[PeteWeis]

Malcom. The Freedom 45 seems like a great choice. My only concern is in regard to the carbon fiber mast. Do you know if Freedom installed lightning protection?

Since the carbon fiber provides some resistance to lightning and a poor path to the water, the heat created by a lightning strike tends to weaken the mast by degrading the resin. There was a report of atleast one Freedom needing mast replacement after a strike.

Perhaps this is a very rare problem and not really a concern. I wonder if any other members of SailNet have knowledge regarding whether or not this is really a problem.

Another consideration is the tankage. Are the water and holding tanks plastic (preferable) or aluminum? If they need replacement depending on the age of the boat - how difficult is it to remove them?

Pete Weis