seafarer viking 5.5

[stephen110]

has anyone had any experience with or own a Seafarer Viking 5.5 for use in bay is it easy to launch and retreive on roller trailer and what is it like on fuel in the water and towing ?
my other question should a new to boating start with alum boat?

[Fish-Hunter]

Seafarer make great boats , now are made & owned by The Haines Group in QLD . So their build quality is very high end , they are heavy but this makes for a softer ride . The 5.5m Viking is perfect for PPB & limited offshore fishing for Portland's SBT .
Running costs depend on engine on the back , you want minimum a 130hp but a 150hp would be better suited . Trailering would be easy with a family 6 sedan , handling it on your own can done , but it be easier with 2 ppl . If you intend to keep it long term & can afford it buy new , the ride in rough weather conditions is much better than a Alloy boat .

[blacklab99]

hi stephen110,
seafarer viking have a good reputation, and are great hulls. being new to boating as i think you mentioned,you cant go wrong here. its a fair lump of a boat for a first one thou, and as miker said,and depending on your experience,definately a 2 person launch and retrieve. obviously you'll be taking it for a test on the water,so if you decide to buy,make sure you get the dealer or the owner to spend time with you at the ramp launching and retrieving,so your comfortable with it.
perfect boat for port phillip bay and i know a few guys that own 5.5 seafarer's who have it set up for tuna bashing, and fish regularly off portland.
as far as ecconomy goes, i have a theory, buy the boat that suits your needs and will cover all the intended uses you intend on using it for. forget about the ecconomy ! as long as the motor is within reccomended h.p ratings . this is not a sport/past time that is governed buy the cost of fuel for a days fishing,if its a concern, probably better off picking another past time !
most modern outboards are alot more ecconomical than the older less efficient outboards, and the new 4 strokes certainly sip the fuel.
there are definately cheaper pass times than boating, so take that into account.
but good choice for a first boat,you cant go wrong there

colin

[bowl]

back in the early 90s the my old man had v sea 4.8 , i grew up fishing that boat ,fished all parts of western port and had a couple of shark fishing sessions off san remo ...old man still reckons was best boat he owned for its size ... he also owned savage osprey, quintrex and has new stessco now

[stephen110]

thanks for all the information that you guys have sent

[frozenpod]

5.5m viking has a shallow deadrise and is a very efficient hull. They don't need a lot of Hp 115hp is close to ideal and my uncles has a top speed of 86km/hr with a 115hp motor.

The factory mackay trailer is very good and launch retreave is easy by winching or driving on.

They are super stable at rest, a great fishing platform but very hard riding and a very wet boat.

Good fit out and once you get to your fishing spot there are very few boats I would rather fish out of. But due to the ride I would hate travelling anywhere in them, ok for fishing close in PPB but forget about offshore or WP when the tide is running.

[stephen110]

after reading these comments from people that have experience with Seafarers would a Cruise Craft Explorer 500 be a better choice?? as far as easy to launch and retreive, stable and not hard riding. My only experience of recent is with an alum boat and that was noisey and hard riding back to Werribee boat ramp with a SE wind.

[frozenpod]

I have no experience with the new cruise crafts.

[Fish-Hunter]

after reading these comments from people that have experience with Seafarers would a Cruise Craft Explorer 500 be a better choice?? as far as easy to launch and retreive, stable and not hard riding. My only experience of recent is with an alum boat and that was noisey and hard riding back to Werribee boat ramp with a SE wind.

The Haines Signature 543F is a great boat for the Bay & Light offshore fishing , its a very soft riding & well built boat & has great resale value of a Haines Signature . Check it out @ http://www.signatureboats.com/content.aspx?pageid=29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[blacklab99]

probably better to actually go and test ride a few different models and get a feel for them.
it also depends what model your looking at,new /old.
getting back to the seafarer viking, that model had several changes, including a mk2. I question the comment on its suitability for offshore work, obviously dependant on weather conditions, but they had a 19 degree deadrise, which gave them an excellent combination of ride and stability comfort, in fact jeff webster rates them in his book as one of his top rigs. best power is a 115 hp but they can handle the weight of a modern 4 stroke. the 5.5 viking is still one of seafarers top sellers. this is a top allround boat,which is perfect in ppb and for the occasional off shore work. the cruise craft explorer is also another tried and tested hull,which again would be a perfect boat for ppb and the occasional offshore jaunt.
but again, I point out, decide what your main end use is going to be, and get out and have some test rides and familiarise yourself and compare a couple of different boats. maybe a few people on the forum can offer a days outing in similar boats so you can get a feel for, the size boat youde be comfortable in.
it took me quite a few years to build up the confidence to venture offshore and that was in a 6mtr deep vee boat, so I predominantly fished with in 5-10km from shore until my experience level grew. now I have a smaller boat, a cruise craft reef finder, 5.4 meter, which is a happy medium, last year we were 30km out in my mates one off Portland chasing tuna.
im more than happy to take you out in mine to give you a feel of a boat my size, just p.m me.
or you can whip down to the likes of j.v marine and they'll take you out if they know you a potential buyer.
cheers
colin