Mind change to Freedom 6.2

[MEG-A-BITE]

Well was dead set on the 555 Yalta with the 115 4 Yamaha went for a ride in a sloppy wash up at Bribie passage and well the boat handled like a dream, was very pleasantly suprised. Even with the wife sitting in the cabin at 4500 rpm into the short chop it went extremely well. Better than the Haines Hunter 530 Classic I had before. But and here is the But it’s very twitchy at rest as I have seen in the threds before. Looks; like they are made with very narrow chimes at the back.. But besides that a really nice rig with a low price tag. Now feeling somewhat undecided I looked at a Freedom 6.2 Elite. This is powered by a 150 Honda 4.Yes this is a bigger boat and somewhat more $$ but How does this boat perform on the water. Looks good has loads of deck space with a massive cabin.
Went for a test drive and yes this is a very good ride and then the question at rest?? Well big difference very stable.

But at 10 000$ more than the Yalta so does anyone have a 6.2 Freedom Elite that has done some offshore work in it? How dose the boat handle big sea?

[mirage]

I had the cuddy cab version of the same hull for a couple of years. It was called the seasport. The boat was good value for money family boat and well built but in my opinion was not ideal for offshore.

The hull is quite light compared to other brands and it used to bang like a tinny when the nose came down off the top of a swell or wave. Hitting a wave head on was no broblem, riding up the back of a swell or wave was. I fitted Volvo QL trim tabs to it which improved the problem but never fully fixed it. I had a Suzuki DF175 on it which I was very happy with. A good fit for the boat.

Anyway, a good value boat for the bay and family but probably not for a lot of serious offshore work. Just my opinion.

Do a search on here, there are a few threads on the Freedoms.

[ozscott]

Here is the 595 report from a few years back. If the hull is 950kg as they say thats pretty heavy for a 5.95m boat. http://www.boatpoint.com.au/reviews/2008/freedom/freedom-offshore-595-walkaround-12901

Cheers

[MEG-A-BITE]

Thanks for the info but is this boat not heaver that the Yalta 555 the Yalta comes in at 750 if I’m not incorrect so it’s lighter. Between the two which would be the better all-round boat? I have seen posts about how well the Yalta handles big sea but it’s also a light weight 6m boat.
cheers

[boatboy50]

Hey,

In that market also have a look at the Haines Traveler TC200.

http://coastalpowerboats.boatpoint.ninemsn.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=6995654

Have not heard a bad word from an owner, and i've found they handle very well with moderate power.

Let me know if you want to see one or know anything about them.

Darren

[Tritto]

G'day Meg-a-bite, not sure if your still interested in the yalta 555. Here is my add for mine which is a reluctant sale. Only 8 months old with heaps of extras. http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?R=9205662

Mate at far as I was concerned the boat wasn't too bad a rest at all. Especially when you lean into the rear padded corners you can stand very safely and stable with the rod.

[PADDLES]

hi megabite, we had a 620 elite for a few years and it was a fantastic boat. we had the "weekender" version with seat boxes and full covers and water and a sink because we liked overnighting. our's had a 140 suzuki and i thought it need some more oomph but it was real cheap to run (about 17 litres/hour) so a 150 honda would be a brilliant motor on one. we run around the top half of the bay so it gets pretty rough (short sharp slop) up our way and it was fine. as far as weight goes it's the same as a signature but nowhere near a similar length seafarer or a haines hunter. weight is everything for good offshore performance so obviously it doesn't ride as good as a heavy hull with a good pedigree like the seafarer and the haines hunter when the going gets tough.

the question you've gotta ask yourself is "will i be going out boating when it's 20 knots and there's 1.5m of sea?" and "am i willing to pay an extra $20k or 30-40% extra in price (for a 2nd hand boat) to handle conditions that i won't be going out in anyway?"