Freeman 40

The Freeman 40 power catamaran



I found a power catamaran at this year’s Miami International Boat Show that actually has nice lines — the Freeman 40, whose sharply raked bows and reverse sheer immediately got my attention.

“Catamarans have been boxy-looking, aesthetically unappealing to people,” says Billy Freeman, the founder and owner of four year old Freeman Boatworks in Charleston, S.C. “We wanted it to be attractive and still provide that smooth ride cats are known for.”

The boat on display had been sold to a hard-core fisherman, so it has sparse seating and lots of fishing components. With its 13- foot beam, there’s room for several anglers to fish without obstruction from bow to stern.

“This boat has 30 percent more room than a comparably sized monohull,” sales manager Bob Dayhoff says.

Freeman Boatworks used cold-molded construction to build the 40, but future models will be built of fiberglass with composite coring materials, Freeman says.

With four 300-hp Yamaha 4-strokes, the Freeman 40 can exceed 60 mph. Cruising at 38 mph, it gets 1 mpg. “Pretty darn good for 1,200 hp,” Dayhoff says.

With the quad setup, custom T-top, a full electronics package and synthetic teak decks, the show boat was $475,000. A similarly equipped 40 with twin 350-hp Yamahas is about $430,000. The company also builds a fiberglass 33-footer.

For more information: Freeman Boatworks LLC

snd_logoxsm Chris Landry is a staff writer for Soundings Magazine. This article originally appeared in the May 2011 issue.