Viking 38 Billfish Review and Used Buyer's Guide

Where the Viking 38 Billfish came from

For decades New Jersey sportfishermen argued about Viking versus Ocean Yachts, and the two builders even ran a Viking versus Ocean tournament for more than 25 years. When Viking bought Ocean and its plant on the Mullica River, the Ocean 37 fit a gap in the Viking range. Rebadged as the Viking 37 Billfish, it sold 24 boats before Viking retired the mold to build something better.

That something was the viking 38 billfish, which debuted in early 2019 and was built at the plant now called Viking Mullica. John Leek IV, whose grandfather founded Ocean Yachts, ran the plant and the program. The brief was simple: keep what owners loved about the 37, then add Viking systems, engineering and styling. The 38 gained a foot of length and only two inches of beam, but the hull and superstructure got far more shape, with a raked bow, wraparound windshield and radiused house.

The 38 is no longer in Viking's 2026 lineup, which now starts with the 46 Billfish. That makes every 38 a used-market purchase, and with a limited production run, clean boats do not sit long.

A 109 square foot cockpit that fishes like a bigger boat

The cockpit is the headline. At 109 square feet it is 23 square feet larger than the 37's, about 26 percent more working space, and the flybridge overhang shades a pair of mezzanine seats where the crew watches baits. A center plate takes a fighting chair, a rocket launcher or a cockpit table depending on the day.

Two large insulated in-sole fishboxes lift out completely, which also opens access to the exhaust system and running gear, a smart service detail on a boat this size. A transom fishbox, a transom livewell, a bait freezer with an upper tray and a walk-through transom door with lift gate complete the package, along with rod holders, tackle stowage and raw-water washdowns. A spacious lazarette swallows buckets, spare rods and fenders.

For a 38-footer, that is an unusually complete tournament setup. A crew of three can troll a full spread, keep live bait going in the transom well, and box a few yellowfin or a big wahoo without cluttering the deck.

• 109 sq ft cockpit with mezzanine seats under the bridge overhang
• Two insulated lift-out in-sole fishboxes
• Transom fishbox and transom livewell
• Bait freezer with upper tray
• Walk-through transom door with lift gate
• Chair, rocket launcher or table mount on the center plate

Flybridge helm, lower station and tower choices

Every 38 Billfish has a flybridge with a walkaround center console helm and bench seating for four flanking it. A Release Marine teak ladderback captain's chair was standard and a second chair optional, which most buyers took. A three-sided Costa Clear enclosure keeps spray off the helm in a head sea.

Owners could add an optional lower helm station on the command deck, which turns the 38 into a sensible cold-weather and cruising boat, and some brokerage boats describe that station as climate controlled. On the fishing side, Palm Beach Towers could add a tuna tower above the hardtop. A tower makes the boat a better raise boat for blue water but adds weight and height, so check bridge clearances on your home waterway before you buy one.

Command deck and the cabin below

The 38 is a Billfish rather than a convertible, which means there is no full saloon on the main deck. Instead, a passage between the mezzanine seats leads to a command deck with a U-shaped dinette and a fiberglass hi-low table to port and a second seat to starboard, with a longer settee optional. It can be air conditioned and works as an outdoor saloon with immediate cockpit access.

Below is a galley with a two-burner cooktop and a microwave, an enclosed head with a stall shower, and a forward stateroom with an island queen or optional crossover bunks. Tournament teams like the crossover berths, families prefer the queen. Either way it is a boat for two to four people overnight, not six.

Twin Cummins QSB6.7 power and real fuel numbers

Viking offered only one engine package, a pair of 550 hp Cummins QSB6.7 diesels with ZF gears and propellers tuned to tight tolerances. Leek described it as the right size and gear ratio for the boat. Switching from the 37's two aluminum fuel tanks to a single fiberglass tank shaped to the hull bottom freed engine room space and raised capacity to 460 gallons.

Marlin magazine recorded 35 knots at 3,300 rpm burning 55 gallons per hour, a 30-knot cruise at 2,900 rpm on 39 gallons per hour, and a 26-knot economy cruise at 2,600 rpm with about 366 nautical miles of range. A broker's listing for a 2021 boat quotes a 28-knot cruise on 41 gallons per hour with tower and gear aboard, a realistic real-world figure.

Those numbers make a 60 to 80 mile canyon run practical with fuel to troll all day and come home with a reserve. At 3 feet 4 inches of draft, the 38 also handles skinny inlets and Bahamian harbors that bigger convertibles cannot.

How the 38 is built

The hull uses a modified vinylester resin skin with end-grain balsa and closed-cell foam coring, and the hull-to-deck joint is mechanically fastened every three inches. Systems follow Viking practice, with the emphasis on serviceability, easy maintenance and fishability that Viking's design team preaches across its range.

At almost 31,000 pounds, the 38 is heavy for its length compared with an outboard center console of similar size. That weight is part of why it rides so well in a short, steep chop, and why it trolls steadily without the rolling of a lighter boat. A Seakeeper, offered as an option and fitted to many boats, makes it even better.

Owning one and shopping the 38 Billfish for sale market

This is an owner-operator boat. Budget about $70,000 to $130,000 a year for insurance, a 40-foot slip, fuel, Cummins service, Seakeeper maintenance and a yearly haul, a fraction of what a 50-foot convertible costs to run.

Most viking 38 billfish for sale listings fall between about $850,000 and $1.25 million. Boats with remaining Cummins warranty coverage, a Seakeeper, omni sonar and a full Garmin or Furuno package sell quickly. Compare any candidate against an early 46 Billfish if you have room in the budget, but for a crew of two or three the 38 does almost everything the bigger boat does.