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I have / had a lightning protection on my F44. I removed part of it because we have no severe lightning here. There was a 3' aluminum spike on top of the main mast connected via heavy gauge cable to the keel. I would never use a seacock as exit point for current; suppose it melts! I also read that t...

The sails on my F44 go up and down smoothly, although they are quite heavy. I have Antal track and slides on the main and Tides Marine Strongtrack on the mizzen. However I have (fixed height) wishbones so there is no tension in the foot when the sails are partially down. It may be the case that your...

Here are some thoughts I gathered after a lot of reading on yacht design and sailing Freedom catketches since 1996. All Freedoms were designed with a freestanding rig in mind. The forces in a freestanding rig have to be taken up by the hull and deck structural box only. There is no compression load ...

Steve, If you have to completely re-rig I would consider all possible improvements to the original wrap around Freedom rig. Search this board, there are several discussions here about the combination of wishbones and single ply sails on (or without) tracks, which is what I feel is the optimum for bo...

Steve,

Rigging out a wraparound catketch is a bit of a job indeed, many things are different from sloops. But once set up, handling the sails is easy.

Hi Steve, Hope you don't mind I chime in. From the discussion I picked up that you have wraparound sails. I used to have an F33/35 catketch with wraparounds. My masthead had a swiveling arm bolted to the top plate, a steel rod extending aft, from which the halyard block hangs. The swivel arm ensures...

Polishing the outside with copper polish and a polishing machine may clear up your windows - although temporarily. I do my deck hatches this way every year.

Perhaps a bearing with a greater OD fits better into your stern tube. Or use epoxy putty to fill the void around the bearing (use release agent on the outside of the bearing!) As long as your shaft is smooth at the watertight seal on the inside end, a bit of wear wouldn't hurt, i think, although it ...

Roy, I used to have a UK built F33/35, so there may have been differences. I once replaced the cutlass bearing. As far as I remember, my cutlass bearing was brass on the outside, 6" long, had grub screws and lubrication holes to be lined up with the scoops on the keel sides. Some observations based ...

Salut Pierre-André,

There is an other Canadien on this board, Alain, who has an F39PH. He may be able to comment on your question. A link to the website of his boat: http://naiade5.cyberquebec.ca/

Best,
Michel