This 50-footer from Viking Sport Cruisers combines comfort and room with deep-V performance and handling.

I felt slightly flummoxed after boarding Viking Sport Cruiser’s new 50 Flybridge in the storied old harbor of Plymouth, England. Certainly, the source of my perplexity had nothing to do with the vessel’s appearance. While shapes and style lines were indeed bold and agressive, the overall profile was attractive yet undeniably mainstream. And I experienced no confusion concerning the topside layout either. All the sun-and-fun-loving essentials were there in all the appropriate places, from chock locks for the dinghy on the expansive teak-paved swim platform to the barbecue grill surmounting the wet bar on the flying bridge, just abaft the double helmseat to port.

Nope. What had me scratching my head while I descended the stairway from the saloon to the lower deck was why Viking had described the 50 as “the cruising family’s favorite weekend retreat.” I’d read that in a brochure while flying over to Plymouth for a few seal trials and a tour of Princess Yachts, the immense facility—or rather assortment of facilities—where Sport Cruisers like the 50 are built for New Jersey-based Viking Yachts, with Viking’s considerable input, of course. “What’s this baby got,” I wondered, “that’s gonna make her so darn attractive to a cruising family?”

The first big hint came as technical sales manager for Princess, Clive Brooks, and I examined the 50’s master stateroom. As I approvingly squished my hand into the soft but supportive innerspring mattress on the island-type, queen-size berth, a sense of the unusual size of the place began to slowly dawn. At first, I figured that just standing in the midst of a full-beam stateroom was the reason for my feeling. But then an aside from Brooks clarified things: The 50’s beam is a fulsome 15'3", a measurement that makes her roughly a foot wider than many competitors. And just in case you’re pooh-poohing such a seemingly modest enhancement, don’t forget that a foot more beam on a 50-footer translates into a lot more accommodation space. For example, a master that’s ten feet long, like the 50’s, gets an extra ten square feet. Popular with a family? Heck yes, particularly with Mom and Dad.

The innerspring-equipped master offers concealed space for a washer/dryer option.

Brooks pointed out another family-friendly detail before we moved on: All joinery here—and indeed throughout the boat—had been assembled by Princess carpenters using special veneers from Dutch manufacturer Leeuwenburgh Fineer, thus engendering several advantages exclusive to Princess and Viking Sport Cruisers. First, because Leeuwenburgh veneers are backed with stability-promoting phenolic materials, they resist shifting beneath varnish and other coatings due to contraction or expansion, a virtue that obviates moisture intrusion and whitening or “blooming” of finishes that results. Second, proprietary treatments make the veneers more UV-resistant than most other veneer products, which precludes fading over the long term. And third, the Leeuwenburgh veneers make repairs both simple and easy. If someone scratches a cabinet door or credenza top, Herculean repair efforts are not called for and a weekend’s serenity is not threatened. The polyurethane top coat in the immediate vicinity is simply removed with sandpaper and a new layer of top coat is sprayed on from an aerosol can (part of a joinery-repair kit Viking supplies to its dealers). After a quick buffing, the job’s done.