Problems with Viking Yachts

[exsailor]

I have first hand knowledge with two 48's (one sport and one motoryacht) and one 41 sport with wet core spots in the hull and transoms. The holes in these areas in the 80's were drilled with thru hulls caulked, but not sealed prior to fittings being installed. Caulk cracks and water gets into the core and spreads. Moisture meters can easily check this.

ByronS

[jim rosenthal]

...ummm; have you looked at Series 2 45 Hatteras convertibles? They look and are laid out a lot like the Viking 46, but I suspect the quality is better. Just my .02. Similar prices, I think.

[Passages]

Jim,

I want a dinette on the next boat.

The 45' Hatt does not have a proper dinette. The 50 & 52 do..

Oldly enough, the 45 & 46 Viking and the 46 Post have dinettes.

[SeaEric]

Be careful not to overpay for an older Viking in the current market. We just sold a very nice 1986 41 Conv for a very low price. We had the boat in inventory for 2 years! For some reason, older Hatts seem to be perceived as "Classics" and older Vikings are just "Old Boats".

The Post 46 was offered in what seems like a million different interior layouts over the years. Several had a dinette, either up or down. Having owned a 42 Post that I liked alot, that's what I would shop for first. A Hatt would be my 2nd choice, but very close behind. The Viking would be a more distant third choice, unless you happen to find one that is a star.

[Genesis]

I almost bought a 42 Post. The deal fell apart during negotiations; the problem was engine condition and the seller's refusal to make a reasonable adjustement (he had represented them as "in great shape" and they were anything but.)

I don't like the 46. Not enough go-juice; a lot those had 6-71s in them and its not enough in the "bangers" department. The 42 runs nice with those motors. Now if you can find a 46 with blown engines and repower it, that'd be a buy.

Be aware that on the 42 Post the ENTIRE SALON FLOOR is hinged and comes up in about 30 seconds. I've NEVER seen a boat with better service access in the recreational marketplace. Simply outstanding, and from my point of view this stuff counts BIG. This is one place Post REALLY put some thought into. It is a simpler boat on a systems basis but there are advantages to that.

IMHO Eric is right - I'd rather own either the Post or Hatt before the Viking.

[Passages]

IMHO Eric is right - I'd rather own either the Post or Hatt before the Viking.

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.

[Genesis]

The 92s are indeed rare in that boat - most had 71s and IMHO its too much boat for 71s. The 92s are a better fit power-wise. Its also the more desireable "C" plan. However, those are "nosebleed" 92s - 550HP is on the bloody edge, and they've got "fresh" rebuilds (150 hours?) Hmmmm...

Insure you can deal with the service access. They are certainly pretty inside, and people do buy 'em for that.

Just make sure you're not buying lipstick..... I'd still rather have the equivalent Hatt

[MicroKap]

Based on my experience as well as friends of mine, you will get no better customer service than at Hatteras, especially for non-current models.

When it comes to NJ built boats, the industry here is really in the toilet right now. One of my friends in the industry recently gave me the following information: Post is currently making only about 6 boats a year. Egg Harbor is waiting on orders to begin production again. Davis has the owner's boat currently being built (70 footer) and that is about it. Silverton may be stopping production. Ocean Yachts is only producing at a rate of 12-18 boats a year. Cavileer is being operated now by Jersey Cape and they really don't know what they're doing. Jersey went out a few years ago.

I took a plant tour of Viking in November and they were still going strong with their new products. My friend told me that they are the largest employer in South Jersey in the industry and they need to keep operating at full speed because that's how their systems are set up. Currently, there sure are a lot of boats in the yard that aren't going anywhere. They are just focused on their new products, with most everything custom fabricated in house, so spare parts for older boats are probably hard to find.

I would stick with Hatteras, especially if you're looking at a boat from the late '80s or early '90s because Hatteras will continue to support their product while the other manufacturers are busy just trying to drum up business to stay afloat.

Just my $0.02.

Larry K.

[Passages]

When it comes to NJ built boats, the industry here is really in the toilet right now. One of my friends in the industry recently gave me the following information: Post is currently making only about 6 boats a year. Egg Harbor is waiting on orders to begin production again. Davis has the owner's boat currently being built (70 footer) and that is about it. Silverton may be stopping production. Ocean Yachts is only producing at a rate of 12-18 boats a year. Cavileer is being operated now by Jersey Cape and they really don't know what they're doing. Jersey went out a few years ago.

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.

[jim rosenthal]

This is interesting....the custom builders who build in the 50ft+ category (Weaver, F&S, JB, and all the rest) claim on their web sites that they are backed up two years. Maybe it is a different market? I don't know. I have the impression that most of the South Jersey builders have changed ownership a few times- Egg certainly has. I thought Post was the same outfit they have always been, and they never built a large number of boats.

I saw the 42 Post that Eric had; nice boat, well-made and good service access. Styling is all a matter of preference- I happen to prefer Hatteras in that era. I agree that 6-71s are not large enough for a 46' boat by any stretch, unless it is a trawler in which case they are too big. And I agree with Karl that 550hp is a lot to wring out of 6-92s...