FreedomYachts.org

Hi all.

Pardon my ignorance, but I've always been somewhat vague on the relationship between displacement & weight.....

The nominal displacement figure quoted for the Gary Hoyt designed Freedom 33/35 cat ketch (centreboard version), is 5455Kg (12000lbs). Does anyone know what actual weight this translates to?

Also, could anyone tell me - is the ballast in these models all in the keel, or in the centreboard, or both?

And with regards lifting these - are there any definite no-nos in terms of where it is safe to lift from / place strops etc? Or any specific places that are particularly advised to lift from?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Moy, thanks to Archimedes, we know that displacement = weight. A boat will displace its own weight in water. However, to nominal you will have to add fuel, water, plus anything else not in the boat when originally delivered. Sorry can't help on stropping your 33/35, except for general issues, like avoid through holes and aim to be close to bulkheads.

Hello,

Weight is the same as displacement. There are many other 'tonnage' measures, mostly for commercial vessels.

I understand that the F33/35 has a lot of weight in the centreboard (half a tonne?) plus internal lead ballast giving a total weight/displacement as you state. The LK version has a lead keel external to the GRP moulding, attached with 'traditional' stainless keel bolts. On the hull you can just see where the centreboard would go. Fore and aft of the lead there are GRP sections making a fair profile, similar to an old-fashioned wooden fishing boat. The lead is allegedly rubbish recycled from old batteries and is sheathed in a thin GRP coating which is easily damaged but has no structural importance. The key thing is that the external keel itself displaces water, so adding to the total displacement of the boat, by maybe half a tonne.

The LK is notably stiff and stable as a result and it is all but impossible to dip the lee rail under sail. I've no experience of the centreboard boats but slinging them should be simple provided the centreboard is avoided. The lines are well 'V'-ed giving a strong shape and the GRP is all solid down there, no balsa.

Thanks Arrancomrades.

Definitely is balsa down there, though, rather than solid GRP - one of the skin fittings has been removed & the balsa core can be clearly seen.

I have a UK built F35 Cat-Ketch with centreboard. It has never been weighed accurately, but crane operators have suggested figures from a bit over five to around seven metric tonnes. The Channel Handicap System rating displacement is recorded as 6,100 kg. I generally ask for crane capacity of at least 8 tonnes, preferably 10.

The volume between the CB case and the saloon sole, for the length of the case, has glassed in lead ballast, and there is said to be about 500kg of lead in the centreboard itself. That figure is very believable when you raise it with a manual winch. The rest of the lead is said to be 2000kg or more, which is a very creditable balance ratio.

The hull is very stiff. When I had it stripped before being epoxied, the underwater hull was almost translucent, and it appeared to be balsa cored to within about 30cm of the keel. The hull is stiff enough that there is no significant flexion where support pads are placed when ashore. I generally place strops aft of the forward hatch, and just aft of the end of the main hatch. Obviously, one would avoid the CB, and not be so far aft as to allow the strop to slip into the cutout for the propeller.
We don't often have the luxury of a crane, more often a forklift or a submersible lift. We do tend to leave the masts up, but this presents little problem for the crane operator, as all the rigging can be held out of the way.

Mike. of Arran Comrades, is correct in saying they are very stiff when sailing. I would expect never to get the rubbing strake in the sea, let alone the rail. My personal opinion is that the boat should be sailed as upright as possible at all times, and not heeled more than 10º or 15º; any more needs one to free the sheets, tighten the outhauls, or, in extremis, reef. The P.O. of Castaway did once get knocked down to the extent of water coming aboard, but that was in mid-Atlantic during some rather rough weather, and there was no serious damage done. You will find a link on this site to the article he wrote in Yachting Monthly about it.

Thanks Castaway, for your very complete answer!

Hello

my Freedom 33 was weighed by a crane truck, 6000kg. The masts and the engine had been removed before.

.

This spring, the slipway crew said that the long-keeled Arran Comrades weighed in at approx 6800kg on launching with a fair amount of gear but little fuel or water aboard. Masts and all rigging except the frontsail included.