Rig and Sail Handling
The defining characteristic of the Freedom 35 is its freestanding cat ketch rig, and it rewards close attention. Two unstayed masts carry wishbone booms that function as sail guides rather than load-bearing tension members — nothing straining or groaning under compression. The self-tacking sails run on long tracks with a 3:1 sheet tackle per sail, meaning no winch is required to trim either canvas. Fourteen rope clutches are arranged in the cockpit, but this is simply seven control lines per sail duplicated — the system is more symmetrical than it first appears.
Designer Hoyt drew a direct analogy between his unstayed rigs and aircraft wing design: if a plane can support a 100-foot unstayed wing in 700-mph winds without failure, why not a yacht? Reports of a Freedom rig being lost at sea are essentially absent from the record.
Sailing Performance
On the water, the Freedom 35 earns its reputation for speed and agility relative to its era. The sail plan generates a displacement-to-length ratio of 198, placing the hull in moderate-displacement territory with enough power to move well in light air. The boat is particularly notable for ease of handling that does not depend on raw crew strength — a meaningful quality for shorthanded couples or aging sailors who no longer want to fight their rig. The freestanding masts and self-tacking arrangement mean tacking requires no sheet work from the crew, a significant practical advantage on a short-handed passage.
Hull and Underbody
The Freedom 35 carries a ballasted centreplate rather than a fixed keel, which gives the boat dual draught options between three and a half and six feet. This shallow-draft capability opens anchorages and tidal harbours that fixed-keel contemporaries cannot reach. The tradeoff is mechanical: the centreplate operates on a simple rope tackle and requires approximately 120 winch turns to haul back up after deployment — a significant physical task at the end of a long day that represents one of the boat's genuine ergonomic weak points.
Accommodations
Below decks, the Freedom 35 is best understood as a two-plus-two boat — ideal for a couple with occasional guests aboard for short passages. The saloon is functional and the galley is capable of feeding a larger group, but the centreboard case dominates the interior and takes some adjustment. Sleeping, washing, and sustained liveaboard routines for more than two people will feel cramped. The cockpit layout has a similar constraint: the U-shaped seating requires one side clear for companionway access, and the extended coachroof with binnacle further limits cockpit socialising space.
Known Issues and Considerations
The rig itself is not the concern skeptics sometimes assume — no Freedom rig failure in extreme conditions appears on record, and the unstayed masts have proven durable across decades of offshore use. The practical friction point is the centreplate retrieval system: a hard job at the end of the day as the review describes it, and an area where owners frequently look for mechanical improvement. The accommodations, while livable for a couple, do not scale gracefully to four adults living aboard for extended periods.
The Verdict
The Freedom 35 Cat Ketch is a genuinely original boat that delivers on its promise of low-load, shorthanded cruising with a rig that inspires quiet confidence once a sailor stops comparing it to conventional Bermudian architecture. It is not a boat for large social groups or sailors who need maximum interior volume, but for a couple seeking an ocean-rated passage maker that two people can sail without grinding winches or wrestling sheets, it remains a compelling and distinctive answer to the question of what sailing ought to feel like.
Pros
- Self-tacking rig handles without winches; genuinely shorthanded-capable
- Unstayed freestanding masts have a strong long-term reliability record
- Dual draught via centreplate opens shallow anchorages
- Moderate displacement and generous sail area deliver strong light-air performance
- Cockpit controls are logical once the duplication pattern is understood
Cons
- Centreplate retrieval requires significant physical effort via rope tackle
- Interior volume is limited for more than two adults living aboard
- Cockpit layout restricts socialising and through-traffic
- Centreboard case intrudes on saloon ergonomics
- The unconventional rig requires an open-minded crew and resale audience
