# freedom yachts



## dm567 (Jul 10, 2006)

I did a search on freedom yachts in sailnet and came back with nothing. I have a maximun length of 35 feet for the slip I'm getting. There are 32 foot freedoms designed by different people and then there is the 35 foot freedom. Which ones sail the best and how do they compare to the Beneteau's?


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## Dewey Benson (Jun 28, 2006)

Apples and oranges

How do freedoms compare to Beneteau's. They dont.

Beneteau"s compare to Jenneaus or Dufours or Bavaria's. Euro stuff conventional rig, decent production boats.

Freedoms compare to other Freedoms, unconventional rig, decent production boats.

Particulars on the sailing ability's of freedoms, ask http://list.sailnet.net/read/?forum=freedom
or other freedom nets (yahoo)

Dewey


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## dm567 (Jul 10, 2006)

What are the pros and cons of owning each? 

How do they compare in light wind, heavy wind?

Which ones would one feel more comfortable going beyond coatal cruising?


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## max-on (Mar 30, 2004)

Why are you only comparing Freedom and Beneteau? What kind of boat are you looking for, what type of sailing will you do, what are your priorities - performance, dock condo, budget?


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## CBinRI (May 17, 2004)

They are not the same kind of boats. It sounds like you need a good broker to help you find the right boat for you. I'm sure that people here will also will try to help if you tell us what you are looking for. Right now we only know the size of your slip.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Freedom Yachts (G. Hoyt & H. Herreshoff)*

Hello,

Freedom yachts come in three flavors. A small cat rig, catketches, and sloops. All have freestanding masts. Some masts are aluminum, some are carbon/s-glass, some are carbon-carbon (stiffest and lightest and most expensive).

The freestanding rig is the oldest one in sailing and it is no longer unique to Freedom in modern boats. It has its plusses and minuses. On the plus side, no wires to let go and ruin your day/life. On the minus side there are aerodynamic efficiency issues which can decrease the upwind performance of the rig. These rigs tend to cost the same as wire stayed rigs because of the materials used to construct them.

We sail among Freedom sloops today, they cannot go to weather with us, they match us on a reach, and they run away from us downwind under plain sail.

They are very well built boats, but we consider them unsafe offshore below decks because of a very very open accommodation plan.

We owned a Freedom 40 Catketch for 8 years. We loved the boat in every regard except up and down wind. These boats can go upwind with schooners, but not much better than that. The lack of jib, the fat mast, and the full hull shape forward all conspire to deliver poor upwind performance. The 40s were built for tradewind sailing so this was never an issue. Also they are tacking challenged. Usually we would wear ship or start the engine to push the bow through the wind if there was any chop at all.

Downwind they roll way to much for comfort and close to too much for on deck safety. Our friends with 33's tell us these are less of an issue for them because of a different hull design and proportionately slimmer masts. Still we saw a lot of them motoring upwind when we were.

We have returned to a conventional rig and are glad of it.

That said, our two friends with Freedom sloops are delighted with the boats. The folks who built them were committed to quality and now build the Legacy line of excellent power boats. Freedom still does a great job of supporting owners regardless of whether they are owner 1,2,3,4....

Generally these boats go for a price premium relative to the boats built for the charter trade. First they cost more to start with, Second those never in the Caribbean are in pretty good shape, Third is the name.

The proof is always in the pudding. There are Freedom sloops for charter and that is the very best way to decide for yourself.

Bitter End Yacht Club has 30s and other folks have the larger ones.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Nonesuchs also have a freestanding cat-rig. However, Nonesuchs have a distinctive wishbone boom as well, which makes them visibly different from the Freedoms, which have a standard boom in most cases.


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## Dewey Benson (Jun 28, 2006)

DynaMeme said:


> Hello,
> 
> Freedom yachts come in three flavors. A small cat rig, catketches, and sloops. All have freestanding masts.


Four flavors: I own a freedom 39 cat SCHOONER, designed by Ron Holland.

She tacks without fail in chop, swell, and flat water. She will go to windward with any pure cruiser and will sail upwind with most racer/cruisers. She is very pinched at 30 degrees but will sustain that in shelterd water. At 40 to 45 degrees shes a greyhound. Havent had any heavy air runs yet but shes a pussycat in 20 knots downwind. This model was made from 82 to 86 and slightly later from the UK licensee.

Dewey


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Five*

True enough! There were two schooner models (but few of them). A pilot house and a coach roof version. I have zero experience with the coach roof one other than having seen it. The pilot house version that sails up toward Baltimore seems to sail about the same as the catketch.


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## dm567 (Jul 10, 2006)

Does anyone have any experience with the Freedom 35 specifically? and what years was it made?

Doesn anyone have any experience with the 32 by Mull and the earlier 32 by Hoyt? What years were they both made? How do the two compare?


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## SailorMitch (Nov 18, 2005)

*Faith where are you?*



dm567 said:


> Does anyone have any experience with the Freedom 35 specifically? and what years was it made?
> 
> Doesn anyone have any experience with the 32 by Mull and the earlier 32 by Hoyt? What years were they both made? How do the two compare?


Send a private message to Faithab. She and her husband just bought a Freedom 35.


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## dm567 (Jul 10, 2006)

OK I will.

Any Freedom 32 hoyt or mull owners out there?

Dominic


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## Jim H (Feb 18, 2006)

Not a 32, but I did look at a Freedom 38 today at

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...units=Feet&access=Public&listing_id=1880&url=

I was wondering if the interior wasn't a bit wide-open for off-shore, and it also has a shoal draft of only 4' 6". Quality looked good, and it was funny that it only had two primary winches (or 2 winches period). It was also strange to walk around decks that had no shrouds...

Jim H


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