And now, the Freedom 39

Some of the best parts of this is seeing interesting boats of all types and sometimes, if we aren't dealing with brokers, the actual owners.

In the case of the Freedom 39 we saw on Easter Sunday, it was a double whammy.

The boat is very interesting.  It is an unstayed rig in a cat/schooner (the mizzen, or rear mast, is taller than the foremast) configuration.  To top it off, the masts are unstayed.  That means that, unlike most conventional sailboats, there are no stays, or guy wires supporting the masts.  In this case each mast is a huge, hollow, carbon fiber and fiberglass pole, supported by the reinforced deck and set against the bottom of the hull.  This is an extremely cable and simple boat.

The really nice thing about this rig is how easy it is to single hand. Everything is led back to the cockpit; everything.  There are only two winches necessary to run the entire boat and they both reside under a very nice dodger and bimini.  If you are going to windward (sailing upwind) you set the sails and basically don't have to touch them again.  You just tack with the wheel and the sails self-tend all day.

All in all it was a wonderful visit with the owners.  The man who owns her is very knowlegable and helpful.  He seemed quite honest about his boat and was more than willing to spend as much time as we wanted talking about the boat, sharing his stories, and just sitting about.

As we left, we were struck with the thought of not getting this one if we want it but, Kerry said, "Maybe we haven't gotten an offer because we haven't found the right boat for us yet."

I found it funny, the coincidence between the brand of the boat and the name of our little adventure.

Who knows?  Maybe it will be our boat.  I think we can honestly do a lot, lot worse than this one.

Here is what we have looked at so far (that are acceptable) in our search for a liveaboard cruiser:

Ta Shing Baba 40
Price: 90K
Pros: price, seaworthyness, interior, honest private seller, good sail inventory, blue water capable and proven, price
Cons: teak decks need recalking, a little dirty outside

Hardin 45 Ketch (3)
Price: 110-140K
Pros: Roomy (did I say roomy), great decks, good rigging, nice lines, good engines all, awesome engine access, blue water capable with window covers.
Cons: boutique boat, one had teak decks, proud owner$, full keel

Hunter 380
Price: 111K
Pros:  clean, bright, well equipped, modern, great coastal cruiser
Cons: owner i$ very proud of boat, not necessarily good for leaving the coast, not as roomy as the others.

Morgan 43
Price 114K
Pros: fairly modern, in good shape, clean, well laid out, fairly handsome
Cons: ignorant broker, obvious stern damage from being backed into a dock that broker said, "oh really, where?", once had 6" of water over the sole of the aft cabin (why?), huge mast dead center in salon, some slightly worn and broken pieces.

Freedom 39' Schooner/Cat
Price: 115K
Pros: excellent condition, great single handing rig, almost as much room as the hardin, good decks, good engine, well equipped, blue water capable, free standing masts, awesome private sale owners
Cons: free standing masts (some see it that way), heavily crazed windows (but owner will fix if price is fair), and that's it...except for the fact that the company is out of business.  So, where do I get a replacement mast again?

Franck/Seaborn Raised Salon (52')
Price: 119K
Pros: unique, beautiful, masterpiece, floating museum piece, one family owner, immaculately maintained, fast sailing boat, blue water capable with salon window reinforcements, price
Cons: wood construction, length, single handing ability in question, odd berting layouts, 8' draft.

Hunter Legend 40.5 (not seen this one yet)
Price: 119K
Pros: one owner private sale liveaboard boat, well equipped, known history, clean, modern, good coastal cruiser
Cons: not many aside from being a Hunter in some eyes