[pdqsailor1]

This spring our boat will be fifty years old and in our care for only the last forty five of those fifty years..
She is rather well cared for.. New lighter Klacko Mast and boom last spring, updated high aspect ratio rudder then as well. The mast is 150 pounds lighter than the OEM spar the rudder solved drag, handling, balance issues to perfection. The extrusion has a variable wall thickness and it is two inches less in circumference than the OEM mast is.. The combination of both have transformed the performance of what was already a very fast boat to a wicked quick boat.. We retained both the OEM mast and rudder as spares.. Yes there are two masts/booms and two rudders for this boat..

She has an extensive sail inventory 3 mainsails, drifter, light #1, medium #1 (155%), heavy #1, #2, #3, #4, staysail, 1/2, 2 x 3/4, 1.5 ounce symmetrical chutes..

Sail tech Hydraulic backstay adjuster, current Ray Marine instruments (wind, depth, speed, pilot with wireless remote - integrated to a Cobra chart plotter, The pilot can steer magnetic, Apparent wind direction or GPS way point.. dual station Standard Horizon VHV, GPS repeater, AIS receiver, KVH steering compass.. Teak cockpit grating, Bimini, Dodger, 200/300 watts of solar panels, 100 AH LIFEPO4 house battery, 100 AH AGM starting battery, Xantrex inverter / charger, Separate AC and DC panels including sub panels fo reach, central ELCI protection, Smart plug, 17 AC outlets distributed through the boat, LED lighting inside and outside (in dodger, end of boom, at helm, refrigerator, every locker and mechanical space, many additional direct adn indirect LED lights.. CD AM FM stereo, 26 inch flat screen, Mast head wide angle camera (collision avoidance), Dyneema halyards, Dyneema spin after guys, light and heavy spin sheets, Dyneema pole topping lift, automatic latching pole end fitting, whisker pole, reaching strut, Harken main traveller and main sheet, Self tailing secondary winches, self tailing main halyard and Genoa halyard winches, Main halyard run aft, preventers run aft, Cunningham, 10:1 outhaul and main topping lift all run aft, two spin halyards, welded pulpits, refinished hull and deck, new Facnoaur flat deck Genoa furling, She has her original (rebuilt) A4 plus a fully rebuilt spare engine, external Xantrex regulator, Venus engine coupling, folding two bead Michigan wheel prop - and a spare one and a solid two blade Michigan wheel prop.. The engine has a secondary water strainer to catch broken impeller bits, It has high water temperature and low oil pressure alarms, there is an integral oil change pump on this engine.. Custom hardwood cabin sole (level) custom wilton wool carpet set, Jabsco quiet flush electric head, new foam in cushions and new upholstery, Interior has been refinished including interior paint.. Custom varnished cedar in V berth and quarter berth.. Ah the galley.. custom pots and pans drawers, two cutlery drawers, combination microwave/air fry/convection oven, dishwasher, induction cook top, hot water tank, refrigeration, new countertop, manual foot pump for galley in addition to running water.. LED task lighting over counters and in lockers, soap storage under dishwasher.. We fit a new Lewmar Series 60 forward hatch to the boat.. there is an opening port in the head and a doggy door (opening port) in the quarter berth to the cockpit that our Chihuahuas use to get out into the cockpit.. or to head down below from the cockpit.. To keep things comfortable on board there is a 14KBTU heat pump.. (15KBTU heat plus dehumidification setting).. The boat has an air switch for the diaphragm bilge pump.. there is a high water bilge alarm fitted to the boat as well as CO / smoke and explosive fume detectors.. There is an AC power monitoring display and a DC battery monitoring system (link 1000 by Xantrex)... 150 L Vetus water tank.. 40 L holding tank The boat also has hydronic cabin heating off of waste engine heat or stored heat in the hot water heater.. The TV is fed by the wide angle HD mast head camera, the digital TV antenna or an IPTV box the screen is visible from the helm while sailing..

One of the great things about the Viking 33 is there is no core in the hull.. the core in the deck is accessible from inside as there is no inner liner.. So repairs if they are needed is no big deal.. The other crazy thing is that it has a Ballast Displacement ratio that OEM was 53% - 4507 pounds of ballast for 8800 pounds of boat.. and the lighter mast just improved the already great stiffness of the boat rather dramatically.. One of the things many people would NOT like about our boat is the head room or lack there of for taller people.. Its not a problem for OUR family but we are vertically challenged.. If you are taller than about 5'8.. you would NOT be happy on our boat long term..

See what happens when I have a boat for 45 years? It not only is fast.. but it has more blades than any Swiss army knife ever had.. There is not another boat quite like this one.. anywhere..

I like this picture - a lot - it shows the boat developing significant forward PUNCH while standing very vertical and it shows a super clean exit at the transom.. The whole summer I kept looking a the absence of turbulence and loving this new rudder.. all the more.. My Family really appreciates how resistant this boat is to heeling.. I like that I can put up more sail than I used to and still not heel the boat over...

This shot also shows the spectra mainsail rigged

The custom dining table has a mount that allows it to store against the main bulkhead when not in use and to pivot out and telescope aft when needed.. This removes the obstacle and obstruction that a fixed dining table represents.. and it frees up the interior cabin space in dramatic fashion..

So not only does it use less water but I NEVER have to listen to anyone say - who is washing and who is drying... AGAIN.. Truth is this is the great equalizer on the boat.. everyone can relax after dinner and no dirty glasses or dishes ever go into the galley sink.. it keeps things neat and tidy.. Right after a meal - into the dishwasher goes the dishes.... it turned out to be a very practical thing to have on a boat..

So when you step below deck you know exactly what is in front of you...

This is what the camera looks like at the top of the mast..

The change in rudder .. is dramatic in effect, narrower, deeper, better balanced, less wetted surface area.. more control, less drag, less turbulence.. HUGE big deal..

King sized sheets are needed to transit the width of the V Berth The addition of the varnished cedar made this bunk a very cozy place.. You can see the oval custom vent for the heat pump forward to starboard - I could not find one I liked so I built this one..

 

[C&CSC]

Quite the boat, a work of art. I've seen your write up on C&C FB Sites. Certainly better than new

 

[pdqsailor1]

Quite the boat, a work of art. I've seen your write up on C&C FB Sites. Certainly better than new

Thank you for your kind words of praise.. ew production boats are poorly designed, poorly built with sub standard materials.. My view is these now fifty year old boats with certain limitations are better sailing boats, better built boats.. The one limitation is rotted deck core because it is so so expensive to fix on MOST older boats - but not the Viking 33 as it has no inner liner. . There are close to 400 boats at our club.. Yes I would not trade even for ONE other boat.. You say work of art but MOST of the features and innovations in our boat were to cure / improve problems.. The dining table being one clear example.. the galley revisions were to improve functionality and efficiency.. The sail inventory has to do with my background crewing on the C&C53 custom Bonaventure V and how I was trained how to sail.. The rudder.. well I knew for decades it was wrong.. but the cost to fix it was too high until this fell into alignment.. The mast.. also took decades to resolve and it was done with the specific help of a very good friend who put me into the hunt to get that mast.. I developed a good set of skills - one being cabinetry - which I did not think I would acquire.. Mostly .. it has been TIME and patience to take a good boat .. and turn it into a great boat.. One that will NOT aggravate but will delight and amaze us as we sail it.. Lately with the mast and the rudder and the sails.. well it leaves me and a lot of people going "wow". How did it do that?

 

[C&CSC]

Like my C&C 30 MKII for it's build quality and performance. Carbon mast and updated rudder is beyond my pay grade, but increased purchase on mainsheet and backstay; much better. Hope the Winter Season is short for you.

 

[pdqsailor1]

Like my C&C 30 MKII for it's build quality and performance. Carbon mast and updated rudder is beyond my pay grade, but increased purchase on mainsheet and backstay; much better. Hope the Winter Season is short for you.

I hope your launch happens soon as well. The "new" mast is a variable wall thickness aluminium spar that is also 2" less in circumference as compared to the OEM mast.. It weighs 300 pounds vs the OEM at 450 pounds and they 150 pounds makes a huge difference.. Current replacement cost of this mast is $50K..not including the furling head foil. Carbon would be about $100K.. So these things are not just beyond pay grade but unreasonably so.. The reason it took so long to do had everything to do with economics.. Lets say the stars fell into alignment on costs for both projects and this alignment made it possible.. The OEM rudder on the Viking 33 is IDENTICAL to the OEM in a C&C 30.. I retained mine as an emergency spare and I have the OEM mast as a spare spar as well.. The results exceeded any expectations I had.. It moved from a very good boat - to a great one.

 

[Jeff_H]

I have to admit that I am curious about your mast and rudder replacement. Recently, I have watched a number of older boats get totalled after loosing their rigs or rudders.

I completely understand having an older boat that you genuinely love and want to maintain and update. (I am somewhat in the same boat.)

But, when saw the $50,000 price for just the new rig without the costs for the rudder or furler, I became interested in hearing your thought process on that. I think very few people would spend that kind of money on a boat that has a market value in the US $10,000 to $15,000 range.

I don't mean to suggest that you made the wrong decision. I ask because wrestle with these kinds of decisions on a regular basis every time I tackle a major project with my 40 year old boat.

Jeff

 

[pdqsailor1]

An EXCELLENT point of enquiry.. first off remember that this boat has been in our families care for 45 years so what we spend on it long term is essentially irrelevant so long as its function is maintained.. There are many ways to rationalize keeping an OLD boat in Bristol condition - the new Jeaunea 38 that pulled in next to us this past summer reportedly cost north of $300K US. On a hot day he noticed the steam of water exiting the side of our boat and asked "do you have air conditioning?" Yes.. He has two sails.. We have I think north of 15 sails.. Not only does he not have the creature comforts that our boat does it is not designed or constructed as well as our boat is and our boat can sail circles around it.. Would I trade EVEN with ONE of the 400 boats at our club? No.. our boat has been optimized over time to eliminate every irritation and provide every comfort imaginable to my family and myself. Yes the replacement cost of the Mast is $50K CDN, the forestay another $6K and the rudder installed is another $10k so $66K is the replacement cost.. I retained the OEM mast and rudder as emergency spares. Now the part we did not discuss is what it actually cost ME? It did not cost me $66K CDN.. Actually not remotely close to this and yes some sweat equity was involved.. When I was rigging the "new" mast prior to stepping it numerous club members stopped to chat as I worked.. "a new mast?" why ? Its lighter than the OEM mast.. But what was wrong with your OEM mast? Nothing.. its just heavier.. But a new mast is EXPENSIVE! Yes new masts are expensive (in almost all cases just not this one - I kept that part to myself) It was the same with the new rudder.. "you put a NEW rudder on your boat? Yes.. But the old one was not broken into pieces... No it was fine.. So let me ask you a question.. if you could be VERY clever and get a new mast and a new rudder for your boat (major upgrades both) and have it essentially cost you nothing would you do it? I hope the answer would be yes.. Am I that clever/lucky what ever? Apparently yes. Could I reproduce this event? Not quite but I could probably get part way there.. A few years ago a friend comes to chat with me at the club.. He has a Benetaeu 33 that he wanted to sell (to me as it turns out) .. He asked me don't you want a bigger boat? No.. Don't you want a newer boat? No? Why? So Lionel I asked him does your boat have new instruments? No, Air conditioning? No, LED lights everywhere? No.. Hmm does your boat have 15 sails? No.. ok does YOUR boat have a dishwasher built in? A dishwasher? No one has a dishwasher on a 33 foot long. boat.. I do.. What he was asking me was why did not want to buy his boat.. So let me ask you a question Lionel - why don't you buy a boat like ours instead of one like yours? Ah.. that is a simple question - there are not very many if ANY other boats like ours out there.. This past summer he was looking to install Air conditioning on his boat.. The cost was supposed to be about $8K.. I think I spent about $2300 installing it myself and its perfect.. Why? Because I can.. I am 66 years old.. I have at this point taken care of this boat in our family for 45 years.. The only question is will my children continue to do so when I am gone or will someone else win the lottery and get this boat? What the market place says this boat is worth.. is not relevant to me as I am not selling it, I will continue to use it and enjoy it as long as G-d gives me the time and the strength to do so.. Life is a depreciating asset.. I do not have to spend $500K on a new boat and spend years to get it correct.. I already have a perfect boat so I need to keep it that way and I need to enjoy it.. A process I am pretty well equipped to do..

 

[pdqsailor1]

I have to admit that I am curious about your mast and rudder replacement. Recently, I have watched a number of older boats get totalled after loosing their rigs or rudders.

I completely understand having an older boat that you genuinely love and want to maintain and update. (I am somewhat in the same boat.)

But, when saw the $50,000 price for just the new rig without the costs for the rudder or furler, I became interested in hearing your thought process on that. I think very few people would spend that kind of money on a boat that has a market value in the US $10,000 to $15,000 range.

I don't mean to suggest that you made the wrong decision. I ask because wrestle with these kinds of decisions on a regular basis every time I tackle a major project with my 40 year old boat.

Jeff

 

[pdqsailor1]

View attachment 153156

I have to admit that I am curious about your mast and rudder replacement. Recently, I have watched a number of older boats get totalled after loosing their rigs or rudders.

I completely understand having an older boat that you genuinely love and want to maintain and update. (I am somewhat in the same boat.)

But, when saw the $50,000 price for just the new rig without the costs for the rudder or furler, I became interested in hearing your thought process on that. I think very few people would spend that kind of money on a boat that has a market value in the US $10,000 to $15,000 range.

I don't mean to suggest that you made the wrong decision. I ask because wrestle with these kinds of decisions on a regular basis every time I tackle a major project with my 40 year old boat.

Jeff

There is another aspect to having a spare mast and rudder.. it is a separate insurance policy against the boat being written off.. There is some fine negotiating about the VALUE of a restored boat in insuring it.. Negotiating successfully is very important..

 

[Jeff_H]

Years ago I read an article that discussed "happiness". My take away from that article was that the happiest people aren't the people with the most and best stuff, but the people who are genuinely happy with what they have. In that regard, you sound like a very happy person.

If I could get a free mast, and rudder, I would certainly take it, but it is pretty unlikely that I could ever find a match for the custom tapered spar on my boat, a boat for which there are only five of in North America.

That said, I do think your $50,000 estimate for a new mast for your boat is on the high side. A sistership to my 38 foot boat had a quote for a custom tapered spar, including the custom spreader, vang, and gooseneck weldments, with all new standing and running rigging that was considerably less than that.

Jeff

 

[pdqsailor1]

I am indeed happy with what we have.. Part of it is cold facts. I know that in terms of design, materials construction, maintenance, durability etc. what we have is better than any production boat built today and this is with no regard to cost.... These boats with no inner liner under their deck are fully accessible for core repair on a minimally invasive basis. The hulls are not cored. .The interiors were hand fitted not drop in liners so everything is accessible.. There were only about one hundred built and the price escalated like crazy though the run as labour and material costs skyrocketed.. they were serial produced but in the exact same manner as the C&C custom shop produced boats. We have removed step by step every deficiency and optimized the boat to a level that is far beyond any expectation I ever had. In terms of conveniences - a friend who is a commodore of our club looked around and said. - ok tell me what you don't have? Well perhaps radar but I don't want or need radar. One of the projects is to satin varnish the interior teak panels so they are smooth finished with gloss varnish on he trim.. Another might be a stainless steel or copper clad countertop in the galley but my list is dwindling down to the I don't much care level ..

Is there another boat out there that I like? One, perhaps two.. The J-160 but to get one and part with our boat makes zero sense. The draft of that boat is a problem for me and to get it optimized and set up as our boat is now is a time commitment that my age does not permit. In terms of sailing ability - the raw numbers it is one of very few that can achieve similar parameters.. The other one is one of the C&C 43's that came out of the custom shop.. Essentially big sister to our boat and it can be optimized with the mast and rudder to give the same optimized performance but at a cost that would be more expensive than the J-160 is which makes the J-160 a practical choice financially.. So the question is if one could be acquired with a list of optimizations and get out of a yard with the work done in under one year and the bigger question is why bother when I really like what we have already.. When I think on it... the inescapable conclusion is that I already have more than I ever wanted in the boat we have now.... and then I smile knowing I have done well.. Success is having the wisdom to know when you have it good and being satisfied.. and I have gained this level of wisdom and am content.

 

[Nicholas Miller]

This spring our boat will be fifty years old and in our care for only the last forty five of those fifty years..
She is rather well cared for.. New lighter Klacko Mast and boom last spring, updated high aspect ratio rudder then as well. The mast is 150 pounds lighter than the OEM spar the rudder solved drag, handling, balance issues to perfection. The extrusion has a variable wall thickness and it is two inches less in circumference than the OEM mast is.. The combination of both have transformed the performance of what was already a very fast boat to a wicked quick boat.. We retained both the OEM mast and rudder as spares.. Yes there are two masts/booms and two rudders for this boat..

She has an extensive sail inventory 3 mainsails, drifter, light #1, medium #1 (155%), heavy #1, #2, #3, #4, staysail, 1/2, 2 x 3/4, 1.5 ounce symmetrical chutes..

Sail tech Hydraulic backstay adjuster, current Ray Marine instruments (wind, depth, speed, pilot with wireless remote - integrated to a Cobra chart plotter, The pilot can steer magnetic, Apparent wind direction or GPS way point.. dual station Standard Horizon VHV, GPS repeater, AIS receiver, KVH steering compass.. Teak cockpit grating, Bimini, Dodger, 200/300 watts of solar panels, 100 AH LIFEPO4 house battery, 100 AH AGM starting battery, Xantrex inverter / charger, Separate AC and DC panels including sub panels fo reach, central ELCI protection, Smart plug, 17 AC outlets distributed through the boat, LED lighting inside and outside (in dodger, end of boom, at helm, refrigerator, every locker and mechanical space, many additional direct adn indirect LED lights.. CD AM FM stereo, 26 inch flat screen, Mast head wide angle camera (collision avoidance), Dyneema halyards, Dyneema spin after guys, light and heavy spin sheets, Dyneema pole topping lift, automatic latching pole end fitting, whisker pole, reaching strut, Harken main traveller and main sheet, Self tailing secondary winches, self tailing main halyard and Genoa halyard winches, Main halyard run aft, preventers run aft, Cunningham, 10:1 outhaul and main topping lift all run aft, two spin halyards, welded pulpits, refinished hull and deck, new Facnoaur flat deck Genoa furling, She has her original (rebuilt) A4 plus a fully rebuilt spare engine, external Xantrex regulator, Venus engine coupling, folding two bead Michigan wheel prop - and a spare one and a solid two blade Michigan wheel prop.. The engine has a secondary water strainer to catch broken impeller bits, It has high water temperature and low oil pressure alarms, there is an integral oil change pump on this engine.. Custom hardwood cabin sole (level) custom wilton wool carpet set, Jabsco quiet flush electric head, new foam in cushions and new upholstery, Interior has been refinished including interior paint.. Custom varnished cedar in V berth and quarter berth.. Ah the galley.. custom pots and pans drawers, two cutlery drawers, combination microwave/air fry/convection oven, dishwasher, induction cook top, hot water tank, refrigeration, new countertop, manual foot pump for galley in addition to running water.. LED task lighting over counters and in lockers, soap storage under dishwasher.. We fit a new Lewmar Series 60 forward hatch to the boat.. there is an opening port in the head and a doggy door (opening port) in the quarter berth to the cockpit that our Chihuahuas use to get out into the cockpit.. or to head down below from the cockpit.. To keep things comfortable on board there is a 14KBTU heat pump.. (15KBTU heat plus dehumidification setting).. The boat has an air switch for the diaphragm bilge pump.. there is a high water bilge alarm fitted to the boat as well as CO / smoke and explosive fume detectors.. There is an AC power monitoring display and a DC battery monitoring system (link 1000 by Xantrex)... 150 L Vetus water tank.. 40 L holding tank The boat also has hydronic cabin heating off of waste engine heat or stored heat in the hot water heater.. The TV is fed by the wide angle HD mast head camera, the digital TV antenna or an IPTV box the screen is visible from the helm while sailing..

One of the great things about the Viking 33 is there is no core in the hull.. the core in the deck is accessible from inside as there is no inner liner.. So repairs if they are needed is no big deal.. The other crazy thing is that it has a Ballast Displacement ratio that OEM was 53% - 4507 pounds of ballast for 8800 pounds of boat.. and the lighter mast just improved the already great stiffness of the boat rather dramatically.. One of the things many people would NOT like about our boat is the head room or lack there of for taller people.. Its not a problem for OUR family but we are vertically challenged.. If you are taller than about 5'8.. you would NOT be happy on our boat long term..

See what happens when I have a boat for 45 years? It not only is fast.. but it has more blades than any Swiss army knife ever had.. There is not another boat quite like this one.. anywhere..



View attachment 153135

I like this picture - a lot - it shows the boat developing significant forward PUNCH while standing very vertical and it shows a super clean exit at the transom.. The whole summer I kept looking a the absence of turbulence and loving this new rudder.. all the more.. My Family really appreciates how resistant this boat is to heeling.. I like that I can put up more sail than I used to and still not heel the boat over...

This shot also shows the spectra mainsail rigged
View attachment 153134

The custom dining table has a mount that allows it to store against the main bulkhead when not in use and to pivot out and telescope aft when needed.. This removes the obstacle and obstruction that a fixed dining table represents.. and it frees up the interior cabin space in dramatic fashion..

View attachment 153137
View attachment 153138

So not only does it use less water but I NEVER have to listen to anyone say - who is washing and who is drying... AGAIN.. Truth is this is the great equalizer on the boat.. everyone can relax after dinner and no dirty glasses or dishes ever go into the galley sink.. it keeps things neat and tidy.. Right after a meal - into the dishwasher goes the dishes.... it turned out to be a very practical thing to have on a boat..
View attachment 153139

So when you step below deck you know exactly what is in front of you...


View attachment 153140

This is what the camera looks like at the top of the mast..
View attachment 153142


The change in rudder .. is dramatic in effect, narrower, deeper, better balanced, less wetted surface area.. more control, less drag, less turbulence.. HUGE big deal..
View attachment 153141

King sized sheets are needed to transit the width of the V Berth The addition of the varnished cedar made this bunk a very cozy place.. You can see the oval custom vent for the heat pump forward to starboard - I could not find one I liked so I built this one..
View attachment 153143

We also have a Viking 33 that has been in our family since it was 3 years old! Like you, we love our boat. I would love to be able to see some of your pictures to see what you have done but they are not displaying for some reason. If there is another site where I could see them that would be great. Very interested to see how you did the dishwasher and the heat pump as well as the rudder, as I have bent mine and am thinking about replacing it.

 

[pdqsailor1]

We also have a Viking 33 that has been in our family since it was 3 years old! Like you, we love our boat. I would love to be able to see some of your pictures to see what you have done but they are not displaying for some reason. If there is another site where I could see them that would be great. Very interested to see how you did the dishwasher and the heat pump as well as the rudder, as I have bent mine and am thinking about replacing it.

A good place to start is https://www.facebook.com/groups/666179806815705/user/100011131819105 where you will see my postings and many of my pictures.. feel free to message me on Facebook and I can send you details of things like the dishwasher, heat pump, LED lights for the cabin, lockers and mechanical spaces and up the mast and over the exterior of the boat.. the rudder the new mast... details on the bilge pumping arrangements engine upgrades.. etc. You name it - I have it pretty well documented as to how I did it.. There is also a custom dining table that works brilliantly..