Design and Construction
Russel Marine built the Vivacity 21 in solid fiberglass. Her bilge keels keep draft between roughly 2.33 and 2.63 feet, depending on load, allowing her into shallow marinas that deeper fin-keel boats cannot reach.
She displaces 2,500 pounds and carries 1,100 pounds of iron ballast. Her 44 percent ballast ratio is higher than that of 73 percent of comparable designs. A length-to-beam ratio of 2.97 makes her slimmer than 69 percent of similar sailboats.
Her displacement-to-length ratio of 156 puts her among “light racers,” and 66 percent of similar designs are heavier. The Motion Comfort Ratio of 14.1 rates her as more comfortable than 54 percent of her peers—a modest but credible result for such a small, narrow boat.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Vivacity 21 has a masthead rig, with a quoted combined mainsail-and-jib area of 203.3 square feet. Her sail-area-to-displacement figure is 17.7 using the ISO reference sail and 20.6 with a 135 percent genoa, meaning she is quicker than 46 percent of similar boats in light wind.
The standout statistic is the amount of rig she carries: more than 96 percent of comparable sailboats. The review describes her as significantly overrigged. Combined with her light displacement, that generous sail plan makes her a lively small-boat sailer rather than a steady coastal trawler.
Her theoretical displacement-hull speed is 5.9 knots. The bottom has about 139 square feet of wetted surface, and the immersion rate is 480 pounds per inch. A capsize screening value of 2.11 would exclude her from ocean racing.
Accommodations
The available material supplies no details about the interior arrangement, berth count, head, or galley. At 21.25 feet overall, with a 7.17-foot beam and a bilge-keel hull, the Vivacity 21 is a compact coastal camp-cruiser. Her accommodations are necessarily minimal given her length and beam.
Known Issues
No design-specific defect is identified for the Vivacity 21. An owner’s principal risks therefore lie in the ordinary wear associated with a 1970s fiberglass bilge-keeler rather than in a fault unique to this design.
Refitting and Ownership
Period running-rigging specifications provide a practical baseline for re-rigging:
- Mainsail, jib-genoa, and spinnaker halyards: 60.5 feet long and 5/16 inch in diameter
- Jib and genoa sheets: 21.3 feet long and 3/8 inch in diameter
- Mainsheet: 53.1 feet long and 3/8 inch in diameter
The bilge keels and shallow draft make drying moorings and trailer-style shore storage practical, although no trailer weight or road-transport details are stated.
The Verdict
The Vivacity 21 is a narrow, significantly overrigged light racer with modest comfort and no ocean-racing ambition. She is simply built in solid fiberglass and has a shallow-draft bilge-keel footprint.
She suits a sailor looking for an easily stored coastal boat that can reach shallow water and carries more sail than her size might suggest. In return, that sailor must accept that she is small, narrow, and not a passage-maker.
Pros
- Bilge keels provide 2.33–2.63 feet of draft for access to shallow marinas
- Ballast ratio is higher than that of 73 percent of similar designs
- Significantly overrigged, giving lively light-air performance
- Simple, repairable solid-fiberglass construction
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.11 excludes her from ocean racing
- Slimmer and less roomy than most similar boats
- Motion Comfort Ratio is better than only 54 percent of her peers
- No interior details are specified in the available material
