The Alacrity 19 is a British trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by Peter Stevenson as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

and first built in 1960.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 19.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010. The Alacrity 19 is a

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

development of the wooden Alacrity 18. The design was developed into the

Vivacity 20 The Vivacity 20 is a British Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat that was designed by Peter Stevenson (naval architect), Peter Stevenson and Des C. Pollard as a Sailing (sport), racer-Cruising (maritime), cruiser and first built in 1963.Henkel ...

in 1963.

Production

The design was built by Hurley Marine and later

Russell Marine Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) ** Bertrand Russell *Justice Russell (disambiguation) Places *Russell Island (disambiguation) *Mount Russel ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, with more than 700 built, but it is now out of production. The boat was also imported into the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by Wells Yachts.

Design

The Alacrity 19 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, initially built of wood and later of

, with wood trim. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...

rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a

reverse transom In some boats and ships, a transom is the aft transverse surface of the hull that forms the stern of a vessel. Historically, they are a development from the canoe stern (or "double-ender") wherein which both bow and stern are pointed. Transom ...

, a transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...

and a fixed dual fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

s. It displaces and carries of iron ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keels. It is normally fitted with a small

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

for docking and manoeuvring. The design has sleeping accommodation for three people, with a single berth on the port side of the bow and two straight settees in the main cabin. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located on the starboard side opposite the bow berth. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

is located under a hanging locker just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 378.

Variants

;Alacrity 18 :Model was built of wood. ;Alacrity 19 :Model was built of fibreglass and is more than a foot longer in

length overall Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also ...

. It was built in Mark I, Mark II and a ''Weekender'' variants.

Operational history

In a 2010 review, American Steve Henkel compared the boat to the Windrose 18 and the Hunter 18.5. He wrote that hull design "indicates a nice shape for fast sailing, except for her pair of stubby keels ... the relatively large wetted surface of which would deter from good performance ... Best features: About the best we can say is that the Alacrity is a nice boat for her vintage ... Worst features: Her two comp etitor, with their shallower board-up drafts, would be easier to launch and retrieve at a ramp. With her shallow twin keels of iron, which rusts, each weighing a mere 240 pounds, she is probably least weatherly, most tender, and slowest in light air compared to her lighter comp etitor with their deeper centerboards, beamier hulls, bigger sail areas, etc—all in all not the boat to seek if performance is at all important to you."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1960s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Peter Stevenson Sailboat types built by Russell Marine Sailboat types built by Hurley Marine

Production

Design

Variants

Operational history

See also

References