Freeman33 The Ultimate Boat

[Captain Mike Ellis]

After a long wait I recieved hull #1 on Dec. 22nd. What a incredible boat I ran the boat uncompleted this summer and had to own one. In the meantime I ran everything else out there and could not find a boat that had all of everything I wanted. But that is easy to do when the boat builder is totaly custom. Due to weather I have only ran three trips on her so I am still getting things figured out. But the performance I have right now is real good. And should get better as I learn how to better run her. But on the first trip which was about 160NM roud trip I used 95 gallons the engines were turned on at 5:30 and shut off at 5:00 which comes out to I think in the 1.6 mile per gallon range. The conditions was 2-3 with about a 15kt wind I was able to run 36kts on the way out and everywhere offshore at 27-33kts and I trolled the rest of the time at 7.5kts. I even had a guy go to sleep in the bow on a couple of beanbags. Now it was only 2-3 but that says alot about the ride. The next two days were pretty rough with it being 4-6 and then 3-5 the second day. I was able to make good time on the way out 25kts or so but coming home with them on the chin was a different story I average about 18kts or so. I used to think that cats where only for the gulf but after running this boat I think a Freeman would be a perfect south Florida boat. It would really shine as a Bahama's boat with the speed and fuel burn. No more getting stuck because the stream is to rough.
I have the boat layed out like a Florida tourament/swordfish boat. Since that style matches my charter routine. The only different touch is I have the leaning post/livewell tied into the t-top for more rod storage. I have the traditional 15 degree rod holders going along the gunnels facing out and three per side for trolling. I had Rupp Top Gun Z-30's mounted on the top with 18' poles. Plus there are four more 15 degree rodholders along the transom for whatever. The livewell at 75 gallons is a little big for what I do but it should keep plenty the threadfin herring alive this summer. I have 12 volt plugs under the gunnels for electric reels for kite,deepdrop or swordfishing. and for elecronics I have two Navnet VX2's with a 6K open array and a 1K tilted element thru hull transducer. I didn't go crazy with electronics I just got what I need. The best two things I had installed was the JL Audio stero system and the Seastar power assited steering. With that you steer the boat with your mind and not your arms. I will never own a boat without it. And for power I have twin 300 Suzuki's the electronic throttles take a little time to get used to but when you do they are nice. I really think this boat will make a big impact even with the die hard mono hull fans. Now here are a few pictures of the new Relentless




Here is a console shot showing the space for electronics



This shot shows the coffin style fishbox which drains thru the hull. No macerator pumps are very good. This box is 6'X3'x31" and makes a 80lb whaoo look like a snake king




This is the custom T-top with plenty of rod storage so I don't have to make a run to the grounds with rods in the gunnels.




here is a shot of the big open bow for throwing topwater lures to the tuna on overnighters and day tuna trips.
This is a cold molded boat and the build of it can be checked out at Page 1 It is definately worth a trip up here to fish on her.
Capt. Mike

[Disco Lady]

COÑO!!!!!!!!! nice rig bro!

[Relentless33]

Sweet looking machine for sure.

Gravity fed drains in the coffin box are the way to go.

[000's]

Nice Wagon Bro

[Bill Fisher]

Nice battle wagon there cap!!

[RiskTaker]

Yeah that Venture 39 looks like a sweet ride, Bill Fisher. I fish with Cogzwell several times a year on Hailey Ryan (Venture 34). I think that vessel is a fine ride but I have not spent enough time on other vessels to have a more informed opinion on the comparables.

I love the roof top, even if it weighs more than other styles. One of my only complaints though are the deck latches.

I am not in the market right now but I would certainly be interested in: Venture, Intrepid, Sea Vee and Yellowfin, maybe even a Smith with inboard Diesels. Bajakian recently mentioned Invincible on another thread as perhaps a step above Yellowfin even. OK, so that must be investigated too.

I have always liked Cats though. They were a bit trendy in the 80's and not too popular in the U.S. But it is nice to see that they are gaining in popularity. And this Freeman 33 is calling my attention. I guess this guy Billy or "handle of Bully" is the artisan for this. I don't spend much time on the Hull truth but I found the story line there. Very Cool forum thread. Good luck Billy on your endeavor: you are on to the Right Stuff, in light of the incredible monohull competition already in quasi mass production mode already.

Here is a web link with a lot more photos of boat #1 and/or hull # 2. I think that it is very cool to include the story line: Boating & Fishing Forum - Freeman 33 #2 under construction

When I am in the market I will probably include Freeman on my list as well.

I think that I must now make a trip to Venice for a Tuna charter with Capt. Mike Ellis. Good choice Captain Mike and a nifty marketing tool in the same sweep.

One thing for sure is that I would highly prefer to stay with 2 motors and not bump up to triples, which seems to be the trend with monohulls 36' and up.

And even more beyond that: look at Top Vee with Quads. To me this is an exaggeration. With 300 HP motors available now, twins seem to be the right choice for the capable yet reasonable boater.

[Captain Mike Ellis]

RiskTaker, A little more history in the boat. we were contacted by Billy Freeman for ideas on the boat early last summer. We told him he had to build us a 40MPH boat at cruise and do it economicaly since we charge plus fuel on our trips. We also had to have a boat that wont kill you running 20-30 days in a row offshore up to about a 100NM one way. It must also have a livewell that would keep several dozen threadfin alive along with keeping a few dozen 2-3lb mullet happy in the fall. And last but not least we had to have a above deck coffin box that would hold several 150lb. plus yellowfin. We also requested that the box drain overboard so no pumps to go out. So the result of our imput along with Billy's know how the Freeman 33 came to be. We gave him exactly what we wanted and he came through. Altough alot of what we were asking for he just said I have already incorporated that. It was nice to have a builder actualy incorporate what you want into a boat. There is total of about 50 years of Northern Gulf charter experience behind this boat. Along with Billy's boat setup and building expertise. We got the cruise we wanted at 4500 I am doing 42MPH and burning 26.5GPH the fishbox holds ice for 5 dyas or so and the ride doesn't leave you beat down at the end of the day. I am very picky when it comes to my office and this boat leaves me disappointed in the fact that there is nothing that I can pick apart about it. I definately get used to that kind of disappointment. I have fished in a bunch of different areas and everywhere I have fished this boat would be perfect.
Capt. Mike

[RiskTaker]

Yep. Thanks for the feed back and story line, Capt. Mike.

I don't know how your bilge situation is setup. But one thing I/we have learned: is to have a single circuit breaker per bilge pump. On the last Cat, a 40 ft., with inboards, there were 4 bilge pumps connected to 2 breakers, for Fore and Aft. We had a problem one time where both aft bilge pumps, one going to each engine room got disabled due to a defect of the port aft pump. That will never happen again.

Nice pick for the console mount rod holders. Do they allow the rods to stick through the top?

No trim tabs are cool too. One less hydraulic machine to break down, especially if you don't need them. Now you can afford that fancy set of U/W stern lights, if you like. But that is not a necessity feature.

I will make a trip to Venice one day to try the Tuna fishing on your boat. Deep dropping in the gulf sounds like it could be pretty appealing too.

BTW - Any special needs to trailer this vessel?