4″. The galley is U-shaped, with deep sinks, a good dry-storage locker, a gimbaled stove with oven, an adequate icebox, and lots of storage space. A garbage trap in the aft bulkhead lets you drop stuff into a wastebasket stored in the cockpit locker. Now if someone would just come up with some similar way to store your returnable cans and bottles. Opposite the galley is a navigation table with a swing-out seat. Above the table is the electrical panel, and mounting space for most of the electronics. The aft cabin, mostly under the starboard cockpit seat, is also good-sized, with a bureau, hanging locker, and decent headroom just inside the door. Finish below is generally good—lots of teak veneer with a nice contrast in the ash battens used as hull ceiling. The cabin overhead is vinyl panels—OK, but a nuisance if you need to mess with the deck hardware fastenings. Ventilation is adequate, but would be minimal for offshore passages. You might want to look for the optional dorades to improve air movement below. Conclusions In general, we came away from the Freedom 36 with renewed respect for the work of Tillotson-Pearson. For us there’s no question of the quality of construction or general workmanship. Though high-quality, the Freedoms are plain. If you’re into hand craftsmanship or the sort of excessive teakwork that you find in the best Oriental imports, you probably won’t like the Freedoms, though their belowdecks joinery and finish is very good. In general, we also like the roominess and livability of the boat. In a 36-footer, it’s hard to imagine more space, or think of a way the space could be better used. In sailing, the strong point of the boat is ease of handling, and after our trials on the water, we have no reservations about the unusual rig—it works, and it works pretty well. In a 36′ cruiser, we might hope for a little more absolute speed, but the Freedom is no slouch. She will make smart passages, and make them easily. The major drawback, of course, is price, since the Freedom is on the high end of the price spectrum. With sails and a few “necessary” options like the spinnaker package, self-tailing winches, electronics, and refrigeration, the price of a new boat could easily have topped $110,000. And if you fully outfitted the boat, including things like customized interior fabrics, you could have quickly gotten the bottom line up to $125,000 or so—a lot of money, even for one of the biggest 36-footers around. For the price you got a good boat, with assurance of quality construction and a company that will stand behind its products. For many who’ve owned cheap boats, those characteristics will be worth paying for. Probably the most distinctive thing you’ll be getting in the Freedom 36 is the ease of handling. We can’t imagine how you could get a 36-footer that sails well and make it any easier to handle. A lot of the joy of sailing is making the wind work for you, and the Freedom 36 gives you more return for your labor than any other boat we’ve sailed. RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR I was surprised to find this article buried in practical sailor. Although written proximately 25 years ago, most of the information rings true today in 2023. The article as you would expect is fair and accurate. My Hoyt designed 32 is long in the tooth but surprisingly with few suggestions that would improve the boat. I’m in my last decade of sailing. Soon someone new will expound on my Freedom’s virtues I’ll leave room for that. LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply Log in to leave a comment Latest Videos Cabo Rico 34 Boat Review Super Shallow Draft Sailboat: The Leeboard Sharpie Hans Christian 41T – Boat Review Seven dead after superyacht sinks off Sicily. Was the crew at... Latest sailboat review. Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Online Account Activation Privacy Manager 359 IMAGES Freedom 35 for sale Hoyt Freedom 35 cat ketch archive details FREEDOM Yacht Photos Freedom Freedom 35 Cat Ketch 1985 Cruising Yacht For Sale in Dartmouth FREEDOM Yacht FREEDOM yacht for charter (Sunseeker, 35.2m, 2017) VIDEO The boat born of the 1979 Fastnet disaster Entering Bembridge by yacht Luxury Yacht Pescador 35 Yacht FREEDOM SALE!! Grady-White Freedom 335 Dual Console 2017 with Triple Yamaha 300 HP Outboard Engines COMMENTS USED BOAT: Freedom 35 This innovative wishbone cat ketch became popular in the 1980s for her speed, agility and ease of handling. Duncan Kent climbs aboard to see what makes her so different. Product: USED BOAT: Freedom 35. Manufacturer: Freedom. TAGS: Freedom Yacht review. Freedom 35 review. See the May 2016 issue of Yachting Monthly for the full test. Freedom 35 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 ... The Freedom 35 The Freedom 35 is a well-built, cruising boat which can be easily handled by a non-atheletic couple or single-handed. It affords nice creature comforts while maintaining an essential degree of privacy for two couples or a family out for a couple of weeks. The simplicity of the rig provides for a very uncluttered deck and excellent sailing ... Freedom 35 (Pedrick): experience sailing one Guest. May 1, 2021. #8. I have own the Freedom 35 (Pedrick) (1999) for 5 yrs- even with the large sail area with roach headed main, she is easy to sail singlehanded. Mine does not have the camber spar but has a self tending fractional jib. Nonsuch 36 vs Freedom 35 Two boats, similarly equipped, similar condition, sharing the common theme of un-stayed masts, the Freedom 35 with a swim platform/easy access transom - any experience with both to form an opinion on which direction to go if considering purchase? Coastal motoring/sailing, with the potential for a FL bound ICW in several years. Thanks in advance. Freedom 35 Some boats have the Hoyt boom jib, while others have an actual overlapping Genoa. Unfortunately, the 35 we were considering appears to be gone. A good guy to talk to is Mark Edwards at Cape Yachts. Mark was a program manager at TPI during the Freedom days. He knows the boats inside out. Mark DeDionisio Tartan 40 Sister Moon Oriental, NC Perry Design Review: Freedom 35 It is a trim 35-footer that has the famous Freedom freestanding rig and other design features that will appeal to veteran and beginner cruisers. The Freedom 35 under sail. Let's start with the interior layout. The Freedom 35 uses its volume to great advantage and gives us an interior layout that you wouldn't have found in 40-footers 20 years ago. Review of Freedom 35 Keel. The Freedom 35 has been built with different keel alternatives. Fin keel. One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel. The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.98 - 2.08 meter (6.50 - 6.80 ft) dependent on the load. FREEDOM 35 (PEDRICK) A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing", International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1991, states that a BN of 1 is generally accepted as the dividing line between so-called slow and fast multihulls. Freedom 35 Join Date: Jan 2012. Location: spain. Posts: 3. Freedom 35. hello, thinking of buying a freedom 35 build by fairways marine uk, doing her up for a blue water cruiser, do's anybody have any more info about that yacht, the good points and the bad ones and what i need to look at when i gone inspeckt her. many thanks ronny. 17-01-2012, 09:24. Review of Freedom 35 Cat Ketch CentreBoard. The Freedom 35 Cat Ketch is equipped with a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters. The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.98 - 1.08 meter (3.22 - 3.52 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below. 1999 Freedom 35 The Freedom 35 is rigged for short-handed sailing with great performance and a comfortable, cheerful interior. Equipment: Yanmar 3GM30F diesel engine. Kiwi feathering prop. Mainsail new 2013, jib new 2015, both lightly used. All lines lead to cockpit for easy short-handed sailing. Easy to furl mainsail with stackpac and lazy jacks, and two ... Freedom 35 Freedom 35. In the late 19805, Pedrick Yacht Designs produced this up-to-the-minute fast cruising hull and topped itwith an unstayed mast, fully battened main,and jib. The ... Boat reviews; Cruising guides; Forum; Videos; Galleries; Yachts for sale; Sell your yacht; Podcasts; YBW.com; Other ways to read. Digital editions; RSS Feeds; Get in ... Freedom 35 The Freedom 35 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass with a balsa core, and with wood trim. It has a free-standing (unstayed) fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a walk-through reverse transom with a swimming platform, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel or optional wing keel.It displaces 14,611 lb (6,627 kg) and carries ... Shakedown Sail in a Freedom 33 In desperation, I posted an ad on the Freedom Yachts Owners' page on Facebook, and two weeks later got a message that an 'American version' of the Freedom 35 was coming up for sale in Plymouth. It turned out that this was a Freedom 33 - exactly the same hull as the Freedom 35, but measured by the LOD rather than the LOA - built by ... Hoyt Freedom 35 cat ketch archive details Freedom 35 (cat ketch) Brief details: Builder: Freedom Yachts/Western Yachts: Combining a traditional, full-bodied and moderately heavy displacement long keel hull with an unstayed carbon-fibre wishbone cat ketch rig, the Freedom 35 is an unusual yacht. Designed to be easy to sail, Freedoms 35s are often found making long offshore passages ... Freedom Yachts Are Freedom Yachts considered high quality, long life and tough? ... I believe they are cored and if so you want a good survey of possible delamination. check out: Boats.com - Boat Review/Test: Perry Design Review: Freedom 45 Freedom 33 ... Freedom 35 sailboat: ljsanz: Meets & Greets: 3: 08-07-2007 19:01: Advertise Here. Recent Discussions: Freedom 35 boats for sale Find Freedom 35 boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Freedom boats to choose from. ... Reviews; Toggle Navigation. United States (English) Danmark - Dansk. Deutschland - Deutsch. ... 1995 Freedom 35. US$66,000. ↓ Price Drop. Edwards Yacht Sales | Melbourne, Florida. Request Info; Freedom Boat Reviews The latest Freedom boat reviews featuring first look videos, tests, specifications, and information resources. Explore. Back. Explore View All. Overnight Cruising; House Boats ... Perry Design Review: Freedom 35. Bob Perry. Aug 28, 2000. Pedrick-designed, attractive cruiser …Read More. Advertisement. Reviews / Cruiser (Sail) Perry Design ... Freedom 35 Cat ketch The original cat ketch with wrap around sails and wishbone booms is an exceptional sailing boat. Those with sails on tracks are not the same. I was CEO of the original builder in the UK, Fairways Marine. A Freedom 35 won the Round the Isle of Wight race beating 1,800 participants and won every race but one in the Solent series. Freedom 36 The company commissioned new designs from California-based naval architect Gary Mull, well known for his race boats and his wholesome racer/cruiser designs like the Ranger 29 and Ranger 33 in the early 1970s. The Freedom 36 was the first of the Mull designs, and it was followed by a 30, a 28, and a 42. The 36 went out of production in 1989. catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht