Photo courtesy Endless Imagery
By Steve Dougherty
For more than 35 years, Contender has built boats with a clear focus on performance through innovation, getting tournament anglers offshore faster than anybody else. However, gone are the days when their first 25-footer was the chalk horse. Today, the 44ST with four 425 hp outboards lining the transom delivers all of the advantages top teams need to stay ahead of the fleet.
Image courtesy of Viking Yachts
New Gretna, New Jersey, Summer 2021—On the heels of the award-winning 54 Convertible, Viking is proud to announce the all-new 64 Convertible, the second-generation of this model that will make its world premiere at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. This four-stateroom, three-head fishing battlewagon is poised to become another best-in-class superstar on the tournament circuit and the new standard in luxury, accommodations and comfort.
HOMESTEAD, FL – June 29, 2021 — Since its inception in 1984, Contender Boats has led the industry in building semi-custom sportfishing boats — for fisherman by fisherman. That mission has only grown stronger over the years.
Today, in a market trending toward brand consolidation, Joe Neber, president and owner of Contender Boats, solidified Contender’s legacy as a family-owned, Florida-based company by purchasing a second manufacturing facility in Fort Pierce.
Already in motion for 2021, F&S Boatworks currently has three boats under construction that are scheduled to splash this year. The builds consist of two 82s and a 58. The 58 Dona Lucy is scheduled to splash this spring and the 82 Special Situation will be finished this fall.
According to the company, both the 82 and 58 builds are under construction for repeat F&S owners.
Completion fall of 2021
82 F&S Special Situation profile. Image courtesy F&S Boatworks
LOA: 82′ | Beam: 21’9” | Displacement: 125,000 lb. (dry) | Fuel: 3,200 gal.
Water: 500 gal. | Power: Twin 2,600 hp MTU 16V 2000 M96L
Accommodation Plan: Five stateroom / Five head
F&S utilizes a variable deadrise hull design with longitudinal steps, which results in exceptional speed, efficiency, ride, and sea keeping ability. State-of-the-art weight-saving technologies are utilized throughout the build process.
Completion summer of 2021
58 F&S Dona Lucy profile. Image courtesy F&S Boatworks
LOA: 58′ | Beam: 18’ | Displacement: 55,000 lb. (dry) | Fuel: 1,200 gal.
Water: 200 gal. | Power: Twin 1,150 hp Caterpillar C-18
Accommodation Plan: Three stateroom / Two head
The Viking and Valhalla VIP Boat Show kicked off with pre-show sea trials on the new V-46 center console. The line-up included the 54 Convertible, the Viking 68 demo, the 46 Billfish and the 80 Sky Bridge.
They don’t get any newer than this. Freshly popped out of the mold and looking like it’s ready to meet the water already.
These are the newest and just about the final drawings. Next step is to approve the tooling to start.
Hull #1 for the 39’s had upgraded (2x 60) live wells, here’s a chance to see how the 39 cockpit looks with a folding seat in front of the two 40-gallon wells instead.
Bonus, watch hull #1 in action during our latest sea trail off Palm Beach.
Reminder… it’s a 360 video, so you can scroll around
Bertram’s latest addition to the 35’s, this beauty will be delivered this spring with a fresh new color scheme that matches the season and is sure to turn some heads.
Sure, she hasn’t had her hair done yet and isn’t quite ready for a photo shoot, but you can finally have a look at a 50 with a tower. Now that’s just plain cool.
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The Bertram engineers measure, lay it into CAD, mock it up, and then cut. The team is working out the details on the new bridge spiral stairwell to the bridge on the next 61.
Photo courtesy Viking Yachts
Viking Yachts, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021—The 54 Open (O), 54 Sport Coupe (SC) and 54 Sport Tower (ST) are the latest express yachts to join Viking Yachts. The three new models utilize the same advanced hull design of the 54 Convertible, first premiered at the 2020 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show where it won the Best of Show Award.
You may have seen it or been a part of it but despite a turbulent year there has been a jump in the number of consumers dipping their toes into the boating market. The upward tick in boat sales was especially prominent during the Summer months.
Photo courtesy Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2020) – Representing the first major marine event to take place since April, the 61st Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-water boat show in the world, gathered locals and visitors alike from Oct. 28 – Nov. 1 to attend the five-day outdoor show with hundreds of exhibitors and boats on display across nearly 90 acres and six city sites.
Captain Jeff Donahue provides a thorough breakdown of the all new Hatteras GT59. Captain Jeff runs the Hatterascal, hull number one of the GT59 series, on it’s wide ranging tournament schedule. See how the boat is designed, performs and what all goes into making a Hatteras. You won’t want to miss it.
