Viking 42 Open

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The most obvious benefit revealed itself within the first three seconds of our sea trial at the Viking Yachts Service Center in Palm Beach, Florida, when captain Ryan Higgins worked the joystick to glide us out of our slip. He then crabbed the boat sideways until we had enough water to swing the bow and head out to the Intracoastal Waterway. “That’s the worst slip in the facility,” Frederiksen said, as Higgins made it look easy.

As we powered onto plane, the Zeus system’s integrated automated trim tabs helped us pop out of the hole with minimal bow rise and maintain an optimal running angle as we accelerated. Standing at the helm, I found no blind spots while surveying the water for boats and channel markers. The entire command deck is set up to ensure the captain’s line of sight is not obscured by hardware or fellow passengers, with comfortable bench seats running along either side and two additional helm chairs tucked into the aft corners. The lines are clean and simple, and the captain has an easy view of the cockpit, as well as quick access to the action through the mezzanine.



The entire mezzanine rises via two 500-pound hydraulic pistons, which Higgins actuated by pressing a remote-control key fob as we stood in the cockpit. The hatch opened to reveal a clean, well-appointed engine room finished with Awlgrip. All service points for the Cummins diesels were easily accessible, and a look at the ship’s systems showed Viking’s attention to detail. All wiring, made in-house, is clearly labeled every eight inches along its insulation, so anyone performing maintenance or repairs knows exactly where it goes. Access to the service points for the pod-drives is under cockpit hatches, which resemble in-sole tuna doors.

On the 42 Open, Viking capitalized on another aspect of pod-drives: fuel load distribution. Because the engines are mounted farther aft, Viking was able to build a single fuel tank along the boat’s center of gravity. “Unlike the typical boat that might lift on the stern as you burn fuel, this boat rises level,” Higgins said.

When we pointed the bow toward the Palm Beach inlet, into four- to six-footers stacked up against the outgoing tide, we had the perfect opportunity to test the 42 Open’s seakeeping abilities. The boat took on a head sea and quartering sea with aplomb, landing in the troughs with a solid mush, and not a single rattle emanated from the Palm Beach tower. Higgins explained that the company built the 42 with a deeper V than on the typical Viking (16.7 degrees of deadrise at the transom compared with 10 or 11 degrees) to compensate for the shorter running length and lighter weight. The additional draft from the V is offset by the shallow running gear of the pod-drives, nestled in protective pockets; the 42 Open floats in 3 feet, 5 inches of water.