Freedom 44 - Opinions and thoughts please

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1

Posted by Scott Stachel (scottstachel@…>)

Hello. I sailed on a Freedom many years ago, and really liked the ease
of the sail plan, and all that extra deck space. I am now looking at
buying my first sailboat and living the dream of blue water cruising
and living aboard in warmer climes. I will often be sailing by myself,
or with one other person. There are a number of 80s-era Freedom 44s
currently for sale in a price range I can relate to, and I wonder if
this might be a good boat for me. I would greatly appreciate any
advice on the advantages and disadvantages of this boat, with regard
to its sailability, including upwind and downwind capabilities;
utility as a strong cruiser and liveaboard; known quirks and problems;
design, cost, and maintenance issues; and what I should look for and
look out for when assessing them, including during survey. Thank you
so much for any and all responses.

Scott

2

Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)

Hi Scott, I’m sure some of the 44 owners will pop in with their
opinions on this, especially Michel, but I used to own the 40 Cat
Ketch aft cockpit version, and I loved it.

In general, none of the cat ketches will be stellar upwind
performers, mostly because of the cat aspect of the rig. The 44 has a
better shaped underside than the 40 - keel and rudder are somewhat
more modern than the full keel/barndoor rudder of the 40, which will
help. On all other points of sail, however, the cat ketches rule the
day still, with excellently balanced sail plans, ease of handling,
and wicked speeds. I had hoped to do the Marblehead - Halifax in my
cat ketch; unfortunately I sold it before I had the chance. However,
a rather well known 44 called “Frog Kiss” did extremely well many
times in the Bermuda 1/2, which is not all reaches.

As far as design, the only ‘flaw’ as I see it is the upwind ability,
but if you want to sacrifice some ease of handling, you can figure
out ways to fly even a small jib that will help create a slot for
pointing. For most freedom owners, this is too much work :wink:

I believe the 44 had several interior layout options - my wife didn’t
like the layout on the one we looked at, but that’s a matter of
preference. I think that if you find one that is in good condition,
you will be very happy with it. Areas of concern at this point in
their lives is probably the same for any boat - sail age, how many
hours on the engine, electrical system ‘upgrades’ and navigation
equipment. All of these are fixable issues.

Good luck in the hunt!

Lance
F45 “Glory”
— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Scott Stachel
<scottstachel@…> wrote:

Hello. I sailed on a Freedom many years ago, and really liked the
ease
of the sail plan, and all that extra deck space. I am now looking
at
buying my first sailboat and living the dream of blue water
cruising
and living aboard in warmer climes. I will often be sailing by
myself,
or with one other person. There are a number of 80s-era Freedom
44s
currently for sale in a price range I can relate to, and I wonder
if
this might be a good boat for me. I would greatly appreciate any
advice on the advantages and disadvantages of this boat, with
regard
to its sailability, including upwind and downwind capabilities;
utility as a strong cruiser and liveaboard; known quirks and
problems;
design, cost, and maintenance issues; and what I should look for
and
look out for when assessing them, including during survey. Thank
you
so much for any and all responses.

Scott

3

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

Hello Scott,

I concur with Lance’s remarks.

I have an F44 since two years and currently ending a two year refit
project. Let’s start with saying I’m not good at objectively judging
the F44. I just like this boat so much!

A couple of thing on the negative side of the F44: For a liveaboard,
it’s not the ideal boat. F44’s are narrow (only 12’) so they keep
good steerage under heel, but the interior space is limited for a 44
footer. The transom is classic and narrow, so there is no space for
spacious aft cabins under the cockpit. Lots of storage in the lockers
though. The flush deck design is beautiful with its curved deck, but
limits below deck space and makes the cabin quite dark. On the plus:
you can store a hard dinghy and a kayak with ease.

The cockpit is huge and designed for warmer climates. And you need a
large bimini.

Handling under sail is a dream and single handing is no problem at
all. I feel that upwind performance is not that bad if you know how
to use a cat rig (don’t sheet in too much). The narrow beam and the
underbody helps upwind speed as well. The underbody makes for a very
easy, comfortable yacht that does not heave and pound much in a
seaway. It’s save because of the deep cockpit and sail handling is
all from the cockpit.

There are indeed a few f44’s on the market. Some of them are on the
market for more than three years now. I guess these boats are somehow
not good. Owners have mounted a lot of ugly structures to some boats,
hampering their sale. Some have very unusual self built interiors. I
would first have a look at Dai Sei in the BVI. I think that’s the
best boat currently on the market. Remember all these boats are more
than 25 years old, so a lot of systems will have to be replaced,
adding substantially to the cost. Owners that have had their boats on
the market for more than a few years will probably not have invested
in maintenance. I believe Dai Sei is now sold by the first owner, a
guy who won quite a few races with her.

Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to know more.

Michel Capel

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Scott Stachel
<scottstachel@…> wrote:

Hello. I sailed on a Freedom many years ago, and really liked the
ease
of the sail plan, and all that extra deck space. I am now looking
at
buying my first sailboat and living the dream of blue water
cruising
and living aboard in warmer climes. I will often be sailing by
myself,
or with one other person. There are a number of 80s-era Freedom
44s
currently for sale in a price range I can relate to, and I wonder
if
this might be a good boat for me. I would greatly appreciate any
advice on the advantages and disadvantages of this boat, with
regard
to its sailability, including upwind and downwind capabilities;
utility as a strong cruiser and liveaboard; known quirks and
problems;
design, cost, and maintenance issues; and what I should look for
and
look out for when assessing them, including during survey. Thank
you
so much for any and all responses.

Scott