Valhalla. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the place where the valiant dead warriors live their eternity. It is located in the very heart of the kingdom of the gods, "the fortification of Asgard" where Odin reigns.

With a name like that, the Valhalla 55 (17 meters) can not be satisfied with the average. It is a boat of superlatives, a fisherman's paradise.

Valhalla 55 Video: Run II from Valhalla Boatworks on Vimeo.

Very large for a center console (17 meters long and 4.57 meters wide), this machine, halfway between a sportfishing and a console, has no less than three cabins, which is a change from the European center consoles, where the cabin is just good for storing fenders...

It's a change, especially since the front cabin of this Valhalla 55 is worthy of those found on the most beautiful European express cruisers. But we are tossed around, in a front cabin! No, not on a Valhalla 55, equipped with a powerful Seakeeper 9 gyrostabilizer, a machine that runs, among the abundant electrical equipment such as interior and exterior air conditioning, circulation pumps for the livewells, hot water and electric kitchen, a powerful 15 kW generator.

But the Valhalla, which is built by Viking Yachts, one of the recent big names in U.S. yacht building, is also beautifully designed. They are fitted with a special kind of step hull, the Petestep, which greatly reduces drag.

All of their water intakes are grouped together on a single large intake, just like on the beautiful French Amel yachts, closed by a single valve mounted upstream of the seawater distribution that goes to the pumps, generator, livewells and toilets. It is safe and clean compared to about twenty hulls.

More technical, the fuel distribution is based on electric valves, they allow to route the fuel from a tank to any engine.

Because engines are important on a Valhalla 55. The boat is pre-rigged, so to speak, to receive 4 or 5 Mercury Verado V12 600 HP. 2400 or 3000 HP under the right hand.

Nine cushioned seats are mounted facing the step, a nice touch for the passengers' backs.

Very well equipped for fishing, the Valhalla 55 carries two large saltwater circulating livewells, two pairs of long spreaders for trolling, what the Americans poetically call a "six rod rocket launcher", a central six-rod rack mounted on the cockpit deck, as well as electric reels fixed to the hard-top designed to animate and bring the big fish closer to the main lines

Work hard, play hard!

Valhalla 55 2.8 mUSD