Stayless Cat Ketch -- Change My Mind
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:30 pm
Good Afternoon Gentlebeings,
I can hear the groans already: "Another wannabe cruiser asking questions of the old salts". Guilty as charged, I'm not even ashamed.
As I'm sure many of you have experienced the obsession that sailing can become, it becomes very easy to scour the internet for guides on sailing, learning how to sail, sailing stories, sailing gear, and endless posts of sailboats for sail.
For my first real post here (not counting the semi-jealous comment I made to the fellow who snagged the weather worn Freedom 28 [IIRC} in Antioch this spring), I'd like to focus on why I've become obsessed with the stayless Freedom cat rigged boats and check to see whether my assumptions are as reasonable as I hope they are.
I, of course, am looking to be a liveaboard. Yes, I know that that is a pain in California, but I've never wanted to buy a house or have kids. If this becomes my money pit, I am perfectly happy with that.
That objective gives me several criteria for a boat:
1. Sturdy
2. Roomy
3. Easy handling
4. Easy/low maintenance
There are additional criteria, but they are minor and are really oriented towards details rather than kind of boat.
Sturdy: In my reading and research, I have become wary of large volume production boats. Beneteaus, MacGregors, Catalinas, etc., all seem to be oriented towards production. Their designs might be sound, and their interiors plush, but it is the construction that perturbs me. Production lines are oriented towards ensuring maximum profit out of each hull. I do not begrudge boatbuilders their profit as a strong industry benefits us all. But I do get the sensation that production sailboats are oriented towards day and weekend cruisers rather than dedicated long term live-aboards. I've seen many stories of production boats wearing out quickly. It's enough that large production model sailboats don't appeal to me as much. So small production model boats (and *maybe* one offs) are appealing.
Roomy: I'm not looking to bring aboard an entire household's worth of possessions. I live in a small apartment, and I am looking forward to trimming down my possessions when I do get a boat (with the possible exception of my rather extensive library). Roominess seems to be a function of hull size and displacement, but there is a tradeoff; maintenance costs for sailboats seem to abide by the square cube law. I have incentive to remain as small as possible, within the limits of sanity, comfort, and necessity. So boats that maximize internal volume for a given length are desirable.
Easy-handling: I need to be able to move and sail the vessel all by me onesies. Yeah, I would prefer more than that, but I can't *rely* on having more than myself to crew the boat. So boats that are easy to handle are desireable.
Easy/Low maintenance: I'm not afraid of hard work, but dammit I want to enjoy sailing and living aboard, not fret about this thing or that thing. There'll be plenty of fretting by and by, but simplicity is nice. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades, having worked construction (incl. carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc), diesel mechanicking, wildland fire, and bureaucracy, among all of the other things I've done in life. Low or easy maintenance would mean that I could handle most repairs on board myself, and at least be useful for larger repairs. Boats that are simple are thus desirable.
Well... Simple, easy handling, beamy, small production. Does that sound familiar?
For this, and so many other reasons, my mind is focused on a Freedom Cat Ketch. I really like the F39s with a preference for the Pilothouse over the Express. I also like the F44, the F33, etc. I also really like how unique they are; not just another sloop
I'm working on getting off the shore and getting some time over water, but I wanted to see if my assumptions are reasonable and if my conclusion is sound. While I realize that asking this question on a Freedom forum is just begging for confirmation bias, I want to hear what the salts have to say about when they first considered a Freedom, why they went for it, and how well the Freedoms have performed for them since.
I hope that this post finds everyone well and in a talkative mood!
Best regards,
AgentLocke
I can hear the groans already: "Another wannabe cruiser asking questions of the old salts". Guilty as charged, I'm not even ashamed.
As I'm sure many of you have experienced the obsession that sailing can become, it becomes very easy to scour the internet for guides on sailing, learning how to sail, sailing stories, sailing gear, and endless posts of sailboats for sail.
For my first real post here (not counting the semi-jealous comment I made to the fellow who snagged the weather worn Freedom 28 [IIRC} in Antioch this spring), I'd like to focus on why I've become obsessed with the stayless Freedom cat rigged boats and check to see whether my assumptions are as reasonable as I hope they are.
I, of course, am looking to be a liveaboard. Yes, I know that that is a pain in California, but I've never wanted to buy a house or have kids. If this becomes my money pit, I am perfectly happy with that.
That objective gives me several criteria for a boat:
1. Sturdy
2. Roomy
3. Easy handling
4. Easy/low maintenance
There are additional criteria, but they are minor and are really oriented towards details rather than kind of boat.
Sturdy: In my reading and research, I have become wary of large volume production boats. Beneteaus, MacGregors, Catalinas, etc., all seem to be oriented towards production. Their designs might be sound, and their interiors plush, but it is the construction that perturbs me. Production lines are oriented towards ensuring maximum profit out of each hull. I do not begrudge boatbuilders their profit as a strong industry benefits us all. But I do get the sensation that production sailboats are oriented towards day and weekend cruisers rather than dedicated long term live-aboards. I've seen many stories of production boats wearing out quickly. It's enough that large production model sailboats don't appeal to me as much. So small production model boats (and *maybe* one offs) are appealing.
Roomy: I'm not looking to bring aboard an entire household's worth of possessions. I live in a small apartment, and I am looking forward to trimming down my possessions when I do get a boat (with the possible exception of my rather extensive library). Roominess seems to be a function of hull size and displacement, but there is a tradeoff; maintenance costs for sailboats seem to abide by the square cube law. I have incentive to remain as small as possible, within the limits of sanity, comfort, and necessity. So boats that maximize internal volume for a given length are desirable.
Easy-handling: I need to be able to move and sail the vessel all by me onesies. Yeah, I would prefer more than that, but I can't *rely* on having more than myself to crew the boat. So boats that are easy to handle are desireable.
Easy/Low maintenance: I'm not afraid of hard work, but dammit I want to enjoy sailing and living aboard, not fret about this thing or that thing. There'll be plenty of fretting by and by, but simplicity is nice. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades, having worked construction (incl. carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc), diesel mechanicking, wildland fire, and bureaucracy, among all of the other things I've done in life. Low or easy maintenance would mean that I could handle most repairs on board myself, and at least be useful for larger repairs. Boats that are simple are thus desirable.
Well... Simple, easy handling, beamy, small production. Does that sound familiar?
For this, and so many other reasons, my mind is focused on a Freedom Cat Ketch. I really like the F39s with a preference for the Pilothouse over the Express. I also like the F44, the F33, etc. I also really like how unique they are; not just another sloop
I'm working on getting off the shore and getting some time over water, but I wanted to see if my assumptions are reasonable and if my conclusion is sound. While I realize that asking this question on a Freedom forum is just begging for confirmation bias, I want to hear what the salts have to say about when they first considered a Freedom, why they went for it, and how well the Freedoms have performed for them since.
I hope that this post finds everyone well and in a talkative mood!
Best regards,
AgentLocke