Freedom 39 PH survey, things to watch out for?

[monroe]

Hi,

We are in the process of buying a Freedom 39 Deck Salon (same as pilot house, but no inside steering or aft head). Survey found some moisture in spots on the deck, but no rot, and some moisture on the port side in line with the main mast, which might be from a through hull or former through hull. Thoughts?

Engine is the original Perkins with 3200 hours on it. Looks to be in good shape, we are having a diesel mechanic go over her. Anything to watch out for?

Anything else we should be concerned about?

Thanks,

Doug Monroe
(soon to be) S/V Spartan
Left Coast USA

[OldRover]

Sorry for the late response. I found the hull and deck structure to be very well made. Mine was hand laid up in th engineering facility, but those from the manufacturing house should be about the same. If anything, the fiberglassing often seems to be overly thick. All of the factory thru-hulls are properly done - complete fiberglass with no exposed core. I had some issues with the transponder thru-hulls. I am guessing added after the factory since these were straight holes and required some re-coring. Also, fairly common with many boats of any manufacture, the through decks were cut and not properly sealed. I had concerns with some major cracking on the foredeck. The surveyor said it was solid. I wound up cutting back to about a foot aft of the foremast. All coring was saturated due to imprperly installed windlass and relocation of the bow rail. Not Freedom specific issue although the extra thick deck 'glass 'fooled' the surveyor.
I have found two big issues with the 39PH molds. The toerail weep holes were incorrect. The deck portion falls about a half inch short of the hull mating flange. It appears the factory packed the gap with resin but no structure which results in cracking over time. The leaks run down behind the aft berth in line with the porthole and behind the cabinet in the aft head (not sure how the dressing room is laid out) and is often not noticed beyond the presence of mold. Similarly there was a through deck knockout provided probably for diesel fill located in conflict with the center bulkhead. These knockouts (both sides) were also packed with resin and no structure. Over time they crack and leak directly on the bulkhead and behind the nav station. This also required re-coring about a foot on each side deck.
The large glazing of the pilothouse should also get a mention. Due to the size of the glazing, leaks occur overtime from thermal expansion. A folks have said they should be resealed every few years. Here again the leaking may be very small, track under headliner, and go unnoticed except for some odd mold, sagging headliner, dark spots on cabin components...
I have also observed some leaking below the cockpit. Most likely it is due to helm mounting and/or emergency tiller plate. I've heard a few others with the same and know of one who had to re-core the cockpit sole.
The only other Freedom specific item is the masts. It seems almost impossible to locate a surveyor capable of assessing the carbon fiber masts. The best will run a camera down the interior. Sometimes a lightning strike can leave the exterior pretty much pristine but cracking or chipping internally is harder to confirm.
Personally I have found my freedom to be very well built and due to its uniqueness, definitely worth the love and attention required (and mine was in rough shape).
As a friend once said to me, a cannonball hit is pretty easy to see, its the little things that tend to creep up on you.