Freedom 28 Cat Ketch Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is a hand-laminated fiberglass sandwich with an end-grain balsa core, and the deck is similarly built with hardware well backed up. The aluminum toerail and deck flange are fastened to the hull flange every six inches with 5/16-inch bolts and 3M 5200 sealant, which speaks to a methodical structural closure. Unlike many production boats of the era, the Freedom 28 has no interior liner except the shower pan in the head; bulkheads and furniture are plywood, secured by tabbing, and deck fittings are bolted through with fasteners exposed in the cabin for easy inspection. A bridge deck forms part of the main bulkhead, stiffening the hull while keeping cockpit water out of the cabin, and a slotted transom scupper drains large volumes of water quickly without admitting the worst of following seas.

Rig and Handling

Hoyt's cat ketch eliminates shrouds, stays, turnbuckles, chainplates, and associated parts, replacing them with two unstayed carbon-fiber masts — hefty tubes 6 1/2 inches at the base tapering to 3 3/4 inches, said to be as much as four times as strong as aluminum, and bolted to a beam above the ballast with steel angle brackets. All running rigging is led aft to the cockpit and tended by a single self-tailing winch, with a single-line reefing system and two sets of lazy-jacks to ease furling. Owners report tacking without handling a jib, and the mizzen weathercocks the boat so she readily heaves-to when reefed. Main and mizzen set wing-and-wing for balanced downwind work, and a staysail can be rigged between the masts for more area. Test sailors found her not especially close-winded and unable to bring booms amidships without sheet travelers, yet she foots well to weather and steered herself with the wheel locked in 12- to 15-knot gusts, making 5 to 6 knots with an easy motion.

Accommodations

Below, the boat is traditional and no-frills but generous for her length. The forward cabin has two 6-foot 6-inch berths joinable by an insert, with stowage beneath and a closing door. A U-shaped port dinette seats four and becomes a double berth, while a starboard settee of the same length provides another berth with a 50-gallon water tank and pump beneath. The large mizzenmast is stepped between saloon and galley, which some buyers may dislike, but partial bulkheads offer handholds and the teak-and-holly sole runs throughout. The L-shaped galley beside the companionway has a two-burner propane stove, a 5-cubic-foot icebox, and a deep sink, with twin 2-gallon propane tanks slung over the stern pulpit. The head to port has a vanity, lockers, and a 25-gallon holding tank ventilated by a Beckson port.

Known Issues

The mainmast, its collar, and a pair of heavy 10-inch mooring cleats and chocks greatly limit foot room on the bow when docking and anchoring, and fitting a windlass to that foredeck would be a challenge. The intrusive cabin mizzenmast may deter some buyers. The port seat locker is shallow by virtue of sitting above the quarter berth, while the starboard locker is deep and houses the manual bilge pump with access to the rear of the engine and transmission.

Refits and Ownership

The Yanmar 2GM diesel sits in a tight, sound-deadened box with primary access by removing the companionway ladder; a 16-inch two-blade prop is well matched. Initial models carried wrap-around sleeve sails and wishbone booms, later changed to conventional sails and booms, and Freedom offered wishbone spars as an alternative. The outboard rudder is virtually foolproof with an emergency tiller in a cockpit locker, and wide shroud-free sidedecks bordered by slotted-aluminum toerails make movement forward safe.

The Verdict

The Freedom 28 Cat Ketch is a well-conceived, robust boat with bluewater capabilities and a rig that offers simplicity, safety, and low maintenance conventional boats cannot match. It is a joy shorthanded in heavier weather, though some will miss the weatherliness of a sloop.

Pros