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Zhik 2024 December

Sneak peek at the latest Viking demonstrator boat

by Viking Yachts 12 May 2022 05:42 AEST
Viking 80 © Viking Yachts

Here's a sneak peek at our latest Viking demonstrator boat - a stunning Nardo Grey Viking 80 - that our shipwrights are busy completing for the upcoming summer tournaments. Seen here getting her Palm Beach Towers tuna tower installed, this proven battlewagon will begin competing in June at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, followed by five tournaments in Bermuda in July. Led by Captain Sean Dooley, the team will finish the summer season with a trio of tournaments in August - the White Marlin Open, the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament and The MidAtlantic.

And then she heads west to showcase her skills fishing in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas, which has one of the best marlin fisheries in the world. Always eager to chase new horizons and expand our global presence, this Viking demonstrator boat will be the first to compete in Bermuda and Cabo. The west coast program hasn't been solidified yet, but it's a good bet that she'll participate in one of the legendary Bisbee's tournaments. We'll keep you up to date. We're locked in for the three-leg Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Tournament that runs throughout July, plus two other tournaments out of Bermuda.

The Viking 80 delivers an incomparable combination of beauty, brains and brawn that has made this five-stateroom 40-plus-knot battlewagon one of the most sought-after world-traveling large sportfishing yachts of all time. Like the two previous Viking 80 demonstrator boats, this 80 (hull No. 43) will feature a meticulously finished faux teak transom and bulkhead.

Giving the 80 a speed-and-range edge that pays dividends in offshore tournaments, twin 2635MPH 16-cylinder MTU M96L diesels pack tremendous power and torque. Our new demo's performance will also be enhanced with customized hydrodynamic running gear from CJR Propulsion. When it comes to fishability, she can't be beat with the Furuno full-circle scanning omnidirectional sonar. (The system's sonar is shown below on centerline in the engineroom.)

A few glimpses of the new demo's interior reveal a contemporary fusion of style, texture and color. The entire interior features our tremendously popular new horizontal natural grain walnut (with gloss finish); in the galley, you're immediately drawn to the masculine yet elegant design of the Pental Quartz countertops and their beautifully sculpted double-thick bar top with a ¼-inch beveled edge. The five staterooms feature luxury appointments and ample storage throughout to maximize comfort during long-distance travel. Interior design nuances are consistently being introduced, such as a new style of headboard in the master stateroom. Stay tuned for more pictures as the boat nears completion.

For information about the Viking 80 or any of our Viking sportfishing yachts or Valhalla Boatworks center consoles please contact your authorized Viking/Valhalla dealer.

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