Freedom 25 Explained

Freedom 25
Designer:Garry Hoyt
Location:United States
Year:1980
Builder:Freedom Yachts/Tillotson Pearson
Draft:4.42feet
Displacement:35000NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fiberglass
Loa:25.67feet
Lwl:20feet
Beam:8.5feet
Engine:Optional diesel engine or Outboard motor
Keel Type:fin keel
Ballast:10250NaN0
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Cat rig
Sailplan:Catboat
Sailarea Total:260square feet
Phrf:210 (average)

The Freedom 25 is an American sailboat that was designed by Garry Hoyt as a single-handed racer-cruiser and first built in 1980.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Production

The design was built by Tillotson Pearson for Freedom Yachts in the United States, but it is now out of production.[1] [4] [5] [6]

Design

The Freedom 25 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a catboat rig or optional fractional sloop rig with a staysail, a spooned raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel. It carries 10250NaN0 of lead ballast.[1] [2] [4]

The spars are carbon fiber. The mast is unstayed, and on earlier models, has a rotating airfoil cross-section shape. The mainsail is fully battened and lowers into lazy jacks. A spinnaker is used, flown from an unusual pole that extends though a "gun mount" sleeve mounted to the steel framed pulpit and is not attached to the mast unlike the usual spinnaker pole. This arrangement means that spinnaker winches are not needed and the spinnaker can be raised from the cockpit. The spinnaker pole retracts when not in use, stowing along the lifeline.[4]

The boat has a draft of 4.42feet with the standard keel fitted.[1]

The boat is fitted with an optional diesel engine or a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .[1]

The accommodations consist of two cabin berths that are partly under the cockpit and a forward "V"-berth. There is a small galley fitted, with a two-burner alcohol stove, portable cooler and a private head. The cabin sole is teak and holly, while the bulkheads and other trim are painted white or made from ash.[4]

The design has a hull speed of 5.992NaN2.[7] [8]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Garry Hoyt, main designer and marketer of the Freedom line of sailboats, is known as a free thinker when it comes to sailboat design. The Freedom 25, with her full-battened mainsail, small 'staysail' jib, 'gunmount' spinnaker handling gear, and unstayed mast, is a good example of the fruition of Hoyt's thinking. Hoyt says full-length battens have several advantages, the main one being ease of reefing, 'A sailor wants a sail he can get up and get down quickly, a sail that is easy to handle, can be reefed easily, and provides acceptable performance.' The fully battened sails are quieter too. The little jib, which was an option on new boats, improves upwind performance in light air. The gunmount makes using a spinnaker a singlehanded job: one sailor can hoist, jibe, and douse the spinnaker without ever leaving the cockpit. The unstayed mast simplifies the rig and makes getting underway faster. Best features: Besides the above, the cockpit is deep and comfortable, with good back support. Worst features: The wing mast and sail sleeves on early boats didn't work out. Consequently, a conventional sailtrack on a round mast was used on most production."[9]

Variants

Freedom 25 Staysail
  • This model was introduced in 1980. It displaces 39200NaN0 and carries 10250NaN0 of ballast. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 213 with a high of 198 and low of 228.[2] [8]
    Freedom 25
  • This model was introduced in 1981. It displaces 35000NaN0 and carries 10250NaN0 of ballast. The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 210 with a high of 237 and low of 201.[1] [7]

    See also

    Similar sailboats

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Freedom 25 sailboat specifications and details. 3 March 2019. Browning. Randy . sailboatdata.com. 2019.
    2. Web site: Freedom 25 Staysail sailboat specifications and details. 3 March 2019. Browning. Randy . sailboatdata.com. 2019.
    3. Web site: Gary Hoyt (sic). 3 March 2019. Browning. Randy . sailboatdata.com. 2019.
    4. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 174-175. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
    5. Web site: Freedom Yachts. 11 April 2021. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2021. https://archive.today/20210411175829/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/freedom-yachts. 11 April 2021. live.
    6. Web site: TPI Composites. 3 March 2019. Browning. Randy . sailboatdata.com. 2019.
    7. Web site: Sailboat Specifications for Freedom 25 . 3 March 2019. Sailing Joy. InterVisionSoft LLC. 2019.
    8. Web site: Sailboat Specifications for Freedom 25 . 3 March 2019. Sailing Joy. InterVisionSoft LLC. 2019.
    9. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 291. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.