The Valhalla V-55 is not your typical center console.For years I’ve been trying to get the term super console to stick. In a world full of Scouts, HCBs and Valhallas that stretch to the horizon and house multiple staterooms, the term center console feels inadequate.
“This boat is a super console personified,” said my colleague and Angler’s Journal editor-in-chief Charlie Levine when I met him in the cockpit of the Valhalla V-55 at the Miami boat show earlier this year. “I’m just sort of enamored here taking it in.”
Besides her LOA and sharp Palm Beach tower, what makes you stop on the docks are the quartet of 600-hp Mercury’s standing fully out of the water, making her length even more impressive. If the 2,400 horses arent’ quite enough, owners can opt for a fifth outboard for a total of 3,000 hp on the transom. The V-55 is the fourth model in the Valhalla Boatworks line that includes a 33, 37, 41 and 46.
The Valhalla V-55 is built on a stepped hull that handles like a much smaller boat.The main stage for any Valhalla is the cockpit. While that area on deck glistens, it’s what’s below the surface that keeps everything moving. Underfoot are Hooker sea chest pumps, an Electrosea anti-fouling system, a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, and essentially every system a discerning angler would need. A pair of 65-gallon live wells built into the transom look big enough for the kids to swim in.
Perhaps my favorite option in the cockpit is a huge aft-facing MFD so you and your crew can watch the fishfinder on the tournament circuit or use the TV functionality and catch the game back at the dock while manning the grill.
The cockpit on the Valhalla 55 is both roomy and versatile, and you definitely won’t need to add any rod holders.The first 55 debuted at the Miami International Boat Show and boasted nine forward-facing, bolster seats in two rows — a choice that undoubtedly will be popular among the sportfishing set. There’s also an option to swap the second row for more conversation-friendly U-shaped seating.
Visibility from the helm looks to be exceptional, as the elevated front row of seating allows the skipper to clearly see the bow and stern, looking over the heads of the crew in the second row. Pushing on the throttles, you’ll be able to look back and watch the horizon disappear at 52 knots with quad outboards or upward of 60 knots with quints — not too shabby for a boat weighing in at nearly 50,000 pounds fully loaded.
The only drawback, if you can call it that, to all those horses on the stern is that they need a lot of hay. The 55 has a 1,200-gallon fuel capacity. For comparison, the V-46 holds 694 gallons, and the Scout 53 comes with an 875-gallon capacity.
By raising the captain’s chair, the operator has a clear line of sight to the bow and the transom.From the stitching in the upholstery to the matching Edson wheel, at every turn you can see and feel the Viking Yachts level of finish — Viking launched Valhalla consoles in 2019 — but nowhere is this as evident as in the accommodations. Stepping down a few steps, you enter a dinette area that could easily seat a few hungry anglers. There is a split head, which is a smart setup on a boat like this so one crewmember can shower while leaving the head available. There’s nearly 7 feet of headroom throughout the salon and the forward stateroom.
The second stateroom has a pair of twin berths with more than enough length for a sleepy angler to stretch out on the ride home from the canyons. It’s through that stateroom that you access a mechanical space that houses the generator, pumps and filters — this space is a thing of beauty that will bring a tear to the eyes of boatyard techs.
I was especially impressed with both the accommodations and a level of finish that rivals any other top-end builder. I was thankful Charlie was aboard, as he was able to look at the boat through the eyes of a serious angler. We both walked away impressed. It’s that multipurpose appeal that yielded an astonishing 50-plus orders by the boat’s big debut at the boat show, just a couple months after hull No. 1’s bottom paint first kissed the water.
In short, the V-55 is a major new player in the super console category, a category I’m more confident than ever is here to stay.
This story was reprinted with permission from Power & Motoryacht.
The Valhalla V55 offers a ton of space to fight fish fore and aft, and host a large group of anglers.
The backrest of the mezzanine seating drops down to create a tackle prep station complete with tray storage.
With quad 600-hp Mercury Verados, the Valhalla V55 hits a top end of 52 knots.
The view from the Palm Beach Tower is perfect for offshore fishing.
The master stateroom.
LOA: 55’7”
Beam: 15’6”
Draft: 4’
Displ.: 50,000 pounds
Fuel: 1,200 gallons
Water: 125 gallons
Engines: quad or quintuple 600-hp Mercurys
