V55 Express

Beginning in the early 1990s, the market for top-tier European sport yachts became one of the most dynamic segments of the marine marketplace. The Viking V55 Express (called the Viking V52 until 1997 when the swim platform was extended) was one of the original Viking Sport Cruisers imported by Viking from UK-based Marine Products, Ltd. Still a handsome yacht many years after her debut, the V55 is a purebred Mediterranean sportboat with an enormous cockpit and an innovative three-stateroom interior layout. While the cabin accommodations are well arranged (note the identical mid-cabin staterooms), more than half of the hull length is devoted to cockpit space including a huge sun pad atop a PWC garage with its own hydraulic lift system. The straight-drive engines are located below the cockpit sole where a centerline hatch provides access to the engine room. A bow thruster was standard. Built on a slender deep-V hull with prop pockets, the V55 Express is a good performer with either 610hp MAN diesels (30 knots cruise/34–35 knots top) or optional 800hp MANs (32-knots cruise/36 knots top).