Mull’s brief called for a more conventional-looking boat than Freedom’s earlier freestanding-mast catboats. Even so, the 36 retained the unstayed carbon-fiber spar that had become a hallmark of the brand, pairing it with a voluminous, thoroughly modern hull.
Design and Construction
Mull drew a broad, beamy hull: 12 feet 6 inches of beam on 36 feet 5 inches overall, with a 30-foot-7-inch waterline. The underbody is flat-bottomed, with a fin keel and spade rudder rather than the older style.
Buyers could choose between two keels. The deep fin has an external lead casting bolted on, while the shoal-draft fin is encapsulated and glassed in. The shoal keel draws 4 feet 6 inches and the deep keel 6 feet.
The hull and deck are fiberglass, with a Contourkore balsa core throughout. The laminate combines E-glass mat and stitched unidirectional fiberglass. Below the waterline, the exterior hull layer uses vinylester barrier resins, while the outer finish is an isophthalic gelcoat.
Hull and deck are laid up separately, then joined on an inward-turning flange with adhesive caulk and 1/4-inch stainless bolts through an external aluminum toerail. Freedom backed the hull with a 10-year warranty against gelcoat blisters and gave the first owner a lifetime spar warranty.
Rig and Handling
The defining feature is the convenience-oriented rig built around a tall, unstayed carbon-fiber mast, which rises 55 feet 6 inches above the waterline. Freedom offered the 36 as either a sloop or a cat-ketch. Their total sail areas are about the same: roughly 685 square feet for the sloop and 682 square feet for the cat-ketch.
The sloop is effectively a large catboat, with its mast well forward and a vestigial, self-tacking jib on a sprit that sleeves into the sail. Mull noted that the sloop would be closer winded, while the ketch might have an advantage off the wind.
A four-part mid-boom mainsheet leads to a Harken traveler ahead of the companionway. Halyards run aft through stoppers to self-tailing winches. With an SA/D of 19.34 and a PHRF of 150, the Freedom 36 is an easy-handling coastal cruiser rather than a racer.
Accommodations
Below, the 36 is large and well laid out, without relying on clever tricks. The forward cabin has a V-berth that converts to a double with an insert, and headroom at the door is 6 feet 1 inch.
The main cabin is spacious, with an L-shaped settee arranged around a table that folds against the forward bulkhead. Headroom is a full 6 feet 4 inches. The U-shaped galley includes deep sinks, a gimbaled stove with oven, an adequate icebox, and a garbage trap leading to the cockpit locker.
Opposite the galley is a fore-and-aft navigation table with a swing-out seat and a wet locker aft. A two-door head serves the saloon. The aft cabin, tucked beneath the starboard cockpit seat, has a bureau, a hanging locker, and decent headroom.
Interior finishes include teak veneer, ash battens used as ceiling, and vinyl overhead panels.
Engine, Systems, and Cockpit Stowage
The standard engine is a three-cylinder 27 hp Yanmar diesel. It sits slightly off-center, with the shaft angled toward the centerline, in a small compartment lined with lead/foam sound deadener. Access is available from the front through the companionway steps and through a panel in the port cockpit locker.
Wheel steering is standard. The boat also comes with a solid two-bladed propeller that most owners will want to replace.
The cockpit includes a propane-tank locker and a cavernous portside locker. The latter needs to be subdivided before it becomes genuinely useful.
Known Issues
The Yanmar’s dipstick is difficult to reach on the engine’s starboard side. A tiny threaded access port from the aft cabin provides only limited access.
At least one carbon-fiber mast has been damaged by a lightning strike, a real consideration with an unstayed composite spar.
The Verdict
The Freedom 36 is a thoughtfully modern cruiser that traded the eccentric appearance of earlier Freedoms for Mull’s clean, volume-driven hull while retaining the low-effort unstayed rig. It’s a straightforward, roomy coastal boat with a well-built, balsa-cored shell and a genuinely easy sail plan.
Pros
- Unstayed carbon-fiber mast and self-tacking jib make short-handed sailing easier
- Beamy hull provides generous, well-arranged interior volume
- Balsa-cored fiberglass construction with barrier resins and a 10-year blister warranty
Cons
- Two-bladed propeller is widely regarded as inadequate by owners
- Dipstick access is difficult on the standard Yanmar
- Unstayed composite mast is vulnerable to lightning damage
