FREEDOM 335

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Any body seen the new Freedom 335 yet?

 

[Tashmoo]

I asked my dealer about it the other day and was told that there is only one, that it is in the factory now and they are racing to get it ready for the Miami boat show.

 

[striped bass]

The Grady White Corp. web site has a new Freedom 285 featured.

 

[billyttpd]

the Grady-White Rep I spoke with at the atlantic City Show told me they were going to debut it at the NYC or Long Island Show.

 

[FreeByrdSteve]

The 335 will be at the Miami Show. Grady-White is doing a presentation on the boat to Media on Thursday / Premier Day.

 

[ksgoldman]

The Freedom 335 will be at Miami (I saw a sign for it at the Boston show saying it would be at Miami). It's also on the Grady website at http://www.gradywhite.com/335/new. It looks like it will be an awesome boat. I have a Tournament (now Freedom) 275 and am the luckiest guy in the world as my wife has told me to buy a bigger boat. I love my 275 and think that the 335 could be perfect. I'm going to the Miami show this weekend and can't wait to see it.

They really knocked the cover off the ball with this one from what I can tell.

I'll post pictures after Miami.

 

[striped bass]

The new Freedom 335 photos are now posted on the Grady White Corp. web site. Very much tricked out as a familty coastal crusier. Looks very nice.

http://www.gradywhite.com/335/

 

[ksgoldman]

I agree - the boat is awesome (got to spend quite a bit of time on it at the Miami show). Grady White truly outdid themselves again. What an outstanding piece of machinery.

 

[gw204]

Wet bar, 20 cup holders and seating for a little league team. I wonder how long it will be before they stop installing rod holders...

 

[ElyseM]

saw the pics and it's beautiful, but. why a 33 foot bowrider? i have a 330 so i know how big the hull is. what am i missing? would be a great tender for a 60m yacht tho! ron

 

[striped bass]

ElyseM:
Yes, it is very large. I don't know the answewr to your question. But where we live there are many large extended families - grandparents, parents and grandchildren, etc. that need a large vessel to accommodate the entire clan for day tripping. Since most already live on or near the water there is no need for a cabin since they wouldn't be overnighting or weekending on the boat. They just need a comfortable and safe cruiser for New England waters and weather. Just a guess on my part. I think GW will find a market for this boat. Also the competition is probably hoping to step in on GW's success with this successful DC design so GW filled any and all vacuums with this full line of dual consoles.

Steve Camp (GW corporate) tells me that GW stole the show at the Miami boaty show with the 335. My RI neighbor KSGoldman can probably verify this one way or another.

 

[ksgoldman]

I agree that the 335 stole the show. The reality is that it is a perfect boat for someone like me who only uses the boat for day trips. A cabin is a complete waste of space since I'm only going to use it for storing junk. The dual console layout is a terrific mufti-purpose boat. It works for cruising and it works for fishing (admittedly if you are into hard core fishing you will stick with a center console). I single hand my boat most of the time, so the ability to walk up to the bow or walk to the stern unimpeded is critically important (and I don't like center consoles).

The fact that the 335 has a small cabin to get out of the weather, take a nap, or do an occasional overnight is terrific. While this boat is not for everyone, it is great for someone who wants a bigger, more substantial boat that can do what the other Freedom series boats can do, only better. Look at the fact that the other manufacturers have followed Grady White's lead and are all producing bigger dual consoles (mid 20's) and someone will follow them into the 30' and above. Grady just did it first (and better).

I think that the 335 is an outstanding boat! People were literally drooling over the boat at the show (especially other boatbuilders). Congratulations Grady White on a job well done.

 

[Capt. Ed]

Just an uninformed opinion, but here goes. At both marina's where I've kept boats over the last 15 years I've noticed the number of people who overnight on their boats has dropped dramatically. In early 2000, our marina was filled with folks staying over for the weekend. We had lots of fun cooking out, swimming in pool, going to dinner. Now, very few overnight. Most use boats and marina only during day. Don't know if this is universal, but it could account for the growing interest in dual consoles.

 

[Ed Bukala]

Hi there
I presently have a Freedom 255 so naturally interested in this bigger gal. Did anyone get any pricing info on the 335 at the show?, I am sure she was loaded so would be the high end of the price scale. That retractable extending sun screen off the back of the hardtop looks very interesting, did anyone see it in action or did they just leave it exten :hmm ded. In the cabin area, is there really room for two adults to sleep for a night??
Bukster

 

[moklodge]

OK, here's how I see it. If a company like G/W wants to gain new customers and new market share, producing another Express, W/A or CC doesn't make sense. The best way to get new customers is to steal them from someone else. G/W is already synonymous with the family fishing boat. This boat will make Searay, Chriscraft and Cobalt (and I'm sure many more) customers consider G/W for their next boat. Great move G/W!

 

[Grog]

For me it would be hard not to have a cabin. The aft berth holds the extra life vests, tools, raft, tackle, raingear,... and there's almost always 10 rods stored in the racks. The overnight trips can be counted on one hand per year but it's nice to have a place to crash after a long day and the ability to go out whenever you want since the gear is already onboard. After seeing the pictures they put a lot of nice features in her but they have to factor the $ compared to other boats in the same market.

No offence but if all someone wants to do is take the little league team out on the bays or lakes and have fun, get a pontoon boat and save the $150K.

 

[magicalbill]

I agree with Grog..
I overnite on my Gulfstream off-and-on all summer. I want no part of any boat without a cabin.

That said, if, indeed, Grady has made a smart marketing move with this boat, it will benefit us all in the long run by helping keep the company solvent and on the map.

Not my idea of the ideal boat, but it might take hold.

 

[megabytes]

While I am a cabin boat die hard, the DC market has clearly been a bright spot in the past few dismal years. GW and Pursuit have strong offerings in this layout style. The 335 far and away leads the field.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see it in person as I missed the boat show for the first time in over ten years due to illness. Of course this also was the first year a 300 was present since 2005 or so.
What a bad year to have to miss. I hope to check out the 335 when Atlantic Marine in Wrightsville gets their's in stock. The videos and pics are beyond impressive. :goodjob

If existing DC sales are any indication, this boat will be a hit. I just wonder if anyone has noticed that the walkaround format has had the least attention and new models. Hmm....

 

[jaydub]

Saw the boat at the Miami boat show and although it is really nice, it's not for me. It is really big and and has lot of space for entertainment and excellent for day trips. But as a fisherman it doesn't compare to the center console. You could fish from the bow or stern of the 335 but that's about it. If you had to walk a 100 lb fish around the boat you'd be out of luck.

Now, my wife who isn't the hardcore fisher-person that I am, absolutely loved it. She has no desire to spend the the night on a boat, fishing is secondary, comfort is necessary and day cruises and entertainment are great for her; maybe a little fishing here and there. There are lots of people in that category and they would love the boat. This boat clearly isn't targeted toward fisherman but Grady obviously sees a market out there that includes my wife. Heard there is going to be one at the Grady Fest in Fort Myers in March; maybe I'll get a ride when I'm there.

 

[billyttpd]

Just checked out the 33 foot Freedom on the Grady website...I wont own one anytime soon because my pockets aren't that deep but I can definitely see how this boat will be popular in the demographic it was designed for....the idea of a bowrider that you can overnight on is something I lended thought too.....that new boat is just way to fancy for me......the only question I have for GW about the new 33 is......Have you started desiging the 36 Freedom yet??? My guess is yes... Ill check that one out too....hey a guy can still dream cant he? Seriously though if I had 36 coin I woulld go with a hardtop 36 Express or the Canyon.
Thanks for reading im just killing time online til I can splash my 208 Adventure.