The Rival 38 Sailboat
Key Specs & Performance Indicators

Published Specification for the Rival 38

Underwater Profile: Fin keel with skeg-hung rudder.

Hull Material: GRP (Fiberglass)

Length Overall: 37'7" (11.5m)

Waterline Length: 29'6" (9.0m)

Beam: 11'3" (3.4m)

Draft: 5'4" (1.6m)

Rig Type: Masthead sloop

Displacement: 17,280lb (7,838kg)

Designer: Peter Brett

Builder: Rival/Southern Boatbuilding Co. Ltd. (UK)

Year First Built: 1977

Number Built: 63

Owners Association: Rival Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Rival 38

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 17.9

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: Not Published

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 300

4. Comfort Ratio: 33.3

5. Capsize Screening Formula: 1.7

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Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Rival 38

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1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 17.9 suggests that the Rival 38 will, in the right conditions, approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.

2. In the absence of a published Ballast/Displacement Ratio for the Rival 38 we are unable to make any assessment of her stiffness under sail.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 300, tells us the Rival 38 is clearly a heavy displacement cruising boat. You can load her down with all your cruising gear and equipment and it will hardly affect her waterline. Not an ideal choice for coastal sailing, but she'll come into her own on an offshore passage in testing conditions.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 33.3 suggests that crew comfort of a Rival 38 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 1.7 tells us that a Rival 38 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.

Accomodation Layout

Rival 38A Accommodation Layout

The standard version (the Rival 38A) has an aft cockpit and a two-cabin layout with a forward double berth, a saloon with two settees that can convert to berths, a galley, a navigation station, and an aft cabin with two single berths. Some of these were rigged as cutters.

A centre cockpit version was also available, with a three-cabin layout that had a forward double berth, a saloon with two settees that can convert to berths, a galley, a navigation station, an aft heads compartment, and an aft cabin with either two single berths or a double berth.

Some boats may have a non-standard aft cabin layout with a double berth to port and the heads to starboard.