Sunk vivacity 20

The Vivacity is a great little boat but I'd only recommmend the project if it is the DIY that you enjoy. It could well be some time and expense before she's seaworthy. I'm speaking from a little experience here. Nearly a decade ago I got a cheap Alacrity project (the slightly smaller sister to the Vivacity). Guess what; it's still a project, semi sinks on its mudberth regularly from deck leaks and basically is a shell. All the interior is trash and I've really only used it as a shed to store other boat junk in as I have a smaller 15' boat, which is dry and useable, in the same berth. The Alacrity has sails, mast, boom and roller furling for the genoa so it is relatively complete but still not really a justifiable project. Just for the timber for framing, ply, GRP resin, paint and new standing rigging would cost the wrong side of £500 before even starting to think about niceties like cushions. Even so it would still only be a lake boat and would require significant further expense to make her safe on the sea. Putting this into context, like the others say you can get some real small boat bargains if you shop around, ones that are fundamentally sound and require only minor work. In the previous two seasons I've bought a 21' Jouster (fin keel) and a Snapdragon (bilge keeler slightly shorter than the Viv). Each of these cost just over £500. The Snapdragon came with a good 8hp outboard, tillerpilot, VHF, loads of good sails, recent standing rigging and decent cushions inside - in other words ready to go in the water for little more than the Alacrity would have cost me in materials to renovate the hull alone. The Vivacity is a lovely and well respected boat but I'd only take it on if a)you want to do the work b)you know that the money won't be recouped and c)if you want to go sailing then get a big dinghy aswell for your sanity. Although some people are able to give a renovation job most of their time, a lot of us can only get to the boat and do jobs sporadically. In this case you can count on it becoming a longer project than originally envisaged and there is nothing worse than watching others set off on a sunny day while you are up to your eyeballs in glassfibre dust.
 
Quicky said:
View attachment 31581

Is this worth £100 ?
Click to expand...

I'd say possibly, but only if you have somewhere to keep it for free, plenty of time to work on it, and your goal is to learn about rebuilding boats and to work on it as a hobby in itself. If your goal is to go sailing, you will almost certainly be able to find a usable boat for less than it would cost to repair that one.

Pete
 
If the mast rigging and sails are in good condition then they are worth that. The hull? Not worth anything, unless going for free with the rig.

If you want a time consuming project, this could do. If you want a boat to sail, go and buy one that is afloat and more or less ready to go. That will be a lot cheaper than this one even at £4-500.
 
That looks like a Vivacity to me - the coachroof isn't as long on the Alacrity. A decent mast, boom and sails would be worth more than the £100 asking price imho but the seller probably knows that and just wants shut of the boat for a token sum. The major issue I would imagine will be how and where you would renovate her. If you end up paying top dollar for it to sit on a mooring while you do the work then it becomes a long task and false economy but if you could get it out to free storage (at home?) you could get the work done faster and without the cost of a mooring. At that kind of price you really need to work this one out because the £100 could be small change compared to the cost of the mooring or having someone drag it out and transport. On the other hand I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to boat projects - precisely the reason why I haven't taken a chainsaw to my Alacrity in the last decade. I still hope to get it done one day soon but purely out of affection for it and reluctance to see it go to the boatyard in the sky. The thread about the Matilda renovation (already mentioned in this thread) is inspiring for those of us who sail on a shoestring and shows what a good scrub or jetwash can do just for starters. I bet that Viv would look a lot better with the crud cleaned off and to be honest doesn't look any bigger a project than my Alacrity. One advantage with the Vivacity is the internal GRP mouldings; on the Alacrity all the bunks etc are made from timber and ply which is completely shot - at least the interior of the Viv should give you something salvageable to work with. I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to take on a wreck that they then find to be a regrettable millstone but on the other hand I'm itching to say 'Go for it, enjoy the work and rescue a decent boat.'
 
I'd say that was an Alacrity , AFAIK Vivacity was a single side window . The pic I posted was of my Alacrity BUT according to the delivery driver it's 20' so that would make that a Viv even though I had bought it as an Alacrity . Different layouts over the years of production ?
 
Alacrity is 18'6" but as there were changes to each over their production run it's difficult to judge just by the windows. Some with one window each side, some with two or like mine two windows now masquerading as one. The vent on the Alacrity is just forward of the hatch when it is slid open, on the Viv the coachroof is longer and the vent(s) on the outside of the grabrail.

IMGP6518.jpg
 
Sounds good to me Mike . I still think mines an Alacrity and the delivery guy had a stretchy Tape . Probably trying to get more money off me :-) .
 
One comment-there are plenty of old boats out there for next to nothing but floating;rigged with sails engines and complete interiors.
 
Yep, yours looks like an Alacrity to me too Paul; just in much better condition than mine. Just wondering if your delivery guy had a minimum 20ft charge so anything less gets listed at that minimum length. My Snapdragon is 6m dead but the marina charge for a minimum of 6.1m (20ft). Could just be that the delivery guy worked on similar basis.
 
Mike ,You're probably right about the delivery guy . To be honest , Considering my location I got off lightly this winter with the fallout from Tata even though the boats in Swansea . We had more problems when they were building the Tower at the marina .
 
Quicky said:
View attachment 31581

Is this a Vivacity or a Alacrity ?

The mast and sails are kept in a garage.

Is this worth £100 ?
Click to expand...

No, I'd suggest at least £500...

...to be given to whomsoever removes the wreck!

Seriously, walk away!

If you are still interested you need to investigate for any liens (harbour dues, mooring fees etc) and absolutely you must have all of the missing bits. They would cost far more than a used Viv.


I sold a seaworthy but grubby 25'er for £250 a couple of years ago as I needed the mooring and didn't have the inclination to refit the interior...
 
Quicky said:
View attachment 31581

Is this a Vivacity or a Alacrity ?

The mast and sails are kept in a garage.

Is this worth £100 ?
Click to expand...
Definitely a Vivacity - it has two roof vents rather than the single on the Alacrity.

The Vivacity has a wooden core in the deck which may have been affected and so is not solid GRP as has been said earlier.

My blog has hundreds of photos of the Vivacity (look top right for the pics, click to get the gallery).

It is not worth £100 but if you are a carpenter then you may enjoy doing it up. Inside you'll want to line the sides, ideally with closed cell foam or carpet if you can accept it. You'll also need to make locker lids for the exterior lockers - this will be £50 worth of 3/4 ply. Inside you'll need 2 doors for what I refer to as "electric" lockers either side of the companionway as well as lids for each of the 9 other internal lockers, all 1/4 ply, probably a full sheet. You'll also need two table tops, one to cover the sink and one to cover the locker opposite the sink, these I think are 1/4 ply, one of which turns into a table.

You'll need a new battery - £100
You'll want to paint the topsides and deck, this will use one small pot each so around £60 total. Then Antifoul another £30.

Exterior wood is probably fine but you'll want to look at the hull/deck join.

Does the owner have the cushions? If not add around £200 for foam and fabric. The curtains will also be ruined so add £10 for fabric.

These are nice little boats and I've spent up to a week on mine at a time in reasonable comfort but fixing won't be a cheap option unless you have access to cheap materials and labour. If you get it out of the water and wash it I expect it would look much less of a wreck but don't pay for it if you can help it.
 
Forgot to add there is no lead in the keels, they used either steel punchings or scrap pipes at various times :)
 
Looks like the biggest problem with some is the mooring fees and where to make her shipshape again.

Lustyd I liked looking at your pictures on your blog you have done a fine job you have made an old boat young again .
 
The Vivacity 20 is an excellent starter boat but make sure you get it for a nominal sum (£1) and if you do raise it, rinse it well with fresf water and GET IT TO YOUR back garden so you can work on it easily and at any free moment. If you have to travel a distance to where it's stored it won't get finished! But as others have said to get it in sailing trim will cost a lot more than buying a tired one with all of the gear.
 
Run, such a bot is just not worth it.

It costs £20k to get an old boat back to good condition.

Ask me how I know!

If you are committed to having a project, get a really nice old boat that is worthy of of being adored when you have done the job properly.
 
Quicky said:
Looks like the biggest problem with some is the mooring fees and where to make her shipshape again.

Lustyd I liked looking at your pictures on your blog you have done a fine job you have made an old boat young again .
Click to expand...

You're quite right, if you have somewhere to work which won't cost the earth you're much better off. If you have tools already you're halfway there - I've spent a fortune on various tools for the boat and I already had a decent load of tools.
Thanks for the compliment about the pics, glad you liked them. If you decide to take the boat let me know if you need any info or pointers.
Dave
 
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