Freeman 28 for Sale, the Small Catamaran That Runs Like a Big One

Why a builder of 40-footers drew a 28

Anyone hunting for a Freeman 28 for sale should understand how unusual this boat is inside the Freeman family. Billy Freeman founded Freeman Boatworks in South Carolina in 2006 and made his name with offshore catamarans between 33 and 47 feet, the boats that showed up in Venice, Louisiana and on kingfish and tuna leaderboards. The 28 is something else. Power and Motoryacht described it as a hybrid bay boat and center console catamaran, a comparatively small boat with low freeboard that was conceived for inshore and nearshore fishing and for sandbar days, and it became the newest and smallest boat in the range when it appeared in 2023.

Freeman's own pitch is about access rather than bluewater: shallows where fish hold, and waterfront restaurants with tight docks. That is a different brief from the 42 or 47, and it explains the boat's proportions. At 28 feet 9 inches long and 9 feet 10 inches wide it is narrower than any other Freeman, it draws 16 inches, and it weighs about 6,500 pounds with engines, roughly a third of a Freeman 43.

The numbers that make the 28 different

On paper the 28 looks modest. In practice the fuel figures are what sell it. Freeman lists a typical cruise of 40 mph at 2.0 mpg with twin 300s, and marketing director Scott Cothran told Power and Motoryacht the boat averages just under two miles per gallon. With 250 gallons aboard, that is a theoretical reach of around 500 statute miles before any reserve, which is more than most 28-foot monohulls can manage and the reason Cothran says owners have pushed the boat well beyond nearshore water.

Freeman originally rated the hull for 600 hp. The current specification sheet lists a 700 hp maximum, which opens the door to twin Yamaha F350s. Standard power is a pair of Mercury Verado 300s, with Mercury Racing 300R and Yamaha 300 options. Freeman does not publish a top speed for the 28, and we have not seen an instrumented test, so treat any number you hear at the dock as anecdotal.

• LOA 28 ft 9 in, beam 9 ft 10 in, draft 16 in
• Dry weight with engines 6,500 lb; ready to fish about 8,900 lb
• Fuel 250 gal, fresh water 13 gal
• Builder cruise figure 40 mph at 2.0 mpg; maximum power 700 hp
• Bridge clearance 8.5 ft; trailer height about 13 ft with the standard top

What it did in Charleston's four-foot slop

The most useful real-world account of the 28 comes from Chris Dixon's run for Power and Motoryacht out of Charleston Harbor. He reported pounding through confused four-foot head seas at 35 knots outside the jetties, then taking a series of four-foot ship wakes head-on at better than 20 knots behind a container ship with twin Mercury Racing 300s. The boat launched, then landed softly and kept tracking straight, which is precisely the behavior Freeman has been chasing since Billy Freeman's first hull.

That matters because small catamarans have a reputation problem. Older cats bow-steered in following seas and slammed when the tunnel ran out of air. The 28 inherits Freeman's approach to the tunnel and sponsons, scaled down. It will not ride like a 42 in a real Gulf Stream sea, but it is unusually composed for its length, and the low freeboard that makes it practical in the shallows is the main limit offshore, not the hull.

A deck plan that leans toward the flats

Freeman's equipment list reads like a big bay boat with offshore storage. Up front is a 196-quart bow box and a bow seat compartment that can be a 20-gallon baitwell. Amidships, two 240-quart boxes handle rods and gear. There is a 30-gallon floor livewell, twin 21-gallon pressurized transom livewells, a 340-quart aft fish box and a 120-quart aft storage compartment. The console cooler is rated at 225 quarts on the current sheet and the leaning post adds a 70-quart cooler.

Shallow-water options tell you who Freeman expects to buy the boat: dual 8-foot Power-Poles, a 36V trolling motor system, a stand-through tower with upper controls, and kingfish rod holders for the nearshore crowd. Comfort options include cushioned bow lounges with backrests, a teak seating upgrade, a Mega Bench and an electric marine head. Zipwake trim tabs, electric steering, raw water washdown and LED navigation lights are standard.

Helm, electronics and the tower option

The dash measures 34 by 20.5 inches, enough for a single 24-inch display or a pair of 16-inch screens, and Freeman offers both Simrad and Garmin packages including a single Garmin 27-inch unit. Radar is a 24-inch dome, and a 1 kW chirp transducer and a FLIR or Sionyx night vision camera are on the option list.

The stand-through tower is the option that changes the boat most. It turns the 28 into a sight-casting and fish-spotting platform for redfish, cobia and tripletail, but it also raises the trailering height and adds weight up high. If you plan to tow, measure your storage building and the bridges on your route before you buy a tower boat.

Trailering, slips and yearly costs

With a sub-10-foot beam the 28 is the only Freeman that trailers without wide-load headaches in most states, which is a big part of its appeal. Plan on a tandem or triple axle trailer and a three-quarter ton or larger truck for 8,900 pounds ready to fish plus trailer. Dry stack is another option, but check rack capacity; a twin outboard cat is wider and heavier than the single-engine bay boats many racks were designed for.

We estimate $14,000 to $30,000 a year to own one, covering insurance, a slip or storage, two outboard services, bottom or trailer maintenance and fuel. At roughly 20 gph at a 40 mph cruise, fuel costs are mild for a twin-engine boat, and that is the economic argument for the design.

Buying a used Freeman 28

Freeman builds to order with a long queue, so used 28s are rare and sellers know it. Expect asking prices that sit close to a new boat with similar options, and expect the best-optioned boats, Racing 300s, tower, joystick and large-format glass, to sell quickly through Freeman-friendly brokers in the Carolinas, Florida and the Gulf.

Because these boats are used in skinny water, the bottom deserves more attention than it would on an offshore Freeman. Look for gelcoat damage on the sponson keels from beaching and sandbar landings, check the lower units and skegs for strikes, and confirm the Zipwake interceptors and trolling motor wiring all work.

Freeman 28 versus the new Freeman 29

In 2025 Freeman added a new 29 with a 30-foot 5-inch hull, a 10-foot beam, 290 gallons, a glass windshield enclosure and a deeper 20-inch draft. The 29 is the better boat for anglers who spend most of their time offshore and want more weather protection. The 28 remains the choice for anyone who values shallow draft, lighter weight, an easier tow and the flexibility to fish the backcountry in the morning and run to a reef in the afternoon.