FreedomYachts.org

good morning everyone,
I am the proud new owner of a Freedom 35 cat ketch. The yacht is located in Brittany, France. (I live in Brussels, Belgium)
her old name is "Lazy May" and I have renamed her "Louma".
I am enclosing some pictures, which I am a bit worried about.
if you have any advice or other repair pictures I am very interested. thank you.
On the pictures you can see:

1_ storage and condition of the anchor chain, the chain does not have a special compartment for storage, I plan to make one.
on this photo you can also see that the hull is thinner at the bow, you can see in transparency that there is no balsa on the 30 cm (1 foot) of the bow... is this normal?

2_ the daggerboard, it looks like it's shifted on one side and that the system that holds the tubes is a bit damaged... is it serious?

3_ rudder, the ball joint is very rusty and I don't know where to buy a stainless steel one?

4_ the rudder has a lot of cracks, could water have got into it?

I live in Brussels, Belgium

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suite photos

suite photos

suite

derniere photo

Your centreboard: it looks as though someone has already been at your CB bearing; it's very shiny! I had mine replaced about ten years ago, when the boat was 25 years old. The tube which forms the bearing was worn and rusty looking. There were a couple of nylon washers either side of the board, too (seen here behind the tube), which are not visible on your boat.
The bearing surface on the board itself wears, too. It is a nylon sleeve, which I had replaced. The next picture shows the original still in situ.


I have no idea where you might get another connector for the steering rod/rudder ball joint; is it entirely beyond refurbishment? Though I do have a spare, it is in another country, and, unkindly, I feel I need to keep it. When I get back to the boat, I might be able to measure dimensions, if that would be any help?

It's probably worth sealing the cracks in the top of the rudder. It may be that the only reliable way to test for water ingress would be to drill a small hole low down, and see if anything comes out. I have never dared to look. What happens to the water that gets into the hole for the emergency tiller?

I am interested to see you have a WindPilot, too (much newer than mine). Where do the control lines come on board? On Castaway they are run through the scupper, either side of the rudder, led through small blocks there and just aft of the steering pedestal, then up to the wheel drum. You don't seem to have such blocks.

The UK F35s were moulded in the Isle of Man by a firm called Applecraft. They sent me a sketch of the CB fitting, which I append, if this helps.

Hatuey,

nice boat, what a great feeling to own a new vessel and yes... then comes the work required! Concerning your balljoint, I am sure you could rescue it, assuming you can detach it. Suggest a good clean followed by some phosphoric acid to stabilise the surface and a few of coats of a good zinc based primer before paint. Mask of the ball joint obviously. For that I would recommend Top 2000 a great longtime grease that is incredibly sticky. In the past I have used it on a prop, to avoid barnacle growth, which I found to be better than anti-fouling. Unless you can replace it in stainless, it'll probably be a regular maintenance item.

For the rudder I think you are looking for a "Ball Joint Rod End" made of stainless steel. I can't say if this will meet marine corrosion standards but you can find them here:
https://www.mcmaster.com/rods/rod-ends- ... ess-steel/

This is where I get a lot of my hardware.

Hatuey,

Nice boat, finish is very like my own was when I bought it, but I don't have centreboard.

The ball joints are a standard fitting but very expensive. I got two from Cliff Mogridge who you will find with Google. They have a non-metallic bearing surface which eventually wears away and then they make a 'click' noise and are loose which is bad for everyone, especially the skipper.

Getting them off may be very difficult. I used heat and a gear puller, but it's hard to find one that fits. I had to destroy the one under the pedestal to get it off after removing the whole steering system - a horrible job.

If you want to remove the rudder or work on the ball joint, it may sometimes be easier to remove the 'tiller' at water level - held on by six bolts. It is very important to get the turns exactly right when putting the tiller back on.

Have fun, Mike.

Hatuey, hello again.

The rudder is probably full of water and can never be repaired properly, but it is very strong. A good GRP boatyard cut the side off mine and dried it out and put it together again but we both know that it will go bad again. The stainless steel inside was OK.

Don't try to fix everything in the first year. Enjoy some sailing too.

I remember Lazy May being on the market around 1999 but she was sold before I could look at her.

Keep Safe, Mike.