Viking Yachts 72 Convertible Ditch Digger Walkthrough
Join HMY Yacht Sales Professional Greg Hunt as he takes you aboard the Ditch Digger, an impressive 2017 Viking 72 Convertible. This in-depth walkthrough showcases practically every element on the boat making it simple to understand why the Viking 72 is considered such an epic luxury sportfish.
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk inside the salon of the Viking 72 is what a great space it is for entertaining. There's a convenient day head to starboard which is great when you're offshore fishing so your guests and anglers don't have to go down below when they need to use the head. Forward of the day head is the low voltage and AC ship service generator starts and stops are conveniently located here along with great bottle storage and a pop up TV for after hours enjoyment. A large j-shaped ultra leather sofa converts to storage. Many crews use this space for tackle storage as there is plenty of room for all of your offshore gear and/or provisions that you’ll need on this boat and it wraps all the way around. A high-gloss teak table raises up so that it can be utilized as a dining table.
Across from the galley is a very comfortable settee - a great place to enjoy the catch of the day during meal time. A massive drawer located below the settee can accommodate all your onboard fishing rods including 20s 30s 50s 80s and even 130s. It’s a great use of an area that is normally a wasted space. The galley is extremely well-equipped with tons of counter space, a raised bar top and three bar stools. There are four sub-zero below counter refrigerators, two freezers, trash compactor and flush mounted four burner cooktop. There is also a concealed convection microwave oven and a large walk-in pantry with plenty of space for provisions. One of the highlights about this galley is that while you're back preparing the meal you're still able to be in the middle of it all enjoying laughs and swapping stories with your guests.
Going below to look at the accommodations you’ll enter a companion way. As you walk forward the first room you come to on the port side is the master stateroom. One of the things Viking is so well-known for is utilizing all onboard space for storage. The master is equipped with his and hers chest of drawers on both port and starboard as well as hanging lockers long enough for dresses. This is also a great place to keep ship supplies and your bags after you've unpacked. The master stateroom offers an ensuite head with beautiful upgrades such as Cambria countertops, upgraded wallpaper and an oversized shower with a glass door. Outside the master is your washer and dryer centrally located and easily accessible. Just forward of the washer and dryer is the linen closet with a central vacuum.
Next up is the guest cabin which offers over under berths, a good-sized hanging locker, plenty of storage, Samsung flat panel TV and an ensuite head. Located in the forward section of the boat is the VIP stateroom with high ceilings, upgraded mattress, storage below, flat panel television and ensuite head. Your guests will without a doubt be impressed after spending a night in this well-appointed VIP cabin. The decorators did a great job making each cabin unique aboard The Ditch Digger. As you walk out of the VIP you’ll come upon the crew's quarters to port. Entering the crew’s quarters you’ll see an Octa Plex panel giving crew access to any of the onboard systems from their cabin. Oversized berths offer comfortable sleeping arrangements. There is plenty of storage, a flat panel TV and again an ensuite head. Another great feature in the crew's cabin is the direct engine-room access.
This Viking 72 is equipped with MTU 16 V 2000m 96 L motors that deliver over 2600 horsepower a piece delivering a cruise speed in the upper 30s with a top-end approaching the middle 40s. Directly behind the engines are the twin Onan 29 KW generators. Up against the aft bulkhead in the engine room over the top of the generators is a nice workstation and storage area equipped with toolboxes on both the port and starboard side. Up forward port on this boat is a Willy Vac which is basically a built-in shop vac located in the engine room. Another great feature of this boat is the Spot Zero water maker. The Spot Zero reduces the water parts down below 50 parts per million eliminating the need for a shammy.
The flybridge of the Viking 72 Convertible is not only the command center of the boat but also a great area for your guests to hang out while fishing. This well-designed flybridge features air conditioning, three helm chairs, port and starboard bench seats and a very comfortable forward-facing wraparound bench seat. There is also a very large freezer for all your bait and/or provisions and a wash down sink. The helm offers state-of-the-art electronics for navigation and control of all onboard systems. There is a recessed electronics control. Three Glass Bridge monitors both Garmin and Furano redundant systems for depth sounder onboard camera, plotter, radar and so forth. Both port and starboard radio boxes are equipped with controls. Ice controls, another Octaplex control for on board ship system, ACR searchlight, the FLIR night-vision camera and the Garmin grid system. Over to starboard you have your VHF radio crew, Furano 3D controller and another really cool feature about this boat is it is equipped with hydraulic outriggers just a push of a button and then they lay out to the fishing position. Palm Beach style teak pod single lever controls and bow thruster buttons are right in the handles so when you're maneuvering this boat it's real easy to keep control when docking in the most windy conditions. Above you have a drop-down box with a Garmin plotter sounder, Sea Keeper control, Secondary VHF radios and of course your autopilot. Directly above the captain's chair is your Maya Epoch US 9 HD teaser reels. What's really nice about it is you can reach up when you get a Marlin or something up on your teaser and you can pull it away as your angler switches it to a bait.
Down on the cockpit of the Viking 72 Convertible is where all the offshore action takes place. The centerpiece of this space is the Release fighting chair, a large Marlin chair with four rod holders, a tackle drawer, a few drink holders and a bait station. This boat is equipped with a full teak package both on the cockpit sole, the mezzanine and step to the salon. The comfortable mezzanine couch is a great place for your guests to watch the fishing action while sitting under the Cool Breeze mezzanine air conditioning. A very large refrigerated drink box on the mezzanine step is plumbed to the Eskimo ice machine which dumps your ice into this area. Directly behind that is your fish box making an extremely convenient for you to dump your ice on your fish. Centerline is convenient engine room access making it easy to get down below and just to the port of that is a bait tray with stainless steel trays. To left of that you'll find a large drop freezer for your bait. Located on the port side of the cockpit under the sole is a live well. Directly behind that is another refrigerated storage bin for fish. On the transom there's a fish box that doubles as a live well. An extremely notable feature of this 72 Viking is it’s Sea Keeper. The powerful torque that's created by this internal massive spinning flywheel reduces the rate of roll by over 80 percent making it extremely comfortable and safe to be aboard in the roughest of sea conditions.
Please contact HMY Yacht Sales Professional Steve Moynihan at (561) 722-9629 or [email protected] for questions.
