Freedom 36/38

[ScuzzMonkey]

I'm wondering if I can get some quick feedback from folks on the Freedom 36/38 line. I have picked over most of the threads that have discussed the somewhat unusual freestanding rig design, and that is mostly what people seem to talk about when they talk about these boats. I think I have made my peace with that aspect of the design.

What I am really curious about now is overall safety and stability. When I look at the stats and plug numbers into some of the publicly available sailing calculators, the boats come back with some disquieting numbers... high frequency roll period, high g acceleration, low comfort factor, a capsize screen over 2.

I have tried to find more commentary on how these things sail and people generally say that they sail well, but I haven't been able to find anything about how comfortable they are. I found one comment from one owner that suggested his was a little rolly, but that's it. My wife is super susceptible to getting seasick, so it's a real concern for us.

My question is, are these as uncomfortable as the numbers suggest, or is there something about the design that makes the formulas less useful with freestanding carbon fiber masts? Can anyone comment on how rough they ride in heavy seas?

Thanks!

[midnightsailor]

Welcome to Freedom ! I am the very happy owner of a Freedom 33 Cat Kethch with the Deep fin keel and Tall rig. I can't comment specifically on the Freedom 36 but in general, they are very well built and excellent sea boats. In my opinion, numbers are helpful but do not only not tell the whole story, they can also be misleading. So I would not put all my faith in them. What I can can tell you is that you can probably get alot of your questions answered at the Freedom Yachts owner website at FreedomYachts .org There are a bunch of really knowledgeable and very helpful folks there that can give you information on your particular yacht. Good luck and enjoy your new Freedom.
Rick

[ScuzzMonkey]

Thanks... I will check that out!

Just to be clear, we haven't bought it yet, I'm still poking around trying to clarify this stuff first.

[kwaltersmi]

I have never sailed any of the Freedom designs, so I can't comment on the rig or the numbers. The one Freedom 36 I did briefly check out had wet hull core around the aft thru-hulls. I mention this not to say wet core is a problem specific to Freedom yachts, but rather to make sure you're aware that at least the Freedom 36 had a cored hull. Obviously this isn't necessarily a bad trait, but different than many other production sailboats.

[ScuzzMonkey]

Thanks for the heads-up. I actually asked the broker about the hull coring, and she said she didn't believe it was cored. I did a little more digging and found something in another forum saying that some of them were and some weren't, depending on the year, but I don't know how much faith to put in that.

At any rate, it would be something to confirm at survey, if it gets that far.

[CrazyRu]

Mull designed Freedom36/38 is the best boat out of all Freedom line, IMHO. It does everything well. I have a friend with one and he is extremely happy.
All Freedom yachts are balsa cored. They need strong hull structure to support freestanding mast.
I don't know which calculator you used. I remember running F36 numbers a while ago and she looked good on papers too.
Practical Sailor reviewed F36 very favorably.

[ScuzzMonkey]

I am specifically looking at the numbers here:
The Freedom 36 - information for cruising sailors

And the plots found here:
Sailboat Characteristics

I double-checked and verified those calculations from the listed specifications using the always excellent Carl's Sailing Calculator.

Specifically, looking at the plots on the breakaway site, the 36/38 shows up as a real outlier versus the general constellation of boats there. The things that concern me most are the high frequency roll period and the high G acceleration rate... both things that are often nausea-inducing. She also fares poorly in the comfort factor but I have heard a lot of debate over that particular calculation so I'm prepared to discard it out of hand.

Now, I know calculations aren't sailing, but since I don't have the opportunity to go out on one in dicey conditions, the numbers are the most objective thing I have to go on at the moment. I'm thinking it could be possible that the unusual design blows the formulas, but I don't really know enough about them to figure that out on my own. So, I was hoping to get enough feedback from folks who have actually been out on them in a variety of conditions to comment. As I said, I did find at least one owner who thought his 36 was a little rolly in chop, which would seem to reinforce the numbers.

People say they are great boats and I totally believe it, but every boat has certain characteristics that can be problems for certain people. I just want to figure out if the Freedoms are more likely than average to send my wife chucking over the lee rail.

Oh, and I did get a follow-up from the broker today and they confirmed the balsa coring. So I'll have to get the surveyor to take a close look around the thru-hulls.

[ereiss]

You might want to find a copy of World's Best Sailboats by Ferenc Mate. He included a Freedom in the book.

Full disclosure, own a F38. Have never run numbers on it but find it a very comfortable boat with regard to its motion on the water and we sail in some real chop in Buzzards Bay.

I believe that my boat is solid below the waterline and then goes to a cored system, but only dealing with my geriatric memory at this moment.

Best of luck.

[ScuzzMonkey]

Thanks, Ed. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I'll take a look around for that book today, too.