Viking Yachts team members are boatbuilders and hardcore big-game anglers. Their experience imbues the Viking 54 Convertible.
The 54C has the builder’s signature sloping and straight sheer, reaching from 6 feet, 8 inches of freeboard forward to 2 feet, 11 inches of freeboard aft—and making the endgame release or gaff shot safe and easy on the crew. Hullside vents, a raked stem with generous flare, and a blacked-out wraparound forward window are other Viking trademarks in the 54C’s aesthetic.
What you can’t see, but can feel, is the hull’s performance across the water. Viking tweaked the hull form with double chines and refined prop pockets, as well as adjusted the size and length of the strakes to improve overall ride and performance. Engineers and designers used computational fluid dynamics to run virtual sea trials and adjust the vessel’s hull bottom, understand trim angles and efficiencies, and analyze pressure distribution across the wetted surfaces. The data, they say, helped make the boat faster, safer and more comfortable.
Fishermen know that a day staring at lines or working kites and floats can be tiresome. There is mezzanine seating a level above the cockpit that provides a respite and perch for those on watch, or for guests to watch a fish fight. A freezer and insulated stowage are under the seats. A tackle cabinet is to starboard. The 54C’s flybridge overhang is extended for shade, but the captain’s view from either the flybridge or tuna tower remains clear.
The vessel’s cockpit has a sizable 154 square feet of dance floor. There are no latches, handles or obstructions to snag on while doing double duty on a line. Nonslip or teak decking provide solid footing. Bait is kept in the transom livewell. A laminated backing plate is installed during construction for an optional fighting chair, leaning post or table. The starboard-side in-deck fish box is a single unit long enough to hold that bigeye-tuna wolf pack, and the portside fish box can be split into two sections, with one serving as an additional livewell. All fish boxes have rubber gaskets for a solid seal when closed.
For all the fishing focus on the outside, Viking created yacht-level luxury inside this three-stateroom, two-head sport-fisherman. Just inside the salon, an L-shaped settee with a teak table is to port for casual lounging or stretching out. Forward is the U-shaped galley. The after end of the galley peninsula is cut on a diagonal, allowing room for two fixed stools while keeping them outside the flow of traffic. Across and to starboard is a high-gloss dinette with curved seating. Adding to the open feel in the salon are side and aft windows, as well as 6-foot-4-inch headroom.
For the traveling tournament crew, the galley is set up for a season of self-sufficient meal prep with four Sub-Zero fridge-freezer drawers, an in-cabinet Samsung microwave, a Miele four-burner electric cooktop, a stainless-steel sink, and several cabinets above and below. Viking numbers each cabinet component, so if a piece like a door is damaged, the yard can replace it with an exact match, wood grain and all.
A dark-walnut Amtico sole in the galley is durable and makes for easy maintenance. Argento-style PentalQuartz countertops and a Soho Studio metal mosaic backsplash create a contemporary feel. To accent the high-gloss teak cabinets, Viking offers several interior-decor packages, including Majilite headliner panels, fabric filler in the window mullions, and flybridge cushions.
Belowdecks, the master stateroom is amidships and to port with a walk-around queen berth, credenza, hanging locker, underberth stowage and a 32-inch high-definition TV. The en suite head has a fiberglass stall shower with an integrated seat and stowage cabinet. I got aboard Hull No. 1, and it had the optional over-under crossover berth in the forward VIP. The standard layout is a single centerline queen berth. The VIP and starboard twin-bunk staterooms share a head, which has a shower stall.
Up top, the flybridge helm console has room for two 21-inch Garmin multifunction displays and a row of Bocatech switches, creating a streamlined glass bridge. Side helm boxes house VHF radios, a Seakeeper 9 display, a FLIR controller, a Garmin mouse pad and more. Overhead is an electronics console with flush-mounted MAN engine displays, an additional Garmin screen and room for more electronics. Forward of the helm console is a lounge seat with armrests, as well as port and starboard lounge seats with forward-facing backrests. Stowage is under all the seats.
Geared for the owner-operator and with room for the fishing family or tournament team, the Viking 54 Convertible is a 40-plus-knot fish-chaser built by anglers for anglers.
Take the next step: vikingyachts.com
