67 Viking Sport Cruisers Motor Yacht 2005

Source: Richard Thiel, Power & Motoryacht Magazine

My time aboard the Viking Sport Cruisers 67 Motor Yacht took place on the same long weekend I also boarded and tested the Viking V70 Express Yacht, which turned out to be our July cover boat. The occasion was a trip from Miami to Marathon to Key Largo during which I not only tested both boats but also enjoyed plenty of time aboard them.

The whole weekend reminded me of a high school dance I attended long ago during which I met and became enamored with two girls. One was the class queen, who had stunning good looks and a brash, outgoing personality—a little wild and the life of the party. The other, also attractive, was saner—thoughtful, studious, and a bit subdued. I ended up with the calmer one for the simple reason that being with her was just a lot more comfortable. In fact, she and I ended up dating all though high school and into college.

To me the V70 is the class queen who will always attract a following wherever she goes, while the 67 is the girl you want to take home. I loved driving the V70—almost as much as I loved being seen driving her—but the minute I stepped aboard the 67 I felt comfortable, relaxed, and at home. She’s not as fast as the 70 (a top of 35.7 versus 44.7 mph), doesn’t accelerate as quickly (see spec chart), and can’t match her sibling’s sports car handling, but she’s no slouch in any of those categories either. And she happens to be quieter and, in my opinion, more comfortable and more enjoyable on an extended passage. That’s why at the end of my long weekend, the 67 was the lady I wanted to take home.

No, she won’t turn heads like the 70, but she’s still a beauty. In profile she looks like a V70 with a flying bridge, maintaining that boat’s fine proportions and having not a hint of top-heaviness despite the fact that she’s 2’5” taller (16’11” versus 14’6”). Standard teak decks, gracefully shaped side windows, and four vertical hull-side ports give her a profile that marks her as part of the Viking Sport Cruisers family. Her flying bridge is slightly aft of amidships, where a centerline helm provides much better sightlines than the one on the V70, clear on all points, even to the aft corners. She offers plenty of entertainment space in a large L-shape lounge to starboard and U-shape dinette, plus a ‘fridge/drink chiller, two-burner ceramic cooktop that can convert to a grill, and small sink. Stowage is available in both the helm console and under the dinette. There’s even four feet of deck aft for the tender and standard 900-pound-capacity Marquipt davit.

You have two ways to go below from here: through a translucent hatch forward and down a circular staircase into the saloon or down eight molded-in stairs aft to the teak-sole cockpit.

Boat Specifications: 67 Viking Sport Cruisers Motor Yacht 2005

Boat Type: Cruiser

Standard Power: 2/900-hp MAN V8-900CRM diesel inboards

Optional Power: 2/1,015-hp Caterpillar C18 diesel inboards

Length Overall (LOA): 67’1”

Beam: 17’2”

Draft: 4’6”

Weight: 78,400 lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 1,080 gal.

Water Capacity: 240 gal.

Standard Equipment: A/C; 11-hp bow thruster; dripless shaft logs; oil-change system for engines, transmissions, and genset; 27.5-kW Onan genset; cockpit shower; flying-bridge davit; rudder-angle indicator; wet bar; 30-inch LCD TV in saloon; 20” LCD TV in master; electric cooktop; U-shape dinette; Avonite countertops in galley and heads; ice maker; microwave; full-size single berths in port-side guest stateroom; washer/dryer combo

Test Engines: 2/1,015-hp Caterpillar C18 diesel inboards

Transmissions / Ratio: ZF 550/2:1

Props: 31×40 5-blade

Steering: Hypro hydraulic w/ power-assist

Controls: Caterpillar

Optional Equipment On Test Boat: aft cabin w/ en suite head and 2/single berths; 2/Glendinning Cablemasters; 2/voltage-stabilizer transformers; air horns in lieu of electric horn; passerelle; foredeck sunpad cushions; luxury edition decor and accessory kit; windshield defogger; Bose home theater upgrade in saloon; 2/15” LCD TVs in guest staterooms; Bose stereos in guest and crew’s quarters; double-berth conversion in port guest stateroom; water delivery kit; washer and dryer; spare props; side boarding gates; electronics package w/ 2/12.1” Maptech i3 GPS/plotter/radar touch-screen displays; 64-NM radar, autopilot, Furuno RD30 depth and speed log

Conditions: temperature: 62º; humidity: 55%; wind: 10-20 mph; seas: 2’; load: 360 gal. fuel, 240 gal. water, 6 persons, 500 lbs. gear. Speeds are two-way averages measured w/Stalker radar gun. GPH taken from Caterpillar fuel-monitoring system. Range: 90% of advertised fuel capacity. Decibels measured on A scale. 65 dB is the level of normal conversation. Running angles measured with trim tabs fully retracted.