Problems with Viking Yachts

[Capt K]

Oh man...

You guys talking about the early 80's 46 Viking as well as the early 90's 45?
I just returned from a walkthrough of this boat:

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...en&slim=quick&

Gotta tell you it was sweet. Thinking of having the Admiral take a look.

Hey Jim, what is the name of that boat? I may know a little about it, but I can't tell which Viking on that dock this is. I know the owners of one and have actually dove on another.

Capt K

[egaito]

You know, back in the early 80's, I was talking to the marina owners. He was musing that fiberglasss boat construction will be the death of many a boat company. With wood - most boats go 20-25 years and they're gone. With glass, you can re-new and re-power and keep an old boat going for a long time. Who's going to buy new with so many restored older boats around?
Maybe that's what is going on with Jersey Builders...dunno.

Well. maybe it should be another thread, but trying to get insurance on a boat older than 15 years can be a challenge, well maintained or not!

Not that I disagree with the premise of course. These older hulls are much stronger, and likely to outlast their younger bretheren, but logic does not seem to prevail in the insurance industry!

[jcjp]

Before you buy a post run it in a following sea. I also love the look of a post fished on a few and been down to the plant with a owner. Well made simple boats...but that hull bottom design is from the 50"s not much entry foward and almost no deadrise at the tramsom..makes for a less then steller ride. Downsea ride.. its pucker time..Here is another interesting tidbit. Post built on one set of molds. The 42 post. From that set they built the 42, 43, 44 and 46 boats. Just kept adding at the back. Viking also did the same thing with the 46/48. As did Henriques which I also owned (two) these small builders dont have the $$$ to change molds every few years..They build a set of tooling and you are the R and D department then tweek it to get it right. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they dont.

[motoryacht lover]

I spoke to a Post 47 owner and he sold the boat because in a following sea under certain conditions it would heel over so far that the flybridge enclosure would be very close to the water. It scared him to death. But he bought a Post 50 and was very satisfied.

[Paul45c]

I've heard the same issue with Posts in a following sea -- a shame, since I looked at and really liked the look of the 46. As for power on these, because of that flat transom they really do get by with just the 6-71s, albeit jacked up to too-high HP IMHO. Look at their cruise and WOT speeds -- they don't look lacking. The ER access from the salon was truly fine, but that centerline fuel tank down the middle of the ER made access on anything low on the engines tough and gave you very little head room down the middle. Also, my main DD mechanic says it can be a royal PITA to get at one of the turbos on each side, so much so that there's stuff to remove to properly access it. I believe he was talking about the 46 with that issue, but maybe he was referring to an older smaller vessel.

The worst about it, though, was that their DD marinizing outfit was Johnson & Towers instead of Convington. No offense to J&T owners out there, but a few mechs told me to go for the Covington if I ever had the choice in boats I was looking at.

Pascoe seems to feel the build quality is good, and a lot of charter fishing guys use them -- that's always a good indicator for me.

[Passages]

Hey Jim, what is the name of that boat? I may know a little about it, but I can't tell which Viking on that dock this is. I know the owners of one and have actually dove on another.

Capt K

Boat name is "Ruthless"

[Capt K]

Boat name is "Ruthless"

Jim, shoot me a PM. I know the owners and a little about the boat and how they maintain things.

K