Freedom 28

Description

The Freedom 28, a trailblazing cat-ketch sailboat designed by Gary Hoyt and Gary Mull and built by Tillotson-Pearson (TPI) in Rhode Island from 1980 to 1986, introduced revolutionary simplicity and performance to the cruising world through its unstayed, self-tending carbon-fiber masts and wishbone booms, eliminating shrouds, stays, and winches for effortless singlehanded or short-handed sailing in a compact 28-foot package. With an LOA of 28'5", 9'5" beam, 1,800 lbs ballast in a shallow fin keel (3'9" draft, or 2'6" shoal), and 5,600 lbs displacement, the hull—constructed via TPI’s early SCRIMP precursor resin-infusion—delivers a robust yet lightweight structure with a SA/D ratio of ~19, enabling lively 6-knot cruising speeds and nimble handling, especially off the wind with its fully battened, wrap-around mainsails that self-vang and reef from the cockpit. Below, the open-plan interior offers 6'1" headroom, a U-shaped galley to port, nav station opposite, private head aft, and a V-berth forward plus convertible settees sleeping four comfortably—ideal for couples or small families on weekend or coastal voyages. Roughly 100 hulls were produced, many in the popular Cat Ketch rig (two mizzen-like sails), with a sloop variant rare.