Has anybody got or used a Viva 700

I suppose you could be right as there is no direct mention of the sails only the square metre sizes and the photos of them.
I must admit I would be very very careful if I was buying from them , the manufacturers website is only a little better.:D
 
Bit Optimistic

Imagine this weekend the enjoyment of sailing one of our yachts to a beautifull anchorage or marina, preparing an evening meal and a nice glass of wine on board, then wakening in the morning for breakfast on deck. Then after a delightful sail home in the afternoon simply load the boat onto its purpose built trailer and park it in your driveway or at the side of your home, no marina fees, no worries.
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Sounds very grand . But not with the temp down at -6

Load the boat on the trailer and off .. What about the mast .. :D .. De-rigging , Packing the sails away . etc.

Ps Don't forget you have to do the same when you arrive .. Used to take us a good hour to set up and an hour to take it all down again Beneteau 21.7 so similar
 
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I have had a Viva 700 for 2 years now and think she is great. She is great for space below and looks nice. (SWMBO was much happier to come out sailing on weekend trips in the much greater comfort over the Vivacity 650 I used to have). She is very nippy and handles well, but a little on the tender side and you need to reef early when the wind gets up if there are just two of you. I had 3 reefs in the mainsail as you need them when the wind gets up to force 6 which is the strongest you can make any real headway into. I keep her on a drying swinging mooring in Chichester as she sits on the mud fine. I did find that mud could get wedged into the keel slot so had an access point drilled through the table so it could be pushed to get if started when lowering. The mast raising and lowering can be done by one but easier with two. It takes enough time to get everything done that I wouldn't want to do it for a day trip trailering. I use the trailer twice a year as she sits outside my house in winter. On another topic, the outboard goes off centre due to the transom hung rudder so you have to be careful with the sails up to keep the prop in the wate on the port tack, and not to drown it on starboard. Having said that if you have the wind to do that you won't need the engine as the drag would slow you down. I hardly use the engine except to get in and out of the mooring and when the wind dies completely.

At the price being offered I reckon that is reasonable. It won't include an outboard (you need an 8HP) nor a trailer. If you bought those new add another £4k to to 4.5k.

If you want any more info PM me.

Regards
Neil
 
neilf39 said:
I have had a Viva 700 for 2 years now and think she is great. She is great for space below and looks nice. (SWMBO was much happier to come out sailing on weekend trips in the much greater comfort over the Vivacity 650 I used to have). She is very nippy and handles well, but a little on the tender side and you need to reef early when the wind gets up if there are just two of you. I had 3 reefs in the mainsail as you need them when the wind gets up to force 6 which is the strongest you can make any real headway into. I keep her on a drying swinging mooring in Chichester as she sits on the mud fine. I did find that mud could get wedged into the keel slot so had an access point drilled through the table so it could be pushed to get if started when lowering. The mast raising and lowering can be done by one but easier with two. It takes enough time to get everything done that I wouldn't want to do it for a day trip trailering. I use the trailer twice a year as she sits outside my house in winter. On another topic, the outboard goes off centre due to the transom hung rudder so you have to be careful with the sails up to keep the prop in the wate on the port tack, and not to drown it on starboard. Having said that if you have the wind to do that you won't need the engine as the drag would slow you down. I hardly use the engine except to get in and out of the mooring and when the wind dies completely.

At the price being offered I reckon that is reasonable. It won't include an outboard (you need an 8HP) nor a trailer. If you bought those new add another £4k to to 4.5k.

If you want any more info PM me.

Regards
Neil
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Neil, I know your reply is 11 years old I'm hoping you can still help. I also own a Viva 700 and have the same sticking keel issue are you able to send me a photograph of where you drilled the keel casing table top, which then enabled you to push the keel down.

Regards
Richie.
 
Richien said:
Neil, I know your reply is 11 years old I'm hoping you can still help. I also own a Viva 700 and have the same sticking keel issue are you able to send me a photograph of where you drilled the keel casing table top, which then enabled you to push the keel down.

Regards
Richie.
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I will check if I have any photos as I sold her some time ago. From memory it was about 6 inches in from the rear of the table. The boat is still based at my home marina so going strong.
 
neilf39 said:
I will check if I have any photos as I sold her some time ago. From memory it was about 6 inches in from the rear of the table. The boat is still based at my home marina so going strong.
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Hi, This forum came up while searching for information on the viva 700. We are looking at purchasing one, do you think it’s a good starting point into larger boats and trailer sailers? We currently have a laser Bahia so this is quite a change for us.
Any common faults or overall buying suggestions?

Cheers Rob
 
Rob2024 said:
Hi, This forum came up while searching for information on the viva 700. We are looking at purchasing one, do you think it’s a good starting point into larger boats and trailer sailers? We currently have a laser Bahia so this is quite a change for us.
Any common faults or overall buying suggestions?

Cheers Rob
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If you are used to a dinghy then she behaves just like a big dinghy. Good for harbours and sheltered waters. Very light and most ballast is in the bottom of the hull. The centreplate only weight about 90kg so she is quite tender. I would make sure the lift keel and its mechanism are in good condition. The whole lot will drop out of the bottom of the boat by removing one large through bolt and is the only way to access it. There are several pulleys and the bearings can get corroded as can the area around the pivot pin. They need to be well maintained especially if used in salt water. Check that the rudder cassette is good and the rudder pivots without any play as any play here can be very annoying.
 
That’s really helpful thank you, may be a bargaining point and also a fix I can do myself.
Our plan is to use it at carsington water, possibly Rutland water, both close to us and then take it up to Scotland to use around the west coast, near Largs and the islands, possibly take it along the Caledonian canal and lochs.
Someone has mentioned they suffer from mould inside because the hull isn’t insulated? Did you find this?

Thanks again for your reply
 
Rob2024 said:
That’s really helpful thank you, may be a bargaining point and also a fix I can do myself.
Our plan is to use it at carsington water, possibly Rutland water, both close to us and then take it up to Scotland to use around the west coast, near Largs and the islands, possibly take it along the Caledonian canal and lochs.
Someone has mentioned they suffer from mould inside because the hull isn’t insulated? Did you find this?

Thanks again for your reply
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I never had any particular mould issues with mine. No more than any other boat. They are uninsulated like most boats so will get condensation if not ventilated well.
 
neilf39 said:
If you are used to a dinghy then she behaves just like a big dinghy. Good for harbours and sheltered waters. Very light and most ballast is in the bottom of the hull. The centreplate only weight about 90kg so she is quite tender. I would make sure the lift keel and its mechanism are in good condition. The whole lot will drop out of the bottom of the boat by removing one large through bolt and is the only way to access it. There are several pulleys and the bearings can get corroded as can the area around the pivot pin. They need to be well maintained especially if used in salt water. Check that the rudder cassette is good and the rudder pivots without any play as any play here can be very annoying.
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We recently purchased an older, quite unloved Viva 700. Seems like a fun boat, but I start with a basic dumb question: please enlighten me on how to raise the swing keel. I think we´ve looked everywhere and haven´t figured it out. Thanks for a response.
 
Hi, welcome to the viva owners club! We have owned ours for a week now and are really enjoying it. Excuse the terminology, I’m new to a lot of this. The keel on ours lifts with a black top directly above the cabin glass sliding door hatch. If you stand looking at the cabin hatch you will see it in the centre on the deck.
 
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