1990 72' Viking motor yacht

[SeaEric]

I don't remember Gulfstar making a new style boat over 49 foot. The later ones were probably new designs or Vikings from the start. The do seem to hold value well and are not for sale everywhere you look making them either very rare or quite desirable.

From the McKnew and Parker Powerboat Guide:

Introduced in 1987 as the Gulfstar 55, the Viking 55 Motoryacht was a break through design in terms of modern engineering and lightweight construction. Gulfstar was known as a technology-driven company when they were acquired by Viking in 1987 and the high-tech 55 became an immensely successful morotyacht. Built on a fully cored hull and featuring composite bulkheads and state of the art materials, the Viking 55 represents the future in production yacht building.

The larger Viking MY's all seemed to be extended variations on this same hull and design.

[Boatsb]

They built 35 of them from 1987 - 1990. I have never seen one with the gulf star logo though. Just the Viking badges. I wonder how many were actually built before the buy out?

[captddis]

You will see some 55's with Gulfstar badges. I remember when the 50MY came out and was going to do Hatteras down. I took one to Miami in 1990 that was like hull #4. First one to get the extension. They also threw in stabilizers for free. They had the slings in the water for me in Miami. The owner had plans to go on to Puerto Rico after the repairs. I was glad I was not me going.

I have been involved with a 63 and another 50.

Also left St Pete with a 49 Gulfstar for Texas. We turned around 5 miles out and gave the job to a friend.

[SKYCHENEY]

I did the loop on hull #7 of the 49's. It did have some great design features. I liked the big seachest strainer system and the layout was fantastic. It had some good components too such as the Ideal windlass, GalleyMaid water pump, etc. Was it Hatteras quality? NO, but it was a well built boat overall. My dad owned it for 10yrs and she went through some pretty good seas with no problems. When he sold her, she did have a few big blisters on her bottom though.

[captddis]

I always liked the big hollow keel where you could stand up in the ER.

[SKYCHENEY]

I always liked the big hollow keel where you could stand up in the ER.

Yeah, that was nice. I liked the battery box built in to to the stringer system as well with the nice solid cover. The full sized door going down to the ER was nice too.

[Boatsb]

The only better engine room that the 49 is the 53 Trawler. The engines are little perkins 6 cyl naturals and they sit at bench height to make them easy to work on.

The amount of space is incredible.

[Ron B]

I looked at a 1989 55' Viking recently and I agree that it is a nice looking boat. I particularly liked the large engine room which contained both engines and all the machinery and also had room for tools. The galley up was a nice feature. I did not like the traffic pattern since I favor a walk-around. Also, I do not believe that a support group like HOF exists for the vintage Viking motoryachts. There is some discussion on Yacht Forum. I would stick with the Hatteras line.

Ron B

[Boatsb]

There is not a support forum like this for a lot of great boats but that's not a reason to pass on them. There is a whole lot of different boats and a whole lot of people that like and dislike them. Owning a Hatt is owning a classic but there are people who hate the layouts or find them less than comfortable.

[sunset grill]

Some of the Vikings have wiring issues. I'm not sure what year models. The marine electrician that works out of our marina has completely rewired three boats that caught on fire. Most of the wire comes together in a very small area, ac and dc. Excessive heat builds up and starts fire. They are very beautiful boats inside but I don't think that I could sleep well after touring a work in progress burnout repair that took several months to complete.