The Freedom 35 is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by David Pedrick as a racer/

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

and first built in 1993.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 276-277. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.

Production

The design was built by

Tillotson Pearson Pearson Yachts was a sailboat manufacturer founded by Everett Pearson and Clinton Pearson in 1956. One of the first fiberglass sailboat manufacturers, they grew rapidly during the 60s and 70s, while also developing and designing new boats. Howe ...

for

Freedom Yachts Freedom Yachts was the maker of the Freedom (sail) and Legacy (power) yacht brands. The Freedom sailboats have Unstayed mast, unstayed rigs, meaning that the Mast (sailing), mast is freestanding and not supported by the normal set of wires call ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

starting in 1993, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Freedom 35 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

with a

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is fa ...

core, and with wood trim. It has a free-standing (unstayed) fractional sloop rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a walk-through

reverse transom In some boats and ships, a transom is the aft transverse surface of the hull that forms the stern of a vessel. Historically, they are a development from the canoe stern (or "double-ender") wherein which both bow and stern are pointed. Transom ...

with a swimming platform, an internally mounted spade-type

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

or optional

wing keel The winged keel is a sailboat keel layout first fitted on the 12-metre class yacht ''Australia II'', 1983 America's Cup winner. Design This layout was adopted by Ben Lexcen, designer of ''Australia II''. Although Ben Lexcen "had tried the winged ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel and with the optional shoal draft wing keel. The boat is fitted with a Japanese

Yanmar is a Japanese diesel engine, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasure boats, cons ...

3GM30F

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

of for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . Sleeping accommodations are provided below decks for six people. There is a forward "V"-berth, an aft stateroom, with an athwartship berth and two settee berths in the main cabin. The aft cabin with its athwartship berth results in a wider beam and a wider cockpit above it. There is a stand-up nav station. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is at the foot of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly i ...

steps, on the port side, and includes a two-burner

propane Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...

stove, an

icebox An icebox (also called a cold closet) is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common early-twentieth-century kitchen appliance before the development of safely powered refrigeration devices. Before the development of electric refrig ...

and a double sink. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

is located on the starboard side, opposite the galley and includes a separate shower. Pressurized hot and cold water is optional. The interior is trimmed with

cherry wood A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

. Ventilation is provided by a cabin hatch and there are also two skylights. All the sheets and

halyard In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term "halyard" derives from the Middle English ''halier'' ("rope to haul with"), with the last syllable altered by association with the E ...

s are led to the large, T-shaped cockpit, over the cabin roof. There are two

genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

winches.

Operational history

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "Freedom Yachts was the first to emphasize free-standing rigs for cruising and continues with this design by David Pedrick. This design, however, is intended for faster sailing than other Freedom designs, such as the 38. The wing keel is designed for shallow-water cruising, and the deep keel for racing. There are racing sail options, such as overlapping jibs, spinnakers, and running backstays for mast control." Thom Burns, writing in ''Sailing Breezes'', concluded of the design, "The Freedom 35 is a well-built, cruising boat which can be easily handled by a non-athletic couple or single-handed. It affords nice creature comforts while maintaining an essential degree of privacy for two couples or a family out for a couple of weeks. The simplicity of the rig provides for a very uncluttered deck and excellent sailing performance. " Famed yacht designer Robert Perry reviewed the boat in ''Sailing'' magazine in August 2000 and wrote, "the Freedom 35 uses its volume to great advantage and gives us an interior layout that you wouldn't have found in 40-footers 20 years ago. The aft cabin uses an athwartships double berth tucked under the cockpit sole. The head is spacious and includes a shower stall with a nifty wet locker space outboard. The galley is a bit small but there has to be some sacrifice when you put two private sleeping areas into a 35-footer. The nav station faces aft and uses the starboard settee for the seat. The dining table stows neatly out of the way on the forward bulkhead to open up the main cabin. The V-berth area is large and converts to a double berth. Note that the engine is located amidships under the galley counter and settee seat. There is little more you could ask from the layout of a 35-footer."

References

{{Pearson Yachts Keelboats 1990s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by David Pedrick Sailboat types built by Pearson Yachts

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References