34 Freeman for Sale, a Freeman 34VH Used Buying Guide

Where the 34VH sits in the Freeman family tree

If you are searching for a 34 Freeman for sale, you are almost certainly looking at the Freeman 34VH, the model that took Billy Freeman's original 33-foot catamaran and gave it a stepped, vented running surface. Billy Freeman founded Freeman Boatworks in South Carolina in 2006, and the first Freeman 33, drawn with naval design engineer Jesse Rhodes and built in Charleston, impressed Gulf and Carolina captains with how dry and level it ran. The 34VH kept that hull's proportions, 33 feet 7 inches long and 10 feet 10 inches wide, and made it faster and more efficient.

Sport Fishing described the 34VH as a stepped-hull version of the popular 33 when it appeared in its new boat coverage in 2015. Tested with twin Yamaha F350s, it reached 65 mph and returned 1.4 mpg at 50 mph. For a twin-engine fishing boat with 400 gallons of fuel those were striking numbers, and they explain why the 34VH still sells quickly years after it left the lineup.

Freeman's current small offshore model, the Freeman 35, has since taken over this slot. It is larger and carries more fuel, but it is also much more expensive, which keeps the used 34VH in demand with buyers who want a Freeman ride on a realistic budget.

What the vented hull changed compared with the original 33

VH stands for vented hull. On the 34, each sponson carries a step that draws air into the running surface, breaking the suction of water along the bottom and reducing wetted area at speed. The effect is a hull that lifts onto plane easily, runs freer at cruise, and needs less throttle for the same speed.

The basic Freeman traits remain. The sponsons are symmetrical, the bow has high freeboard and strong flare, and the tunnel is shaped to cushion re-entry rather than slam. Freeman designed his hulls specifically to avoid the bow steer in following and quartering seas that gave earlier American power cats a bad name, and the 34VH carries that behavior. Running down-sea into an inlet it tracks straight, which is the reason many Carolina captains trust it.

Construction follows the Freeman pattern of hand-laid biaxial and triaxial glass in vinylester resin with a closed-cell foam core. These hulls are stout; most problems on used boats are hardware, wiring and engines rather than structure.

Twin Yamahas, 65 mph and 1.4 mpg at 50

Twin Yamaha F300s were the base package, and twin F350 V8s were the performance choice. The 2015 test boat with F350s ran 65 mph at the top and 1.4 mpg at 50 mph, a burn of roughly 36 gallons per hour at a speed most monohulls of this size cannot sustain in a chop. Older Freeman 33 data suggests a similar pattern: Sport Fishing ran the first 33 at 63 mph on twin Yamaha 350s and recorded a 40 mph cruise at 4,000 rpm on 27 gallons per hour. Freeman's own 2015 spec sheet quoted a typical 45 mph cruise at 1.5 mpg and a top speed of 68 mph at 0.9 mpg.

Do the range math and 400 gallons with a 10 percent reserve gives about 500 statute miles at 50 mph on paper. Even trimmed for real conditions and loads, the 34VH comfortably handles 100 mile offshore runs, a full day of trolling and the ride home.

Many 34VHs are now on their second set of engines. Freeman's spec sheet listed a 700 hp maximum when the boat was new, and later versions of the page showed 800 hp and then 900 hp, so check the capacity plate on the specific hull and the transom and bracket setup before choosing anything heavier than the original twin F350 package.

A cockpit built around tuna tubes and a 200-gallon coffin box

Freeman built the 34VH as an offshore fishing tool first. At launch Sport Fishing reported that it could be outfitted with tuna tubes and three 53-gallon livewells, and that it came with two 50-gallon insulated in-deck fish boxes, lockable rod storage for nine rods and an insulated 200-gallon coffin box forward of the console, along with 18 rod holders in the gunwales. Later Freeman equipment lists describe an 800 quart coffin box, a 400 quart below-deck fish box, a 50-gallon pressurized transom livewell and two 280 quart in-deck boxes that can be plumbed as livewells.

Those numbers are big for a 34-foot boat, and the cat format is the reason. Carrying beam forward and aft lets Freeman put large boxes in each sponson and still leave a flat, open deck. Three livewells allow crews to keep different baits separated, a real advantage for kingfish, wahoo and tuna trips where you want both live and frozen options.

The coffin box in front of the console doubles as seating and a place to brace while running. On a tournament day it holds the catch on ice; on a family day it is the cooler for drinks and lunch.

• Up to three 53-gallon livewells (launch spec)
• Two 50-gallon insulated in-deck fish boxes
• 200-gallon (800 quart) insulated coffin box
• Tuna tubes and storage for nine rods
• Eighteen gunwale rod holders

Inlets, head seas and the catamaran motion

In a head sea the 34VH feels like a bigger boat. The twin hulls cut through chop rather than climbing over each wave, and the cushion of air in the tunnel takes the sting out of re-entry. Captains who switch from a 32 to 35 foot deep-V often say they can hold 10 mph more in 3 foot seas, and fuel economy improves at the same time.

The motion is different at rest. A cat sits flatter on the drift, but in a short beam sea it can snap back level with a quicker motion than a monohull. Most anglers prefer it once they are used to it, especially for standing at the gunwale all day. In tight turns the Freeman leans gently inward, which feels natural to anyone coming from a V-hull.

Why the 34VH shows up on tournament leaderboards

Freeman built its reputation in the charter fleets of Venice, Louisiana, and among Carolina offshore captains, and the 34 sized boats were an important part of that story. A 34VH with twin 350s could make a long run to the fish, keep speed in deteriorating weather and get back to the scale before the cutoff, which is exactly what you need in kingfish, wahoo and dolphin tournaments.

Its relatively modest twin-engine running costs also made it popular with small tournament teams and charter captains who could not justify the fuel and maintenance of a triple or quad boat. That mix of performance and economy is why a well-kept 34VH still attracts serious buyers.

Shopping for a 34 Freeman for sale

Supply is the challenge. Freeman built the 34VH in limited numbers and owners tend to keep them, so good boats rarely stay listed long. Expect asking prices from about $175,000 for an early boat with high-hour F300s to roughly $400,000 for a late hull with a recent repower and updated electronics.

Focus on engines first, then structure. Ask for complete maintenance records, oil analysis and compression on both outboards, and check how many hours they carry relative to their age. Charter boats can show 1,500 hours or more and may need a repower soon, which today costs a large share of the boat's value.

Then look at the hull around the steps and vents for impact damage, and inspect the engine bracket and transom for stress cracking. Finally, check that the hardtop or T-top structure is tight, because years of offshore pounding loosen mounting hardware on any boat that is run hard.

Freeman 34VH versus the newer Freeman 35

Freeman's current Freeman 35 measures 35 feet 10 inches with an 11-foot-6 beam, weighs 12,300 pounds dry with engines, carries 510 gallons of fuel and is rated for 1,200 hp, with twin Mercury V10 400s listed as standard. Freeman quotes it at 43 mph cruising at 1.35 mpg, and it includes an 850 quart coffin box and 70-gallon pressurized livewell capacity. It is a bigger, heavier and more capable boat.

The 34VH counters with simplicity and cost. At 9,000 pounds dry with engines it is more than 3,000 pounds lighter, its smaller engines are cheaper to run and repower, and the used price is a fraction of a new 35. If you fish within 60 to 80 miles of the inlet and want the Freeman ride, a clean 34VH is the value play.