Gulf 32, or Freedom 39 Pilothouse?

[scottfree1]

Originally Posted by Rubikoop

I own a 39' Express not the PH Freedom. A good friend owned a 32' Gulf for many years and single handed it into his late 60s. For living aboard the Freedom is going to provide much more space. The Gulf is definitely a solid boat but didn't seem to sail particularly well. The owner seemed to be forever chasing electrical issues. I don't know if that was caused by the age of the vessel or a poor initial installation from the factory. He did eventually have nearly all the wiring replaced with new breaker panels installed $$$. I believe the owner told me concrete was used for ballast. I would think that on all points of sail there would be a substantial advantage to the longer waterline of the F39PH. Tacking the F39 is much easier. I second all comments made by PAF above.

Spent 7 years on a gulf 32, 3+ on a hook and never had a single electrical issue, and the ballast is lead shot encased in concrete. Very comfortable boat for me, being 6'8" the only boat I've ever found that I could both afford and stand up in. My biggest issue were the waste storage tank de-lamed from the wall it was attached under the front v-berth, it wasn't a huge deal it just settled into the compartment no leaks but it should have been better attached.

Also the steering uses a keyed clamping setup that after single-handing from ventura to sd had loosened up to the point that I came into mission bay in a steady 20+ k wind steering with my feet with a screwdriver jammed into the ruder post emergency tiller attachment point, hint owning a emrg. tiller is no good if you can't reach/find it..

And as far as pitching, the only time I had issue was trying to leave sd harbor during the americas cup when caught between and Aircraft Carrier incoming and a cruise-ship outgoing and me in the middle.. sky.. sea.. sky.. sea.. f-this run for the shelter island fuel dock, buy $10 fuel & $10 six pack, drink 6 pack..

[Ed-White]

LIke at the midway..I have had the Gulf for the past few years up in BC, and find it to be quite comfortable. I don't think I have ever used the inside steering for more than a test drive, though it switches over easily enough, and the visibility is not so bad though one must stand to do it I find. The Capital yard that built my boat cut a few corners and I have done some alterations such as closing up the anchor storage ( after changing out the forward bulkhead due to water ingress from the locker hatch). Otherwise it is fairly heavy and rides nicely. I had to replace all of the pilot house windows..the originals were cheap plastic crap, and leaked. New laminate windows all round. I still have the original wooden door, but beefed it up with teak struts. I am not thrilled with the through deck work for the standing rigging, and would pay attention to those areas. The under deck attachments are poorly done and difficult to access without ripping stuff apart. I have redone the ceilings to provide better access.

[Cheechako]

I think they are quite different boats... other than both looking like they are pilothouses. I have been on both. Havent owned either. Friend had a Gulf 32. Sturdy little boat. Felt very cave-ish to me and deep inside. Not a great sailor but about what you would expect from that era design, short ish water line. Probably a better High latitude boat than warm areas. I would feel comfortable up here in the PNW with the heater on and listening to rain patter on the Gulf. I hate sailing behind the pilothouse cabin though. Seems like you can never see where you are going or ahead without moving around.
The Freedom faster... more comfortable. Only possible drawback is the core and rig being unusual. I would prefer to sit or sail on the Freedom in nice weather. The modern underbody of the Freedom is a plus also.
I think you should be on both and decide what type you like then look for comparables in that type.

[Ed-White]

Hey..rain on the roof. Exactly. The interior is actually very bright with all of the doghouse windows. One of the nice things about that particular house is that I can see over it while sitting at the rear helm. The freeboard is so high and the doghouse then proportionatly lower that I have no visibility issues. I also run a working jib that is cut higher which helps as well. The sailing capabilities I find are quite good considering the displacement and bulk of the vessel. I have no problems with that jib keeping me going at 6 plus knts in a light breeze..10-15. At that windspeed the sailomat hanging off the back end steers nicely and at a close reach the motion is smooth The main issue I had with the older model-mine is 84, was the typical methodology of through deck fittings. Chain plates stanchions etc. All generally need to be ripped out and re-bedded properly. The chain plate fitting on mine is a screw down ss plate. So re-caulking constantly. I will eventually put something else in I think, something that bolts down so it can be bedded properly. So the Gulf I see as being a nice comfy boat that will handle rough weather easily, would be inexpensive to buy nowadays, but will need some work quite likely.