Overview
The Freedom 36 is a Gary Mull design built by Tillotson-Pearson for Freedom Yachts with a freestanding mast, built from 1985 according to sailboatdata.com. Its place in this catalog rests on its ocean racing record: 3 different boats of the design have finished the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii or the Newport Bermuda Race in the official results.
Design and Construction
sailboatdata.com lists the underbody as fin with spade rudder, 36.42 ft overall on a 30.63 ft waterline, with 12.5 ft of beam and 4.5 ft of draft. Displacement is about 14,370 lb with 6,500 lb of ballast, and the frac. sloop (free standing) carries about 685 sq ft. Hull and deck are fiberglass with a balsa core throughout, joined at an inward-turning hull flange bedded in adhesive caulk and through-bolted at an aluminum toerail. Practical Sailor’s reviewer preferred the deep fin over the shoal keel for both performance and construction, since the shoal keel is encapsulated in a keel cavity and fiberglassed to the hull.
Ocean Racing Record
Puffin (Stuart Wilson) finished the Pacific Cup (1988). Praise (Ken Joy) finished the Pacific Cup (1992). Intrepid (George McKay) finished the Pacific Cup (1992).
Practical Sailor’s reviewer found the boat easy to sail, with a self-tacking non-overlapping jib that adds a surprising amount of speed. Two people were enough crew for PHRF racing, and the boat could point with most of the fleet. Reaching is the boat’s strong suit, while running is a little sluggish even with the spinnaker. With the deep fin and a spade rudder well aft, the boat turns sharply. The reviewer found the full-length battens on the mainsail could foul the lazy jacks when hoisting and lowering. The Freedom 36 was the first of the Gary Mull designs for the line and went out of production in 1989.
