The Rival 36 Sailboat

The Rival 36, an aft-cockpit cutter, was designed by Peter Brett and built in the UK by Rival Bowman Ltd.

Designed by Peter Brett and built in the UK by Rival Bowman Yachts, the Rival 36 is a highly regarded long-distance cruiser

A Rival 36 cutter anchored in Rodney Bay, St Lucia in the West Indies.

Published Specification for the Rival 36

Underwater Configuration: Fin keel with skeg-hung rudder. There is also a shoal draft version with a Scheel keel, and a centreboard version.

Hull Material: GRP (Fiberglass)

Length Overall: 35'10" (10.92m)

Waterline Length: 27'2" (8.3m)

Beam: 11'0" (3.4m)

Draft: 6'0" (1.8m)

Draft (Centreboard version): Max 6'9" (2.1m), Min 3'9" (1.1m)

Rig Type: Cutter

Displacement: 14,250lb / 6,464kg

Designer: Peter Brett

Builder: Rival Bowman (UK)

Year First Built: 1980

Number Built: 78

Owners Association: Rival Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Rival 36

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 15.7

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 39.2

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 317

4. Comfort Ratio: 30.4

5. Capsize Screening Formula: 1.8

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Rival 36

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1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 15.7 suggests that the Rival 36 will need a stiff breeze to get her going. In light conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing may be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 39.2 means that the Rival 36 will have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and she'll need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 317, tells us the Rival 36 is firmly in the ultra-heavy displacement category. Load her up as much as you like and her performance will be hardly affected, not that it was ever startling. Few if any sailboats are built to this displacement category these days - but they remain popular with some long-distance sailors.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 30.4 suggests that crew comfort of a Rival 36 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a moderate bluewater cruising boat - a predictable and acceptable motion for most seasoned sailors.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.8 tells us that a Rival 36 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.

Any Questions?

How did the sailing press review the Rival 36?

The sailing press reviewed the Rival 36 positively, praising its heavy weather comfort, proven seakeeping ability, and solid construction.

Is the Rival 36 still in production and, if not, when did production end and how many of these sailboats were built?

Production of the Rival 36 ended in the early 1990s after approximately 78 hulls were built.

What, if any, alternative versions of the Rival 36 were built?

There were two alternative versions of the Rival 36: one with a lift keel variant, the 36C (for centreboard), which has a slightly shorter mast, and another with a shallow draught variant offered with Scheel keel.

What is the history of the builders of the Rival 36 and is the company still in business?

Rival Yachts was started by yacht designer Peter Brett in 1967 with the Rival 31 as its first model. The company went through various takeovers and mergers featuring Bowman, Starlight, and Rustler before ceasing production in the early 1990s.

What sailplan and rig options, if any, are available for the Rival 36?

The Rival 36 was offered with sloop rig as standard and cutter rig and furling headsail were offered as options.

What is the average cost of a secondhand Rival 36?

The average cost of a secondhand Rival 36 varies depending on its condition but typically ranges from $30,000 to $50,000.

What other sailboats have been created by the designer of the Rival 36?

Peter Brett, designer of the Rival 36, also designed other sailboats for Rival Yachts including the Rival 31, 32, 34, 38 and 41.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge, we believe them to be accurate.