Viking 80 Demo - Ready to rock
by Viking Yachts 16 Jun 2022 05:34 AEST
Started by Viking CEO and President Pat Healey in 1984, the Viking Yacht Company's Demonstrator Program plays a huge role in our ability to continue building a better boat every day.
We gave you a sneak peek at our latest demo boat - a stunning Nardo Grey Viking 80 - a few weeks ago. Now we have some images of the completed yacht, taken prior to captain Sean Dooley and crew's departure for the 80's first competition - the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament (which started yesterday).
The demo's crew has always been comprised of upper management and key players from the Design, Engineering and Sales teams. This enables the demo to function as a design and engineering tool as well as a sales and marketing tool.
The crew learns from and improves the product while supporting the Viking customer base and showcasing the boat thriving in its intended environment. Like the two previous Viking 80 demonstrator boats, this 80 (hull No. 43) features a meticulously finished faux teak transom and bulkhead, a teak cockpit and a tournament-ready flybridge.
Textbook examples of smart design and function, the 80's cockpit offers 217 square feet to fish, flush-mounted rod holders, a transom door with lift gate, rounded coamings for comfort and toekick space all around for balance. A subtle crown in the transom easily pushes away the wash when backing down.
The demo is equipped with a Release Marine fighting chair and a Seakeeper 35. After the team fishes several Bermuda tournaments this July followed by the major East Coast tournaments in August (The White Marlin Open, the Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament and The MidAtlantic), they head to Mexico's Cabo San Lucas, which touts one of the best marlin fisheries in the world. The boat's transom live well is plumbed for 14 tuna tubes - a must-have for West Coast fishing.
Of course, the 80 is outfitted with a custom tuna tower from the Viking subsidiary Palm Beach Towers. For overnight trips in Mexico's Magdalena Bay, the boat is also equipped with a stainless steel anchor chute, plow anchor and hydraulic windlass.
The Viking 80 demo features our new horizontal grain natural interior walnut, which brings a contemporary aesthetic appeal while also accentuating depth of space throughout the boat. Notice the ebony inlays in the doors and tables (above), as well as the horizontal strips in the companionway (below), which complement the walnut leading to the master stateroom.
Our Viking 80's accommodations include five staterooms, as well as an additional bunk in the port pantry. Custom touches in the full-beam master stateroom include full-height mirrors outboard of the nightstands and a new style of headboard. The luxurious space also boasts a king-size bed, maple-lined port and starboard hanging closets and credenzas and a vanity/desk area with stool.
For more information about the Viking 80, please contact your authorized Viking dealer.