Liberty
Type: 80-foot commuter yacht
Builder: Hodgdon Yachts
Year: 1997
Original Owner: Jeff Lowell
Why this yacht matters: She’s gorgeous, and that may be the best reason to build, own, drive — and in our case, immortalize in print — any yacht. On the other hand, Liberty celebrates the great commuter yachts of the 1920s and 1930s — a significant period of yachting history — yet she is built of modern materials, employs up-to-date engines and systems, and gives her lucky owner the freedom to use her as much as he likes. No fragile antique yacht can offer the same. Liberty represents the best of old and new.
From the pages of Yachting: Although gazing at Liberty_ may be enough of a good thing for some folks, she really comes alive when you fire up her big diesels. At dead idle, she’s exceptionally quiet and runs at seven knots with a minuscule wake. Crack open her MANs and she surges ahead in one great lunge_. — Ted West, June 1997
