FreedomYachts.org

Hello;

I am in the process of trying to get my hands on a decent F25, and am a bit confused about the differences in the wing mast and round mast versions. I get that the original boats had the wing mast, and that Hoyt then changed the design to a round mast that required no adjustment when tacking. I originally assumed he did this to make the boat simpler and easier to sail - one less thing to fiddle with and go wrong and all that. Reading thru this forum and the few other sources of information I have been able to find on Freedoms I get the impression that a lot of owners think the original design was better, and that the round mast is not as good as the original. Other owners of earlier 25s seem to "updated" their rigs to the new round mast design.

Can anyone out there provide a rational for the design change, and some idea of why one design might be better than the other for someone who is looking for a simple to sail cruising boat.

Thanks to anyone who can shine a light on this issue.

The wing mast required the use of running backstays as the sross section was thin and a few broken masts resulted. Also complexity due to mast rotation were maintenance and leak issues.
The round mast version had a mast one foot taller and a boom one foot longer to compensate for a small disadvantage upwind. NO BACKSTAYS !

Freedom 25 Wing Mast [Rotating airfoil shaped carbonfiber mast]
P=29'3" E=12'9" Masthead Spinnaker I=32'9"

Freedom 25 Round Mast [Fixed round carbonfiber mast, tapered]
P=30'3" E=13'9" Fractional Spinnaker I=31'9" (32'?)
Often sailed as a cat-sloop

The wing mast usually rotates on it's own during tacks (and gybes) but the mainsheet has to be slightly released from close-hauled trim to allow free rotation.

Back in the Eighties, carbon fiber was not a well understood material by the general sailing community and the whole idea of unstayed masts was considered a questionable idea. To reduce buyer concern Freedom Yachts included a lifetime warrantee (to the original owner) against breakage of the carbon fiber mast. Unfortunately a masthead spinnaker on a rotating wing mast was (and is) a problem waiting to happen. When going downwind under spinnaker the mast rotates to put the spinnaker load across the smaller dimension of the mast cross-section. Running back-stays are used to keep the mast tip from being pulled forward. If the running back-stays aren't used when flying the spinnaker in higher wind speeds (some where over 15 Kts) bad things happen, involving loud noises and suddenly reduced mast height.

The round mast was introduced to reduce production costs and solve the problem of replacing broken carbon fiber masts. I don't know of any round masts that failed while sailing (lightning strikes and hitting freighters don't count). Wing mast failures only seemed to have occurred under spinnaker (without properly applied running back-stays).

The round mast is less aerodynamically efficient than the wing mast so the sail was made larger. The round mast sail has around 5% more sail area compared to the area of the wing mast plus its sail. The spinnaker on the round mast is slightly smaller so the total downwind sail area is about the same on both versions of the F25. Most sailors agree that in light winds the round mast needs a small staysail for best upwind performance. A used Melges 24 jib with a luff wire works well.

Some PHRF commitees rate the wing mast even with the round mast w/staysail, others rate the wing mast 6 or 12 seconds a mile faster.

John D.

Freedom 25 - Hull #5 - Wing mast - outboard

The "leaking" problem is cured by using a 6" Fernco fitting (plumbing item) at the base of the mast as a mast boot. It's a "forever" fix because it's made of thick neoprene, and it's cheap because it's not "marine". One has to trim a little (about an inch) from the wider part of the Fernco fitting; it comes with two stainless steel band clamps. My experience with this fix is that it looked as good as new after 10 years.
BTW: I gave one of these fittings to the owner of "Apple Lady", purported to be Freedom 25 number one, many years ago down in the BVI. Herm

Thanks for all the replies.

Sounds like someone like me looking for a simple boat is better off with the newer round mast configuration.

Hi,

I am the engineer who was responsible for the structural design of both masts. The wing was very difficult to manufacture at a high quality level due to the molding process being used. The round mast was much simpler to build and QC and a much more reliable structure. I owned/sailed a 25 for 6 years. I purchased my vessel with the round mast due to its superior integrity (structural) and reliability. If you slam jibed with the wing mast in heavy weather, you could actually tear the mast in half just above or below the articulation arm. The wing was more efficient (aerodynamically) and those units with that mast were a bit faster.

Rick