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The speeds we got in open water were impressive. Seas crested somewhere between two and four feet during the trial, the wind was fresh, and all we could see off to the east was dark, inky-blue water and foamy white horses. Viking builds robust, comparatively heavy vessels—our test boat was pushing 78,000 pounds with full fuel and a welded-aluminum tower (with upper control station) courtesy of Viking's two Florida-based sister companies, Atlantic Marine Electronics and Palm Beach Towers. But despite the extra weight and wind resistance inherent in these two factors, the 54 turned in an average top hop of 47.4 mph (41.2 knots).
And what a groovy driving experience. While visibility from the centerline helm was good all the way around, it was particularly fine forward thanks to a cutout (with precisely fitted clear Plexiglas insert) in the swept-back cowling. Cornering was sharp, smooth, and exciting, given the power-assisted Teleflex Sea-Star hydraulics, and the ride was even smoother—nothing beats a seriously raked, sea-slicing stem, a set of efficiency-boosting pocketed propellers, and a solid, slippery running surface (with a modest 15-degree transom deadrise) for comfy, stable, joyriding fun. And nothing beats bow flare, either—and exactly the right amount of it—for keeping spray where it belongs, particularly while charging head seas.
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We got back to Miami Beach Marina at noon with plenty of time to top off the 54 at the fuel dock and then do a thorough dockside walk-through. What impressed me most about the boat's three-stateroom, two-head layout was the level of liveaboard comfort extant everywhere. According to Frederiksen, almost 40 percent of Viking owners spend time simply cruising, and features like a U-shape galley with Corian countertops and every conceivable appliance; heads with Amtico vinyl flooring and one-piece fiberglass shower stalls; and a mind-boggling array of lockers, cabinets, and drawers for stowage help them enjoy it.
In the 54's stand-up engine room, just a tad warm from the morning's exertions, all the Viking stalwarts were on hand: web-type, powdercoated steel beams under the engines, secured to intermediate transversals on either end to nix vibration and preserve a precise engine alignment; inboard placement of oil and fuel filters to facilitate element changes; cleanly installed Delta T ventilation system with huge supply and discharge fans; gear-type oil-change system (with cockpit quick connect) for engines, transmissions, and genset; and last but not least, big Y-valved crash pumps coming off each main.
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Jim Raycroft |
There is plenty of room outboard of the engines. |
"As fine an engine room as I've ever seen," I concluded, wiping sweat as Frederiksen and I headed for a shady spot on the mezzanine settee. And indeed, every aspect of the Viking 54 Convertible I'd either seen or experienced had qualified for the same description. Finish, performance, outfitting, engineering—all splendidly done. And that gorgeous seafoam-green hull?
Well now, that was super fine.
For more information on Viking Yachts, including contact information, click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: Stowage Solution
Have you ever wandered around a boat with a settee cushion that you can’t find a temporary home for? Just so you can get at the hand vac or pile of electronics manuals in the locker underneath before putting the darn cushion back?
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Jim Raycroft |
Our Viking had a elegantly simple solution in the L-shape settee, which is in the after starboard corner of the saloon. The cushion and settee back are combined into a single, nicely upholstered piece. To finish the job off, hinges are affixed so that the whole thing—seat and back—swings up and out of the way, giving you total one-handed access.—B.P.
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This article originally appeared in the June 2007
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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