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A lot can change in seven years. Heck, I went from being a college student to a working professional (yes, this is actually a job) to a daddy in that amount of time, and from having near-black hair to a more refined salt-and-pepper duotone. Man, the time flies. As fast as life moves ahead, so does boat design and technology. I found proof of this during my latest testing adventure onboard Viking Yachts’ 50 Convertible.
The reason I use a seven-year span as a benchmark is because I often crew on a 2001 Viking 50 Open, the Convertible’s predecessor, and so am familiar with the Viking ride. The most obvious difference I found between the two boats is in the engine room. The seven-year-old Viking that I fish on sports twin 1,050-hp MAN diesel inboards, while this latest 50-footer sports two optional--and significantly more powerful--1,360-mhp MAN diesels. (Twin 1,100-mhp MANs are standard, and the bigger power is about a $96,000 uptick in the boat’s $1.449-million base price.) In addition to more horses, these bigger powerplants also feature the latest-generation engine-management software from MAN, which aids in the motors’ overall operating efficiency.
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But some things don’t change. The new 50’s big iron sits on engine beds comprised of hefty steel beams that are hung on intermediate bulkheads. This means you can feel secure in the fact that those engines will be aligned spot-on for a long time, maximizing your propulsion system’s ability to push this 66,500-pound behemoth without noticeable vibration. Now, building tough--as Viking does with a hull of vacuum-bagged, end-grain-balsa right down to the keel--is one thing, but the finish on this vessel is top-notch, too. With 5'5" headroom and walkaround access (I easily scooted my 5'7", 180-pound frame around both motors), and finished off in pure-white Awlgrip, this engine room is showroom-ready.
But the 50’s ER is more than a showcase for big power; it’s also a practically laid out and functional space. There’s quick and effortless access to the SeaStar power-assist fluid fill just forward and to the right of the starboard engine. Directly below and to the left of the power-steering fluid reservoir is a small hatch that provides access to a series of True Union ball valves that manage flow for the refrigeration supply, sea-water bypass discharge, transom livewell, seawater washdown, and air conditioning. Batteries are housed in fiberglass boxes to outboard of each motor; in front of the port motor are the Cruisair air-conditioning handlers, which are also easily maintained. The 2001 50’s outboard space is tighter, due to the fact that the older boat’s beam is several inches less than this one’s 17 feet.
The ER isn’t the only part of the new 50 that displays a smart design. Take, for example, my test boat’s hull form. It features flatter aft sections than previous Vikings: 12 degrees of transom deadrise, about three degrees less than earlier-model Vikings (like the 2001 50). It also sports a more convex shape in the forward third and latter half, which should help provide a soft and dry head-sea ride, while the flatter aft sections provide lift. I didn’t get a chance to try out the dry-ride theory, as test day was damn near wind-free, with just 5 knots of northeast breeze lazily drifting about. But what the pancake-flat Atlantic Ocean off Cape May, New Jersey, did do was offer an opportunity to see what this new hull and her MANs were capable of when matched up.
The 50 didn’t disappoint. In less than 30 seconds, the engines spooled up to 2350 rpm and catapulted her to 46.4 mph (40.3 knots), and that was with about 1,050 of her available 1,200 gallons of fuel onboard. She also made a comfortable average cruise speed of 40.2 mph (35 knots) at 2000 rpm. Expect this boat to burn about 138 gph at WOT and 96 gph at cruise (see "Our Numbers," this story, for complete test data). From a comparison standpoint, the seven-year-old 50 cruises at 30 knots (65 gph) at about 2000 rpm, and WOT is 38 knots (110 gph) with a full load, which includes an 804-gallon tank. A combination of her power-assisted steering, high-speed stainless steel rudders, and 33-inch Veem wheels made her handling sports-car quick. The ZF gears with 1.97:1 gear reduction and RexRoth controls helped the boat spin fast enough to beat down a wily billfish. This boat was equipped with an optional Side-Power bow thruster ($14,225), but the MANs provide enough torque to make her dance quite well in close quarters without it.
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