Viking 90
The new longboat of the Viking fleet captures the imagination and interest of boaters the world over.
If you were at last year’s Miami boat show and missed the Viking 90, you either need to get your eyes checked or you spent way too much time in the Goslings tent—no judgment either way. I say this because it was by far the ‘can’t miss’ yacht of the show. Resting near the entrance of the show on the facedock, it seemed like the bow stretched for miles while sloping gracefully into the sky—fitting I suppose for the so-called three-tier Skybridge version of the builder’s new flagship.
The new 90 replaces its predecessor, the Viking 92. The downsize, if you can say that with a straight face, was due in part because after so many years on the throne, she was scheduled for a refresh, and because at 90 feet she circumvented costly (a relative term, of course) emissions regulations.
“We were not going to be forced into installing SCR (selective catalytic reduction),” said CEO Pat Healey in a statement. “With the new 90, we invested $20 million to develop a new flagship sportfishing yacht that does not require SCR. It was a costly decision but one that had to be made because it’s the best product for our owners.”
One of the primary areas that saw a design change is the 224-square foot cockpit, which is an absolute fishing arena complete with a 203-gallon transom fishbox. On the 90, they shifted all of the climate-controlled seating so it’s now facing aft and allows guests to watch the baits or simply see the horizon disappear in its wake. Should you tire from either view, if that’s possible, a 43-inch TV can lower from the overhead, and you can catch the game. The seating area appears to be wrapped in a high-gloss teak but that’s thanks to some sleight of hand. The “wood” is actually an expertly crafted faux teak; only knocking on it reveals its true identity.
When exploring the 90 before the opening of the show (the only time it wasn’t filled with eager buyers and sportfish enthusiasts) my colleague, Anglers Journal Editor-in-Chief Charlie Levine and I were torn as to whether we should take in the salon or engine room first. That lasted all of three seconds as we stepped down past the crew cabins and into the belly of the beast, where twin 2,600 horsepower MTU Series 2000s awaited (CAT C32A 1925s and CAT C32B 2400s are also available).
I’m not sure what was most impressive in that space; the seven-plus feet of headroom, the price tag of $100,000 dollars for the Omni sonar, the ventilation, the ability to walk around the 16-cylinder powerplants or just how clean everything was. “I feel like you could operate on someone in here, it’s that clean,” said Charlie. “You know, if need be.”
After marveling at the space long enough, we finally went topsides. At the push of a button the salon door whisks open—long gone are the days of actually turning knobs. In an instant you’re transported from a sportfish battleground into the comfort of a superyacht. The dichotomy of the cockpit and salon truly epitomizes this model. For a number of years, Viking was heavily invested in their line of motoryachts, something they seem to have pivoted away from in recent years to focus on their sportfishermen and Valhalla lines. But in many ways, they’ve taken those motoryacht skills-—the high level of comfort and attention to detail—and blended that into a boat that could honestly be designated as a sportfishing motoryacht.
What I liked best about the salon is the optional set of five barstools around the galley high-top with a built-in wine fridge. A dinette to port looks like it could fit a dozen guests for a proper dinner party.
The 90 boasts five staterooms and crew quarters that all live up to the Viking standard. The full beam master is, as you’d expect, especially enormous and luxurious. One small point that emphasizes the attention to detail in this boat are varnished teak television frames that are built in-house and keep the wires hidden. It’s sometimes those small details that make a big difference.
I could rave about the features of the Viking 90 all day if you let me, but perhaps the best way to get a sense of this boat is to join the 410,000 others who watched our video of the 90 on Power & Motoryacht’s YouTube channel.
Speaking of that video, it’s said that you should never read the comments on your YouTube videos. And now I know why. I recently read all 258 comments when writing this review. While the vast majority of the commenters sang the praises of the New Jersey based sportfishing giant, others were less kind (side note: I don’t think the kind of people who actually buy $15 million sportfishermen waste much of their time living in the comment sections, they’re out living in the real world). @MrTallpoppy58, for example, called me a knob for using the word motor in the engine room, which sparked its own side conversation in the comments. @MrJoeFlorida actually dropped a clever line criticizing the title (The highly anticipated flagship of the Viking army debuts) by saying “Wouldn’t that be the flagship of the Viking Navy and not army?” @MorganDavies1816 felt compelled to write, “Could these guys be anymore awkward…” Big talk from a man with 7 subscribers.
The only legitimate critique of the boat itself that held any merit whatsoever was from boaters who took issue with the Crafstman toolbox mounted in the engine room. The Internet, it seems, was unanimous in their preference for American-made Snap-On tools.
Regardless of what serious boaters and trolls alike say on the Internet, I get the final word here, so I’ll share what impressed me most about the 90. The first, is that at the time hull number one debuted in Miami, Viking had already sold the next 15 boats. 15! And second, I had the chance to see the 90 in build just 5 months prior to its debut and it seemed that there was an awful lot of work left to do; the engines were even still wrapped on pallets at the time. But that’s the real secret ingredient at Viking: the men and women who build these boats. The Viking army, err, Navy I suppose, in New Gretna, New Jersey has an awful lot to be proud of with this one.
Viking 90 Specifications:
LOA: 90’
Beam: 23’2”
Draft: 5’11”
Displ.: 203,000 lb.
Fuel: 3,801 gal.
Water: 480 gal.
Power: 2/1,925-mhp CAT C32A (base),
2/2,433-mhp CAT C32B,
2/2,600-hp MTU Series 2000
View the original article to see embedded media.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/sportfishermen/viking-90-yacht-review
