Freedom Yachts
 | |
| Industry | Sailboat Builder |
|---|---|
| Fate | Defunct |
| Founded | United States (1976) |
| Founder | Garry Hoyt |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Rhode Island, United States |
| Products | Sailboats |
Freedom Yachts was the maker of the Freedom (sail) and Legacy (power) yacht brands. The Freedom sailboats have unstayed rigs, meaning that the mast is freestanding and not supported by the normal set of wires called standing rigging. Garry Hoyt, a champion sailor and noted maverick, created the unstayed rigs to give "freedom" from the inefficient sail shapes of traditional sloop rigs as well as to give "freedom" from the compression and maintenance issues associated with standing rigging. A known issue with this style of mast, however, is that in rough seas it can break loose, causing a potential holing (pounds through the bottom of the hull). This is commonly due to the tangs that hold it in place failing. The masts are made of carbon fiber and are set well forward on the boat. This means most of the sail area is contained in the mainsail. Jib sails can either be overlapping or self-tending.
Gary Hoyt founded Freedom Yachts in 1976 with the Freedom 40. He sold Freedom Yachts to Tillotson-Pearson in 1985 after some slow years. He used naval architects from the Herreshoff design offices for his early designs and in the early '80s commissioned a 39 feet pilothouse design from Ron Holland. Tillotson-Pearson brought Gary Mull on board as designer for a new series of great sailing but awfully conventional looking boats. David Pedrick designed for the (again) new owners starting in the mid 90's after Tillotson-Pearson Composites sold the yacht division off.
Models
- Freedom 20 Gary Mull - Freedom Independence
- Freedom 21 Hoyt Cat-ketch w. light air Jib option. Gun-Mount Spinnaker. Shoal or deep fin keels.
- Freedom 24 Bill Tripp Cat Sloop
- Freedom 25 Hoyt Cat boat with Wing-Mast & Gun-Mount Spinnaker. Fin keel.
- Freedom 25 Hoyt Cat Sloop with conventional boom, small jib option & Gun-Mount Spinnaker. Fin keel.
- Freedom 27 F25 looking boat in UK market ??
- Freedom 28 Hoyt/Jay Paris Cat-ketch (main mast far forward). Wrap around sails and Wishbones at first - conventional booms later. Full keel, with additional shoal keel add on.
- Freedom 28 Gary Mull Cat Sloop (1986) Gun-Mount Spinnaker.
- Freedom 29 Hoyt Cat Sloop, Gun-Mount Spinnaker.
- Freedom 30 Gary Mull Cat Sloop w. Gun-Mount Spinnaker (1986).
- Freedom 30 Hoyt UK Freedom 28 stayed in production longer.
- Freedom 32 Gary Mull F30 Cat Sloop with an added Sugar Scoop, Gun-Mount Spinnaker
- Freedom 32 Hoyt Cat Sloop, Gun-Mount Spinnaker.
- Freedom 33 Hoyt/Jay Paris Cat-ketch. Mainmast far forward. Wrap around sails and Wishbones at first - conventional booms later. Shallow full keel with Centerboard, later (full-time) Fixed Keel add-on, there were supposedly a few Fin Keels. Wrap around sails and Wishbones at first - conventional booms later.
- Freedom 35 Hoyt UK same as Freedom 33 US, stayed in production longer.
- Freedom 35 David Pedrick 1993
- Freedom 36 Gary Mull Cat Sloop or Cat-ketch, Gun-Mount Spinnaker
- Freedom 38 Gary Mull - Same as 36 but with sugar scoop swim platform
- Freedom 39 PH Ron Holland - Pilothouse Cat-Schooner
- Freedom 39 Express Ron Holland - A Cat-ketch version of the original Freedom 39 Pilothouse
- Freedom 40 Hoyt/Herreshoff Cat-ketch 1976
- Freedom 40/40 David Pedrick Cat Sloop
- Freedom 42 Gary Mull Cat Sloop
- Freedom 44 Hoyt/Herreshoff Cat-ketch
- Freedom 45 Up to #54 Gary Mull - Same as 42 but with sugar scoop
- Freedom 60 (66?) Hoyt Prototype 3 Masted Cat schooner/ketch. Wrap around sails and Wishbones.
PHRF handicap Based on Southern California Buoy Rating
- Freedom 25 - PHRF 204
- Freedom 21 - PHRF 228
- Freedom 30 - PHRF 168
- Freedom 35 - PHRF 135
- Freedom 35 WK - PHRF 144
- Freedom 38 - PHRF 132
- Freedom 39 - PHRF 198
- Freedom 39 PH - PHRF 138