Grady-White Freedom 335 (2015-)

Brief Summary

When a company, whose name is practically synonymous with offshore fishing, comes up with a 33' dual console, it’s certainly worth taking notice. Obviously, she is designed to handle both "big water" sea conditions and keep a crowd comfortable. The Freedom 335 is one of the largest vessels in the builder's dual console series and is designed for both fishing and general boating activities almost anywhere.

Key Features

• Recessed cockpit freshwater shower
• Aft insulated 166 qt. (157 L) fish/ice box
• Hardtop with painted aluminum frame and storage net
• Integrated outboard mounting system with swim platform and ladder
• Wraparound companion bench seat
• Forward anchor locker with rode storage
• 2 stowable Corian and fiberglass tables
• Wet bar with refrigerator, sink, storage drawers and drink holders
• Interior with Cherry and holly soles

Specifications

Length Overall	33' 6'' 10.21 m
Beam	11' 7" 3.53 m
Dry Weight	13,090 lb. 5,938 kg
Draft	26" 0.66 m
Deadrise/Transom	20 degrees (SeaV2® progression)
Bridge Clearance	9'5" 2.87 m
Fuel Capacity	293 gal. 1,109 L
Water Capacity	44 gal. 167 L freshwater

Engine Options

Tested Engine	Currently no test numbers
Std. Power	2 x 300-hp Yamaha 4.2L 4-stroke
Opt. Power	3 x 300-hp Yamaha 4.2L 4-stroke 2 x 425-hp Yamaha 5.6L 4-stroke

Captain's Report Learn More
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Mission Statement

The mission of the Grady-White Freedom 335 is to serve as a boat that can provide…well, freedom to her owners. Freedom to entertain large groups. Freedom to transition from a gathering and conversational platform to a floating cocktail lounge, and then again to a café on the water. Freedom to spend the night at a remote cove. Freedom to not have to worry about pop-up weather that has other boats running for shore and shelter. And yes, because she is first and foremost a Grady-White, freedom to fish offshore, clear of protected coves and inlets.

Distinguishing Features

• 83-Square-Foot Cockpit. Easily among the most in class.
• 230-quart (218 L) Insulated Fishbox in Bow. This is located under the starboard bow seat and while it can certainly be used for storage because it’s insulated it also lends itself to holding iced down fish.
• 166-quart (157 L) Aft Fishbox. Located at the transom.
• Starboard Console Head. This head area includes a shower, sink, microwave, and lots of storage.
• Port Console Cabin. This makes a great place to get shelter from the weather. It includes a TV/entertainment system, and it also converts to a berth with ease. 
• Extendible Lounge Seat. This seat extends electrically from the aft side of the port settee.
• Deluxe Bow Seating. To the port side, there is a table that lies flush with the seat and can be raised for use. This is a great solution to having to store a separate table and pedestal elsewhere on the boat.

 

Performance

While we haven’t tested the Freedom 335, Grady-White certainly has and they’ve shared their results with us.

With triple Yamaha 300-hp 4-strokes turning 15 ¼ by 18 SWS II SDS props, they reached a top speed of 53.9 mph at 6000 rpm. At that speed, the engines were burning 77.3 gph. Best cruise was measured to be at 3500 rpm and 30.3 mph with a 25.4 gph fuel burn. Again, we haven’t tested this boat and cannot verify or validate these numbers.

Features Inspection

As we take a look at the features of the Freedom 335 we start to see how well she handles her mission of doing so much so well. She basically has three main gathering and entertaining areas: the bow, the helm deck, and the cockpit. We’ll start our exploration at the bow.

Bow

This is clearly going to be one of the most popular gathering areas on the Freedom 335. Aside from the obvious benefits of the fresh air and nearly unrestricted view, there are some distinct and unique features that make this area so popular.

First, It’s Quite Roomy.

There’s a bench seat to starboard and a split seat to port. Additional seating runs across the front of the area. A full-length grab rail is recessed inside the bow and drink holders are to both ends of the rail. Storage is under the seats, no surprise there.

However, to the port side, there’s a flush-mounted table lying against the bulwarks. Lift the table and it latches into position creating a dining/cocktail area. The top of the table is Corian and the rim is surrounded by fiberglass.

Helm Deck

The elevated helm deck is another social gathering area, but this time it’s in close proximity to the captain who, in most cases, will also be the host. To the port side is an L-shaped settee that makes for a comfortable spot to relax and converse with the captain, and any others gathered at this seating area. When it comes time to pull out lunch and drinks, the table stows in the deck storage and slides into place. This is the same scenario we saw in the bow, and unlike most boats, it means that we aren’t limited to having one table that gets transferred from one section of the boat to another. As for the table itself, it’s the same classy setup with a Corian top and fiberglass.

 

 

The helm deck is protected from the elements by a standard hardtop with a painted aluminum frame. There’s a storage net underneath spreader lights, down lights, two hatches, front and side curtains and the sides of the overhead are reinforced with outrigger pads.

Cockpit Deck

The cockpit deck is a wide-open gathering area in one sense and a comfortable seating area in another. That’s thanks to the fact of the Freedom 335 being such a good crossover boat. In fishing mode, there’s 83 sq. ft. (7.7 sq. m) of open area suitable for fishing, gathering, ballroom dancing…. Well maybe not dancing, but it’s still huge.

 

When it comes time for sitting, an aft bench flips up in the usual manner that we’ve come to see on similar boats. Ahead and to port, another seat extends on an electrically actuated slide from the aft side of the helm deck settee. Now we have opposing seating and a much more intimate gathering area.

Also, when it comes time for a buffet or cocktails, a Corian table flips down from the backrest of this seat. It has the same classy look as the bow and helm deck tables, but now we have three, all with the ability to be deployed at the same time.

Of course, entertaining means more than serving drinks and playing some music. Surely we need a place to cook and again, Grady-White delivers. To the starboard side of the cockpit is a wet bar with a refrigerator, sink, drink holders and an optional grill. Now the grill is electric so away from the dock there will be a need for the generator option to power the unit. All counters are, of course, Corian. The sink has a pull-out sprayer. The lid to the grill is held open with a gas strut and a mirror underneath adds to the trim features. Across the cockpit, in the transom, is a 128-quart (121.1 L) cooler just waiting to be filled with beverages and ice.

Helm

The helm is to starboard and includes some elegant features. Across the top is a black wood grain housing the rocker switches and we’re happy to see the horn switch stands out from the pack in red. A flush-mounted aircraft-style compass is in the center. To the right is a digital engine readout with selectable information.

There’s ample room below for mounting a navigation display. The stainless wheel with knob is mounted to a tilt base. Dual engine controls are mounted at a modest angle.

 

The seat is double-wide so the captain can have some welcome companionship while driving. It’s electrically adjustable fore and aft to accommodate operators of different sizes, or more to the point, young and old, alike.

Fishing

It’s hard to say the name Grady-White and not think of fishing, regardless of what boat one happens to be standing on. In the case of the Freedom 335, that feeling is justified, as she’s a capable fishing rig in spite of the large number of entertaining features onboard. It starts with the wide-open cockpit presenting 83 sq. ft. (7.7 sq. m) of open space. Across the transom is a 166-quart (157.1 L) insulated fishbox, which of course can also be used for dry storage. And let’s not forget the previously mentioned aft-facing seat that slides out on an electrically actuated slider. It’s not just for cocktails, it makes a great place to keep an eye on the trolling spread.

When actually working lines, the padded bolsters surrounding the cockpit will add a measure of comfort. There are raised toerails adding to the security when fighting a fish on the end of the line. Cleanups while underway are not a concern with a raw water washdown under the starboard bulwarks. When it’s time to cut bait, the tops of the hatches over the transom compartments are fitted with cutting boards.

 

Overnights

Of course, boating certainly lends itself to staying onboard overnight. Boats in this class typically have an area below decks where there’s living space, but the problem with that line of thinking is that it takes away what, for some, is the main goal of the boat… to serve as more of an entertainment platform. For that reason, the Freedom 335 has more of its features out on deck in a more open layout. Of course, while she may not have as much room dedicated to spending the night aboard, there is still the space and opportunity to do so.

In the port console is access to the “cabin” and it includes a TV/entertainment center, wood-grained paneling with storage and a sizable bench seat. When it’s time to turn in, of course, the single bench seat may suffice for one, but for two, push a button and out slides a filler panel making a berth comfortable for two. The compartment can be cooled with an optional 8,000 BTU air conditioning system. But what about rest facilities?

The head compartment is inside the helm console. It’s well laid out for it to be a wet-head. The Corian counters continue here and there’s plenty of storage both above and below the sink. A teak flip-down seat is just over the head unit that allows for sitting while getting prepared for the day, or showering while the boat is underway. For getting down to business the VacuFlush head is connected to a 10-gallon (38 L) holding tank.

Safety Features

Being Grady-White, the Freedom 335 was built with a number of safety features in mind. The entire deck is fully fiberglass lined and all walking surfaces are treated with a molded non-skid. While we aren’t really concerned about shipping water, hosing down the deck is a preferred method of cleaning and all water finds its way overboard through the deck drains. This also means that the Freedom 335 can be left in a slip or on a mooring uncovered (gasp!) without worry of a heavy rain overwhelming the bilge pumps.

 

 

 

The anchor system isn’t without a measure of safety. This one is recessed below a hatch in the bow. A windlass is controlled from footswitches to the side. The rode runs through the stem to further provide a flush surface on top. A cleat to secure the rode is provided under the hatch as well.

Observations

While this may not be the largest dual console on the planet, (Grady-White makes an even bigger model) it’s still right up there with the largest available but this one seems to be loaded with some quality features and innovations that we don’t see on the other models. Also, this one has the ability to still do what Grady-Whites are best known for, and that’s fish. Just make sure to clean up afterwards. There’s sure to be a party onboard after the catch.