Vivacity 20

Sailboat class

Vivacity 20
Development
Designer	Peter Stevenson and Des C. Pollard
Location	United Kingdom
Year	1963
Builder(s)	Russell Marine
Role	Racer-Cruiser
Name	Vivacity 20
Boat
Displacement	1,800 lb (816 kg)
Draft	2.33 ft (0.71 m)
Hull
Type	monohull
Construction	glassfibre
LOA	20.00 ft (6.10 m)
LWL	17.00 ft (5.18 m)
Beam	7.00 ft (2.13 m)
Engine type	outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	twin keels
Ballast	680 lb (308 kg)
Rudder(s)	transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	23.33 ft (7.11 m)
J foretriangle base	5.90 ft (1.80 m)
P mainsail luff	20.67 ft (6.30 m)
E mainsail foot	9.25 ft (2.82 m)
Sails
Sailplan	masthead sloop
Mainsail area	95.60 sq ft (8.882 m²)
Jib/genoa area	68.82 sq ft (6.394 m²)
Total sail area	164.42 sq ft (15.275 m²)
Racing
PHRF	288
← Alacrity 19 [edit on Wikidata]

The Vivacity 20 is a British trailerable sailboat that was designed by Peter Stevenson and Des C. Pollard as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1963.^[1]^[2]

The design is a lengthened development of the Alacrity 19.^[1]^[2]

Production

The design was built by Russell Marine in Essex, England, starting in 1963, but it is now out of production. The boat was produced complete and ready to sail or as a kit for amateur completion. It was also imported in the United States by Wells Yachts starting in the early 1960s.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Design

The Vivacity 20 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a reverse transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and twin keels or an optional single, fixed fin keel. It displaces 1,800 lb (816 kg) and carries 680 lb (308 kg) of iron ballast.^[1]^[2]

The boat has a draft of 2.33 ft (0.71 m) with the twin keels allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.^[1]^[2]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 2 to 4 hp (1 to 3 kW) outboard motor for docking and manoeuvring.^[1]^[2]

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. The galley is located on the starboard side just aft of the bow cabin and is equipped with a sink. The head is located just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. Cabin headroom is 36 in (91 cm).^[1]^[2]

For sailing the design is equipped with a range of jibs or genoas.^[2]

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 288 and a hull speed of 5.6 kn (10.4 km/h).^[2]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Vivacity 20 was a popular early fiberglass micro-cruiser. Like her predecessor, the Alacrity 19 ... she features twin bilge keels and a low profile doghouse ... The boat was available as a kit, so there are numerous variations in finish and details ... It should also be noted that apart from six inches more on the waterline and 350 pounds more ballast, the Vivacity is thought by many to be almost indistinguishable from the Alacrity. Best features: About the best we can say for the Vivacity is that, like her near-sister Alacrity, she's a nice boat for her vintage, but her generally more up-to-date comp[etitor]s are better. Worst features: With her shallow twin keels—of iron, which rusts—each weighing a mere 240 pounds, she is probably less weatherly, more tender, and slower in light air ..."^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Vivacity 20 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 63. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN 978-0-07-163652-0
^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Russell Marine Ltd. 1959 - 1980". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2022.