Viking 48 Convertible

Our first look at the new Viking 48 Convertible.

By Capt. Bill Pike

June 22, 2016

HOT TAKE: The first Viking 48 Convertible hit the high seas more than 30 years ago, and immediately became the leader of the pack. Thanks to an ongoing evolution of design at Viking, this new version adds cruise-worthiness to the fishbox.

Walk down any fishy, fishy, fishy dock in the land and you’ll agree. Even from far off, the new 48 Convertible virtually exudes the iron-fisted elegance that puts Viking Yachts at the very top of the sportfishing food chain today. The style lines are soft, simple, but wholly resolute. Her stem is dramatically, saltily raked. The foredeck is wide and chastely unencumbered, carrying its sea-stomping beaminess well aft, thereby noticeably broadening the cockpit as well as the interior layout. And how about that black-metallic windshield mask? The darn thing blends so precisely with the side windows that a veritable slew of exterior details gets seamlessly transformed into one, single, perfect wraparound feature. Beautiful? Yup, and also just a little bit fierce.

Then there’s the comfort factor. The saloon, accessed from the cockpit through a sliding fiberglass door, features cabinet-grade joinery of teak or walnut, with either a satin or high-gloss finish. There’s an expansive, L-shaped lounge to starboard with hi-lo cocktail table, a sinuous credenza opposite to port, and, to relax after a full day of fishing or cruising, a robust home-theatre system with a 40-inch flatscreen and the booming bass that only surround sound can produce. A U-shaped galley, farther forward, features easy-to-maintain Amtico flooring, plenty of undercounter stowage, Cambria countertops, and the sort of appliances you tend to see in high-end homes in high-end neighborhoods.

Very much the same theme prevails in the accommodation spaces, a couple of steps down from the saloon. Two guest staterooms (along with a dayhead) occupy the port side, and there’s a large en suite master to starboard with a big, cushy HandCraft mattress as well as drawers, cabinets, and hanging lockers galore. The hanging lockers, by the way, are maple-lined and, with a nod to practicality, the en suite also offers Amtico flooring, Cambria countertops (with an undercounter sink), and a large, fiberglass shower stall.

Don’t let the cool style lines and all the luxurious stuff fool you, though. It’s the Viking 48 Convertible’s battle-ready exterior (with its fishfighting cockpit and immense, Palm Beachy flybridge) and her solidly engineered engine room (with its wire runs labeled every 8 inches and massive I-beam engine beds) that most dramatically embrace her true mission in life: ranging far afield and doing some serious fishing along the way.