Not one to rest on their laurels, Viking moved to replace their very popular 72 with the 74 that debuted at the Fort Lauderdale boat show last year.
Where did those additional 2 feet end up finding their way into the 74C? Viking is a sportfisherman builder first and foremost. The dance floor is where it counts, and Viking knows that as well as anyone. An additional 10 inches of cockpit space aft of the fighting chair and 14 inches in the bow might not seem like much to some, but the former allows for crew working the deck to navigate around the fighting chair with better ease, even despite the 74C being 3 inches narrower than the 72C. That extra bit of bow is no doubt designed to eat swell and chop, but it also means extra room for various societal comforts for all within the massive deep-V hull, particularly in the dead-quiet VIP V-berth, which is where you’d find me when dodging topside duties.
Have a closer look in the gallery below:
Might we also add that with a top hop of at least 45 knots, the 74C can lay claim to being the fastest boat in the Convertible fleet? Anglers Journal Editor-in-Chief Charlie Levine put the twin 2600-MTU-outfitted 74C through a sea trial after winning a coin toss at a recent Viking media event, reporting back to us what we feel like we already knew, but for the sake of good, honest journalism:
“We hit north of 45 knots on the Viking 74C, and this was on a boat that has a full tuna tower!” Levine said, adding that, “The top-end speed was certainly impressive, but I was also blown away by the 36-knot cruise at 80-percent load. Up on the flybridge, you honestly don’t feel like you’re going that fast, but when you’re passing by center consoles, you know you’re moving!”
Unfortunately for Levine, there was no practical test in the way of fishing to be had, and so his fishing-specific sea trial of the 74C was limited to a handful of mock-up fishing maneuvers, which, for our intents and purposes, serve just as well: “Not only is the Viking 74 fast, it handles extremely well in fish-fighting maneuvers and backing down. I only wish we had a blue marlin on the line to get the full effect of what this boat can do.”
While particularly critical to the tournament lot, speed (and perhaps to some potential owners, fishing maneuverability) isn’t necessarily everything. Viking Yachts are synonymous with fishing in style, and this boat is dripping with it. The lush teak coaming boards and cockpit leave little fiberglass in view, the horizontal-grain walnut throughout the cabin salon, the outsize galley with not one but two Sub-Zero fridges (and a freezer), a long, wide engineered stone countertop and even a trash compactor—you’d be forgiven for forgetting you were on a fishing boat. Indeed, I certainly caught myself doing so while staging a walkthrough video, and I say that having fished aboard other Vikings and mated and skippered on an array of much humbler vessels.
The luxury vinyl Amtico cabin sole might not be to the taste of a certain yachtie set, but carpet covers much of the salon—save for the galley. Keep in mind this boat will likely see some foot traffic, and much of it by undiscerning crew. To that end, though, some brilliant foresight went into the layout of the salon. Upon entering, a dayhead is located immediately to port. That protects the rest of the cabin from a grimy cockpit crew weaving their way through to a lower head and leaving a trail of muck and scuffmarks in their wake.
Comfort and peace of mind abounds. Two gensets keep things running while on the drift or hook, an optional Seakeeper 26 or 40, and a Spot Zero desalinator and purifier mean you can stay offshore as long as your 2,030-gallon tank can keep your pistons turning (a 2,630-gallon tank is optional for that much more range).
Just forward and down from the salon are crew quarters with a pair of bunks and an en suite head, as well as easy access to the engine room, which is of typical Viking fashion: Clean as an OR, and with headroom to facilitate standing for (most) mechanics.
Across the hall, there’s a washer/dryer closet and just past that, a large tackle room with rod and reel storage and a line-winding station. It’s a room so large that when commissioning this bruiser, you can opt to make it a fifth stateroom with a pair of bunks. Granted, this is a fishing boat first and foremost and, trust me, you’ll want to stick with the tackle room for tidy and handy access to your precious gear.
The master suite is more or less amidships from the tackle room with plenty of room to move around the queen bed and a head that might just be larger than my New York City apartment’s. Up in the pointy end, the VIP V-berth isn’t too shabby, either, and is quiet as can be.
Ask me (or Levine), and the pièce de résistance might just be up top. Shy of a dayhead, the captain has everything he or she could possibly need up in the tower, with room to spare for entertaining. Standard dual freezers, a sink, a drink box, bench seating for a small party, a full-length lounge, a huge (and also standard) freezer beneath it, and a tournament-requisite Omni Sonar-equipped helm station—set atop a 7-inch riser for extended visibility to the bow and, more importantly, the cockpit. The list of options goes on—including an enclosed fly bridge, a sky bridge and, of course, a tuna tower. Air conditioning at the helm might appeal to some, but it’s all fit to make a Bentley blush, inside and out. Me? I’m not sure I’d leave that open-flybridge perch and its ivory tower-like solace. You guys enjoy running around the cockpit and tangling with fish. Just pass up a case of water, the occasional loin of whatever’s fresh, a bucket, and my monthly magazines every now and again, I’ll be just fine.
Viking 74C Specifications:
LOA: 74’8”
Beam: 19’9”
Draft: 5’11”
Fuel: 2030 gal. (2630 optional)
Water: 360 gal.
Standard Power: 2/1,550-hp MAN V12
