Test Notes
Rutt explained how Viking refined the running surface by tweaking the deadrise at the transom, removing the chines aft to gain more beam, and doing away with the fairbody and keel to create a more conventional V configuration, which positively affects the hull dynamics by creating a more slippery surface. One of the results is increased speed. The hull was lengthened and the freeboard raised in the bow to open up more room belowdecks. The hull incorporates extensive use of an E-glass and carbon-fiber-hybrid material from Vectorply that provides added strength and stiffness while reducing weight. The vacuum-bagged, resin-infusion process further reduces weight, and also lowers styrene emissions to near zero. All of these advanced processes are in line with the design goals for this new Viking: Extend the LOA, but build the boat lighter and stronger. With the millions of dollars the company pours into research and development each year, it not only stays ahead of the curve, it forces its suppliers to push the envelope and keep up with Viking’s own blistering pace.
The exterior of the 72 includes subtle changes, such as a taller bow and reworked sheer and chines. When I met the boat at the Canyon Club in Cape May, the full impact of seeing her in the slip, resplendent with her dolphinblue hull, gleaming white topsides, and faux teak toerail, was breathtaking. There isn’t a hard corner to be found. Even the tower and hardtop, designed and built by Viking subsidiary Palm Beach Towers, was accented with curved cross members that complement the lines of the boat.
While Viking is applauded for its well-executed interiors, first and foremost the company builds sportfishing convertibles, so my tour started in the cockpit. The 70 had a spacious one, but the 72 improves upon what many thought was already the best, and offers the flexibility to rig it for any kind of fishing that the owner might enjoy. Some of the additional length of the hull was invested in making the cockpit deeper, but its roominess is enhanced by the curved mezzanine deck, which is wider at the gunwales than in the center, providing more room behind the fighting chair. It also sits higher, which means anglers and mates have access to deck boxes that are not only bigger, but deeper. There are two refrigerated boxes on the port side, one a four-stack rigged-bait box; the engine room access is on centerline, and a freezer box fed by the Domenic ice maker is to starboard. A drink box and stowage compartments are located under the steps to the saloon, and the space below the mezzanine couch offers additional stowage, but also includes a lift-out bottom that provides cockpit access to the boat’s battery bank—a great maintenance feature. A tackle cabinet with rigging station is on the same level to port, and the bridge overhang has been lengthened to offer more protection from the elements. It includes molded-in drip rails and scuppers, to prevent water from dumping on people in the cockpit when they clean the bridge. VIKING DOESN’T just compete in a couple tournaments here and there for appearances’ sake, these guys fish hard; at present they’re scheduled to make 25 different tournament appearances. Don’t expect them to go easy on anybody.
MANY MODERN sportfishermen have cockpit seating but the aft-facing seating on the Viking 72 might just be the most comfortable.
WHILE ON DISPLAY at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, where Viking had more than a dozen models on the scene, the Viking 72 saw perhaps more foot traffic than any other. From aspiring anglers to past customers, everyone in the display area wanted to give the boat a closer look.