68 Viking

Source: Capt. Eric Sorensen, Sea Magazine

Luxury, Power and Performance Score 10 for Viking Noble Norseman

The Viking 68 offers everything cruisers could ever want in a luxury yacht

This Viking is no clumsy, lumbering nomad, but a sleek, powerful and ultra-stylish craft

Your search for the “perfect” yacht presupposes a list of defining criteria that might include machinery reliability and accessibility, and rugged construction worthy of a fickle sea. A hull designed for fast cruising using relatively little power. Superb handling responsiveness and acceleration throughout the speed spectrum in ultra-quiet surroundings. Don’t forget all those comforts and amenities. It’s not often that a boat does well in all these areas, but the new Viking 68 Motor Yacht is no ordinary yacht.

In Control in Comfort
No matter from where you choose to control the cruise, you are in complete control with the Viking 68.

The lower helm is one of the best stations I’ve seen. Sight lines ahead and to either beam are excellent from the raised, comfortably contoured helm and passenger seats. The wheel, Mathers controls and bowthruster joystick are at the operator’s fingertips. The electronics, including a Furuno radar, Autohelm Navcenter and autopilot, are easily readable and reachable. A watertight door next to the helm seat leads to the starboard sidedeck, which is a handy feature for short-handed cruising.

On the flybridge, an electronics console lifts electronically to expose the engine instruments, Autohelm autopilot and GPS plotter, and rudder angle indicator. A VHF radio and ship’s interphone are inside a console cabinet to starboard and the stairs to the the saloon are just to port of the helm.

On the backside of the helm seat console, a lid lifts to reveal a Ceran grill and a sink. Below is a refrigerator with a small freezer and a bottle storage cabinet. The U-shaped lounge has an adjustable pedestal table that lowers for sunpad conversion.

The teak-finished cockpit features a lounge seat with commodious fender storage below and a full overhang for protection against sun and rain. Stainless railings atop the cockpit coamings are a full 30 inches off the deck. Heavy stainless cleats, deck-mounted in the aft corners, lead through bulwark-mounted hawse holes.

One of the 68’s many storage lockers located to starboard contains remote fuel shutoffs, seawater drain valves for forward, engine room and aft bilges, and a hand-operated emergency bilge pump.

Molded steps lead forward to the sidedecks, with rugged, 1 1/4 inch stainless bow railings 31 inches high at the bow, two pairs of side cleats, 14 inch bow cleats, non-skid flooring and a pair of hatches leading to the large chain locker just aft of the stainless anchor pulpit.

The 5 foot deep teak swim platform is perfect for staging watersports, and it has a freshwater shower, stern cleats, lockers for the shore power cable and passerelle, a concealed swim ladder and additional storage.

Paradise Afloat
The Viking 68 is a great boat for entertaining, with its well-defined yet non-confining open areas. The polished stainless steel-framed sliding door that opens to reveal the luxurious, two-level saloon also reveals Belgian leather upholstery, Ultrasuede head liners and laquered, flawlessly joinered and polished cherry woodwork. A multitude of glass, open space, indirect and lamp lights, and white surfaces beautifully complement the woodwork.

The saloon, which has 77 inches of headroom, includes a three-person lounge seat, a U-shaped lounge with a free-standing table and an entertainment center with a television and stereo.

Double sliding doors open to the U-shaped galley, which sports fore-and-aft bulkheads that lower to counter level. Semi-enclosed, the galley allows the chef to work alone or to be part of the festivities.

A four-burner stove, twin sinks, a microwave oven, a dishwasher, an undercounter refrigerator and freezer, and plenty of storage space offer all the comforts and conveniences of home. The Avonite countertop and vinyl tile sole complement the cherry cabinetry.

The full-beam master suite is finished in cream-colored fabric and rich cherry. The queen berth has drawers below, and a sofa is to port aft of the private day head. Opposite to starboard is a bathtub-shower combo with a sink, storage lockers and opening ports. Large portlights, double closets, a bureau and a television/VCR round out the list of master suite amenities.

The stateroom forward to port has stacked single berths and a full height hanging closet with drawers below the lower berth and the end table. Opposite to starboard are single berths with a filler for conversion to a king. There is private access to the starboard head with its circular shower.

The forward stateroom has a 77 inch queen-size island berth, a private head with shower, double closets, cabinet storage, an overhead hatch and side ports.

All staterooms have an opening port, adjustable reading lights, an interphone and climate controls.

Room and Power to Move
In almost every respect, the engine room stands out in machinery accessibility, and Viking’s attention to detail throughout is what makes it such a well-engineered space.

The engines are mounted well forward, permitting a low shaft angle for added propulsion efficiency. Four feet aft of the 2:1 Reintjes reduction gears, the 2 1/2 inch shafts exit through drip lubricated stuffing tubes. The raw water cooling seacocks and RINA approved strainers are aft and within easy reach.

There’s enough room to check fluid levels, and the lube oil dipsticks are easily accessed. Outboard of the diesels, 588 gallon stainless steel fuel tanks supply Separ 2000/18 fuel filter-separators fitted with stainless drain bowls and pet cocks. Combustion air is supplied directly to the inboard engine air cleaners via 9 inch flexible ducts.

The acoustic insulation on the overhead, fore and aft bulkheads and on the tank sides is firmly secured in place with aluminum battens. Wiring is neatly run and well protected. There is also a freshwater washdown hose aft and a work table.

We ran our 68 Motor Yacht, provided by HMY Yacht Sales of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami. With ground swells running 7 to 10 feet, the boat handled beautifully. Running 20 knots into the seas produced a smooth, dry ride. In a following or quarter sea, the 68 ran straight with minimal helm corrections. In the trough at low or high speed, the 68 delivered a comfortable, moderate motion.

Running the boat from the saloon station down below, the visibility and sense of control are excellent. Coming up on plane, the horizon never disappeared below the bow, and even in following seas I never had to crane my neck for a clear view ahead.

Steering was incredibly responsive for a yacht of this size. The turning circle is tight, indicating well-proportioned and designed rudders. Back at the dock in a stiff crosswind, the Viking handled well, with the Mathers controls eliciting precise and predictable engine response, and the bow thruster easily nudging the bow upwind to line up with our slip.

Our top speed of 33.5 knots was impressive for a boat of this size, weight and horsepower, which indicates an efficient hull form and drivetrain, and careful weight distribution. The 5 degree trim at cruise is near ideal for a boat of the 68’s beam-to-length ratio, and it pays off in the speeds I observed and in the excellent lower helm station visibility, even while climbing the hump during transition to plane. Sound levels were impressively low.

You Can Have it All
If you’re going to spend good money — in this case $1,826,680 with standard 770 hp Volvo TAMD163 diesels or $2,004,680 with the 1,200 hp MANs — it’s reasonable to expect the vessel to do everything well. If the Viking 68’s looks and layout suit you, you’re sure to love the whole package.

The Viking 68 is testimony to the skills and experience of Europe’s largest cruising yacht builder, Marine Projects of Plymouth, England, Viking’s partner in bringing these yachts to our shores. And with Viking’s good name and service network behind its product, who could ask for more?