Seventeen months after Viking Yacht Co. entered the center console market with three models under the Valhalla Boatworks brand, the New Jersey builder announced the latest boat in the lineup: the V-46.

The flagship V-46 joins the Valhalla V-33, V-37 and V-41 center consoles, and Viking president and CEO Patrick Healey calls the new boat the “next chapter.”

“We’re a design- and engineering-driven company, and it will show with this new Valhalla,” Healey says. “It’s going to be incredible. We’ve already seen a tremendous response on social media.”

Hull No. 1 is under construction and is scheduled to debut in January at a Viking/Valhalla VIP Boat Show in Riviera Beach, Florida.

Partnering with Michael Peters Yacht Design, the Valhalla team developed a stepped-vee hull with a ventilated tunnel to provide the performance that’s expected from boats that share Viking’s DNA. Valhalla Boatworks is on schedule to deliver 70 boats in less than a year, with another 75 on order.

The V-46 measures 46 feet, 7 inches and is rated for up to 1,800 hp. It can be powered with quad Mercury Racing 450R or 425-hp Yamaha XTO Offshore outboards hung on its 13-foot, 4-inch transom. It has 24 degrees of transom deadrise, with the ventilated tunnel running along the centerline to the aft planing surface, which gives all V-Series boats their maneuverability and responsiveness to helm input. The hull incorporates a resin-infused structural stringer system with an integrated mounting location for a Seakeeper 6 gyroscopic stabilizer forward of the lazarette.

“We’ve been extremely pleased with the performance of the first three boats in the V-Series, and our close collaboration with Michael Peters Yacht Design has continued, so we expect the same high level of performance for this boat,” design manager David Wilson says.

The V-46 takes numerous design and aesthetic cues from its smaller mates, including an S-shaped sheer, double chines, a tumblehome transom bustle, a helm pod, and hand-painted, faux-teak toerails and transom.

Renderings provide a detailed glimpse of the V-46, and she is a beauty. Her flowing lines follow the lead of the V-41, but the extra length and beam allow for more amenities. The console houses an air-conditioned cabin with 6 feet, 7 inches of headroom that’s accessed through a port-side door with a notched overhead for ease of entry. Four portlights provide natural lighting. A U-shaped dinette converts to a queen-size berth, and a full galley and enclosed wet head complete the space.

Accessed through the head compartment, a proprietary machinery room is unique to the V-46. It houses the generator, batteries, electrical distribution panel, battery charger, and hot-water heater, and provides access to the helm electronics in a dry, protected space.

“The proper installation and protection of mechanical and electrical equipment is more important than ever on open, outboard-powered boats,” says Lonni Rutt, Viking design and engineering vice president. “That’s why we’ve equipped the V-46 with a dedicated and protected walk-in space that houses critical electrical and mechanical components. It essentially serves the same purpose as the engine room on a Viking yacht.”

The helm area has triple Release Marine or Llebroc seats and a second row of four forward-facing seats, all beneath the hardtop. Viking’s mezzanine seating for three faces aft, overlooking the cockpit, and a sun lounge is molded into the forward portion of the cabin.

Forward of the console is a two-person chaise lounge, and forward of that, to port and starboard, are a pair of forward-facing chaise lounges with integrated backrests.

Like the rest of the Valhalla V-Series, the V-46 will have a long list of options, including towers from Viking subsidiary Palm Beach Towers and a range of navigational electronics packages from Atlantic Marine Electronics. Go to valhallaboats.com for the digital brochure and to follow the build of hull No. 1.

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