The sensation was at once thrilling yet whisper-quiet. Capt. Ryan Higgins put the throttles down as the Valhalla Boatworks 55 Sport Yacht’s quad 600 hp V-12 Verados spooled up in rapid fashion. On a flat-calm sea off Atlantic City, New Jersey, and with zero trim engaged, the supersize center-console rose up level as if on a lift. The vessel’s attitude remained flat, and it ran true as the boat took off toward the horizon. Sightlines were clean for nearly 360 degrees. If trim had been needed for conditions or load, this 55 SY had a Zipwake trim-control system.
According to the helm’s three flush-mounted Garmin multifunction displays, the boat’s sprint topped off at 60.6 mph (52.7 knots) on the pins. This eye-watering speed is even more impressive considering the boat was loaded with 800 gallons of fuel (out of 1,100), 150 gallons of water and 10 people on board. That kind of speed is no small feat for a boat displacing 50,000-plus pounds.
A fast cruise speed is achieved around 5,100 rpm at 41 to 42 knots, with a slower cruise at 4,500 rpm and about 34 to 35-plus knots.
The 55 SY’s striking performance is achieved several ways, with the first element being the Michael Peters Stepped-V Ventilated Tunnel hull form. The dual-step design gives lift and reduces hydrodynamic drag, while the tunnel enhances overall stability.
Backing up the form is function in terms of robust construction. The Valhalla 55 SY’s hull is built with E-glass. Carbon fiber and high-density urethane cores are employed in spots where extra strength is required. For example, the yacht’s chines and balcony door openings are reinforced using carbon fiber. The transom is built with fiberglass-encapsulated, high-density, fiber-reinforced foam. Valhalla says there is also G10—a high-pressure fiberglass laminate—reinforcement in the engine installation zones. Additionally, foam-cored fiberglass stringers add backbone.
Bringing this all together—literally—is a hull-to-deck joint that is through-bolted and bonded with 3M 5200 marine adhesive, and then fiberglassed from the inside to create a monocoque structure.
Remember that whisper-quiet reference at wide-open throttle? It’s achieved in part by twin 380-pound doors on an electrically actuated track system that was developed between the builder and J.R. Beers Marine Service. It is possible to slide the beefy, double-gasketed doors open with a single finger, as Viking Yachts President and CEO Pat Healey demonstrated, and the bridge deck turns into a cone of silence when they are closed. The pilothouse, which is built via a two-piece foam-cored fiberglass structure, adds to the bridge deck’s stillness. This space is also notable for the house-spanning, single-pane curved windshield that blurs the lines between inside and outside.
If a bridge-deck breeze is desired, drop down the aft window, open those side doors and the sunroof above, and it’s an open-boat feel all day long.
The 55 SY is robust and rigid for bluewater duty, but when it comes to looks and layouts, Valhalla’s modular design equals flexibility for owners. Hull No. 1’s main deck has a trio of upgraded, double-stitched helm seats. Abaft the seats is a raised settee that stretches across three quarters of the pilothouse, but it can also be a full-width settee or a bar top in the solid-bulkhead option. In all bulkhead options (rear door or not), the aft window drops down.
Outside, Hull No. 1’s arrangement has a three-quarter, L-shaped cooking and food-prep area with a Kenyon grill and an Isotherm fridge. This space can also have a three-stool bar. With the solid-bulkhead setup, a U-shaped galley is available. It has the same shape as the 55 Sport Yacht’s cockpit seating.
The seating wraps around a high-gloss teak table and provides a great view of the flip-down 40-inch TV in the hardtop. A retractable SureShade awning keeps the area cool when the rays are hot. A second cockpit seating option has opposing bench seats with the table in between. In any arrangement, foldout terraces with integrated doors and steps flank the cockpit and expand the usable real estate.
The foredeck lounge accommodates overflow guests with a table and a contoured sun pad for three to four people.
There is flexibility belowdecks too. This 55 SY’s accommodations plan had an owner’s stateroom forward with a queen berth and an en suite head. A second stateroom aft had an athwartships queen berth and a lounge. But the lounge can swap out for a single berth. In that scenario, the berths face forward. In both plans, there is a second head.
Between the staterooms is a salon with L-shaped Bentley-style, diamond-stitched seating and a table to port. Across is a countertop with an Invisacook induction cooktop. Engineered slate-gray wood with a horizontal grain adds an elegant feel. The wood is built with stacking veneers that form a block and are then shaped as needed.
The Valhalla Boatworks 55 Sport Yacht is equal parts performance and panache, with a little something extra for good measure.
Take the next step: valhallaboatworks.com
