The Viking 70 Convertible Is Built to Chase Big Game

In addition to an Open flybridge, the Viking 70C has Enclosed Bridge and Skybridge options. Courtesy Viking Yacht Company

Fish should be worried. The Viking Yachts 70 Convertible is designed to be a formidable 43-knot fish-finding machine with long range, a bluewater build and all the angling accouterments needed to bag the big one.

The Viking team incorporated lessons learned from building 30 distinct models during the past three decades. This battlewagon comes in a few inches narrower than the earlier Viking 68C, with increases in freeboard forward and aft. Changes under the waterline include modifications to deadrise, chine placement and strake geometry, which should all translate into a more efficient and comfortable ride. Those are welcome attributes for a tournament team making daily runs 100-plus nautical miles to the fishing grounds.

A proper propulsion system is also necessary to take advantage of the hull design. The 70C has several diesel options for owners to consider, starting with standard 1,550 hp MAN engines, but most owners will likely opt for the 2,200 hp MAN diesels or the 2,222 hp MTUs for optimal performance. The engines pair to stainless-steel Aquamet shafts spinning Veem Interceptor wheels set into prop pockets, a setup that helps to reduce draft and shaft angle. (Spare props are optional.)

Supporting the sporty hull form is robust construction with an infused fiberglass hull and end-grain balsa core. Corecell foam is also used strategically. The result is a stout build made to run fast and far.

The 70C has 194 square feet of fish-fighting cockpit. The cockpit is several inches longer than its predecessors. Courtesy Viking Yacht Company

Inside, the 70C will keep the team comfortable throughout a long tournament season with four staterooms and five heads, including a day head just inside the salon door to starboard. That’s a smart setup when you’re spending long days in the cockpit watching the spread. Standard joinery is high-gloss walnut, adding a warm and elegant feel in the salon. Satin-finish walnut is optional. Galley options include an island or peninsula setup.

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The business end of the 70C’s 194-square-foot cockpit includes a transom livewell, an aluminum backing plate for a fighting chair, mezzanine seating with a bait freezer, four flush-mount rod holders, and in-sole fishboxes with split lids as standard. Add triple-spreader outriggers, perhaps an Omni sonar and a tuna tower with rocket launchers, and the 70C is ready to chase fish—anywhere.

By the Numbers

• The 70C can be ordered with an optional fuel-capacity increase to 2,530 gallons.
• This sportfisherman’s planing hull has a 12.3-degree transom deadrise.
• Freeboard forward is 7 feet, 11 inches, while freeboard aft is 3 feet, 1 inch.

Take the next step: vikingyachts.com

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