Boat test for the 2003 Viking Sport Cruisers 61 SC with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2003 Viking Sport Cruisers 61 SC.

Carroll and Fredrickson had given me a complete tour of the 61 before my day out on the Bass River and Great Bay. Entering the main deck area from the cockpit, I found a spacious room with four separate areas: an entertainment/saloon area aft, a galley to starboard and down slightly, a raised dining area opposite the galley, and the starboard helm station forward of the galley. Lightly colored overhead, seating areas and carpet were contrasted by warm cherrywood cabinetry and inlaid wood trim that together, with large windows all around, made for a spacious and airy feel.

As we moved into the galley, Carroll began opening up a seemingly never-ending array of cabinets, drawers, and cubbies. "Space utilization was high on our list," he told me as he opened a pair of eye-level cabinets housing a microwave and a dishwasher that slides out for easy loading and unloading. Other nice touches include a fold-down splashguard for the electric stovetop, ice maker, deep stainless steel sink, undercounter refrigerator and freezer, and lots of counter space. In a separate utility room off the galley, I found a washer/dryer combo and another freezer. "Between the freezer here and the one in the galley, you can store enough frozen food to keep you going for quite awhile," said Fredrickson.

The lower helm station was just as well thought out and comfortable, too. A pair of adjustable seats—from which at 5'9" I was able to see clearly into the seaway while seated—faced a burr-wood helm with plenty of room for several large electronic displays. A quick step out the aircraft-style door directly to starboard puts the skipper right at the spring line cleat. (However, as I witnessed the following day, the 61's captain had little problem putting her 61-foot length and 16'3" beam into a tight spot, thanks to a standard bow thruster.)

The 61's staterooms are accessed via a stairway just forward of the port dining area on the main deck. Each space—forepeak, port twin berth, and starboard master--has its own en suite head featuring Avonite countertops and teak and holly soles plus generous stowage. The master and forepeak have queen-size island berths with stowage below and are surrounded with enough cabinets and closet space for an extended cruise.

The level of finish down here was superior. In fact, I could not find one piece of wood aboard that did not fit or perfectly match its mate. But what drew my attention were the elegantly curved door frames.

"This piece of trim is molded all in one piece," Carroll told me as he pointed at one. "There are no joints, and the only way you can do that is to laminate it." To do that craftsmen take flitches (slices no thicker than a piece of paper) of maple, run them through a glue wheel, and lay one atop another to achieve the desired thickness. The laminate is then put into a mold that goes into what basically is a big microwave. "The glue kicks in the microwave, and when it comes out, it's run through pin routers and machined to get the needed shape. Then it's finished off to get the quality you see here," said Carroll.

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