52 Viking for Sale, the Viking 52 Convertible Explained

Every 52 Viking for sale is one of two very different boats

If you are comparing a 52 Viking for sale, the first question is not price but generation. Viking launched its first 52 Convertible in 2002, when Marlin tested it off Singer Island, Florida, in 4 to 6 foot seas. It launched an all-new 52 Convertible in 2013, which Power and Motoryacht tested off Cape May in 30 knot gusts and which won the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational in its first season. Viking's current lineup no longer lists a 52; its convertibles in this size are now the 50 and the 54, the latter launched at the 2020 Fort Lauderdale show.

The two boats share a name, a three-stateroom layout and a tournament mission, but the 2013 hull is wider at the transom, flatter in deadrise, infused rather than hand laid, and carries far more power. Prices reflect that: early boats now list in the mid six figures, later ones in the millions.

The 2002 original, a smaller package of big-Viking manners

Marlin's Dean Travis Clarke found the first 52 remarkably easy to drive, with power-assisted steering so responsive it would react to your pulse, quick spins and backing down, little bow rise and a flat running angle. Viking had narrowed and re-angled the chines to smooth the ride and turn spray down, and the boat showed impressive roll stability trolling and kite fishing in a beam sea. He noted a comparatively small wake at 37 knots and clean alleys for baits at trolling speed.

Salt Water Sportsman's specification lists a 52 ft 10 in hull, 17 ft 5 in beam, 5 ft 1 in draft, about 62,000 lb wet, 1,200 gallons of fuel and 205 of water, with standard twin 10-cylinder 1,050 hp MAN diesels promising a 30 knot cruise and optional power for cruise speeds near 40 knots. Its base price was $1,224,500. The cockpit measured 145 sq ft with a bait freezer, tackle and rigging center and a big in-sole fish box; the low, sleek profile cost engine room headroom, just under 5 ft.

The 2013 redesign, borrowed from the 62 Enclosed Bridge

When Viking redrew the 52 for 2013, designer Dave Wilson and naval architect Joe Snodgrass told Marlin it was almost a sister ship of the 62 Enclosed Bridge in its bottom design. They removed the keel and the flat on the bottom, increased the warp in the deadrise and eliminated the offset knuckle aft, adding more flat bottom at the transom. Power and Motoryacht reported the transom was 8 inches wider and its deadrise flattened from 15 to 12 degrees compared with the 2002 boat, while the entry is a sharp 45 to 47 degrees.

Deep prop pockets were added. Snodgrass explained that pockets cost some buoyancy but reduce draft; even with bigger engines and optional tankage, the new boat drew about three inches less than the old one. They also allow less prop tip clearance, around 7.5 percent, which cuts vibration and permits flatter shaft angles and bigger props. Construction moved to full resin infusion with Kevlar and carbon hybrid laminates, fiberglass-baffled tanks, foam-cored encapsulated stringers and vacuum-bagged bulkheads.

What the MAN V12s deliver

Standard power on the 2013 boat was twin 1,000 hp MAN V8s, but most test boats ran the optional 1,400 hp MAN V12 CRMs. Marlin recorded 31.5 knots at 1,750 rpm on 76 gph in four foot rollers off Atlantic City, and 36 knots at 2,000 rpm on 100 gph with 800 gallons aboard. Power and Motoryacht found a 30 to 35 knot cruise between 1,800 and 2,100 rpm and reached 43.5 knots on a sheltered straightaway, with help from the current, so treat that as an optimistic top speed.

Dry weight with the V12s was around 60,000 lb according to Power and Motoryacht, and the 70,260 lb figure in the specifications reflects fuel and gear. Recessed strut bases faired with fiberglass panels add to the efficiency. Standard fuel is 1,202 gallons, with an optional 1,467 gallon arrangement on many boats.

Layout, bridge and cockpit

Both generations use a three-stateroom, two-head plan. On the 2002 boat the master is to port with a private head, a guest cabin to starboard with over and under berths, and a forward cabin offered with a queen island or bunks, sharing the second head. The 2013 boat follows the same idea, with a forward choice of crossover berths or a custom queen, a galley to starboard with under-counter refrigeration and a salon that uses the full 17 ft 6 in beam.

The 2013 cockpit is 142 sq ft with in-deck fish boxes, a molded transom fish box, optional livewell and Eskimo ice maker, a mezzanine with freezer, tackle cabinet and engine room access, and a lazarette hatch for steering and pumps. On the bridge, test boats had a Release Marine teak center-console helm, bench seats each side, two bucket seats forward and a full enclosure with air conditioning. Engine room headroom between the mains on the 2013 boat measured just 3 ft 10 in under the salon, the one gripe Power and Motoryacht recorded.

• 2002 generation: 145 sq ft cockpit, 1,050 hp MAN 10-cylinder engines standard
• 2013 generation: 142 sq ft cockpit, MAN V8 1,000 hp standard, V12 1,400 hp optional
• Both: three staterooms, two heads, 21 kW or 21.5 kW generator

Viking 52 for sale, prices and running costs

In June 2026 Yachting featured a 2003 Viking 52, with optional 1,300 hp MANs at 2,680 hours, 1,400 gallons of fuel and a 2015 repaint, listed at $649,000. We estimate first-generation boats from about $450,000 to $800,000 depending on engines and refits, and 2013-generation boats from about $1.3 million to $1.9 million. A 2013 test boat priced at $2.45 million as tested shows how much equipment these boats can carry.

Excluding depreciation, plan on $120,000 to $220,000 a year for a slip, insurance, captain or mate, MAN and generator service, bottom work and fuel. Older boats need a refit reserve for electronics, canvas and mechanical items; 20-year-old MANs with good records are not a problem, but they are not cheap to rebuild.