Viking 54 Convertible Specs, Price and Buying Guide

Why the 54 is the size Viking keeps coming back to

Viking has built a long run of convertibles between 50 and 60 feet over the last two decades, and the 54 is the one that best defines the owner-operator tournament boat. It is big enough to run 80 miles to a canyon in mid-30-knot comfort and sleep a team of six, but small enough that a capable owner can drive it while one mate works the cockpit. Anyone shopping a viking 54 for sale is usually stepping up from a 40 to 48 foot boat or stepping down from a crewed 60-footer.

There are two generations. The first 54 Convertible was tested in 2007 with a hand-laid hull, MAN power and a 41-knot top end. The second, an all-new resin-infused design, debuted at the 2020 Fort Lauderdale show, won the best-in-show pick from the NBC Sports crew roaming the docks, and sold three boats during the show alone. The 2026 Viking lineup also offers the same hull as the 54 Open, 54 Sport Coupe and 54 Sport Tower.

This guide concentrates on the current 54C, which most buyers mean when they search for a 54 Viking convertible for sale, but the first-generation boat is covered too because it is the best value in the range.

The 2007 boat, a hand-laid classic

Power and Motoryacht tested the first 54 off Miami in 2007 with optional 1,550 hp MAN V12 1550CRM diesels (1,360 hp MANs were standard). It measured 54 feet 8 inches overall with a 17-foot 9-inch beam and 1,445 gallons of fuel, ran a modest 15 degrees of transom deadrise, and averaged 41.2 knots while pushing about 78,000 pounds with full fuel and a tower. The price as tested was $2,357,794.

Construction was conventional hand layup for the hull and deck. Viking was infusing tanks and small parts at the time, but it did not yet trust infusion for large cosmetic surfaces, and the test boat's hull sides showed no print-through at all. Owners of these boats rarely complain about the glasswork.

Fishing details were already pure Viking: a 29-inch swing-out transom door with lift gate, about three feet from covering board to waterline for easy releases, a mezzanine with bait freezer and tackle locker, and molded electronics boxes with clear lids on the bridge. These are excellent tournament boats today if the engines and air conditioning have been looked after.

How the current 54 cockpit fishes

The 2020 54 has an unobstructed 154 square foot cockpit, with a backing plate for a fighting chair, rounded coaming, flush rod holders, a transom door with lift gate and a choice of nonslip or teak decking. Viking counts 26 rod holders on a typical tournament boat.

Livewell capacity is the standout. A pressurized livewell is built into the transom with dual GlassTech ports, and two more above-deck livewells can be plumbed in through threaded scupper drains for a kite or live-bait sailfish event. In the sole, the starboard box is one long insulated compartment that will take a pile of bigeye tuna, and the port box splits in two, with the forward half available as an extra livewell.

The mezzanine is a raised seating platform under the bridge overhang with bait freezers, three chiller boxes under the seats and a tackle cabinet to starboard. On a tournament day it is where the crew rigs and the guests sit, and it keeps both out of the angler's way.

• 154 sq ft unobstructed cockpit, teak or nonslip
• Pressurized transom livewell with dual GlassTech ports
• Two scupper-fed on-deck livewell connections
• Full-length starboard fishbox, split port box with optional livewell section
• Mezzanine with bait freezers, chiller boxes and tackle locker
• Palm Beach Towers hardtop or full tower, around 26 rod holders

Bridge, saloon and three staterooms

Up top, a teak helm pod sits in a walkaround console with forward lounge seating, and brokerage boats usually carry an Atlantic Marine Electronics package with twin multifunction displays and sonar. The open bridge is protected by removable acrylic panels and a hardtop or tower from Palm Beach Towers.

Inside, Viking kept the passageway clear from the cockpit door on the starboard side all the way to the companionway, which makes the 17-foot 8-inch beam feel wider. The saloon has an L-shaped couch, a 49-inch television and a galley forward with Sub-Zero appliances and a peninsula counter with two barstools. Walnut was the only wood when the boat launched, finished in satin or high gloss, and Viking now offers high-gloss teak as well.

Below, the master is amidships to port with a walk-around queen, the VIP in the bow has a queen or crossover berths (the choice of most tournament teams), and a starboard cabin has upper and lower bunks. Two heads serve the three cabins, the same plan as on the first-generation boat.

MAN power and tested speeds

Standard power is twin 1,400 hp MAN V12 1400CRM diesels, and most buyers take the 1,550 hp MAN V12 1550CRM upgrade. Marlin magazine tested the 1,550s with ZF gears at a 2.250 ratio, five-blade VEEM props and Interceptor trim and recorded 31.5 knots at 1,830 rpm, 32.6 knots at 1,880 rpm, and 42 knots at 2,330 rpm burning 160 gallons per hour.

Yachting saw 41 knots on its test, and Viking quotes a mid-30-knot cruise with roughly 400 nautical miles of range on the optional 1,535-gallon tank (1,357 gallons is standard). Brokers selling 2023 boats advertise a 35-knot cruise and 40-knot top end, which matches what owners report with a full load and a tower.

The double chines and refined prop pockets keep the running angle low and the shaft angle shallow, and the boat turns tight for a 75,000-pound convertible. It also backs down well, which is the test that matters to most crews.

Running costs and where the 54 sits in the used market

Expect roughly $230,000 to $420,000 a year for an owner-run boat with a mate, covering insurance, dockage, fuel, MAN service, Seakeeper maintenance and annual bottom and running-gear work. A full-time captain pushes costs toward the top of that range.

The current 54 holds value strongly. A 2024 boat with under 500 hours was asking $3.875 million in mid-2026, close to what it cost new, because the alternative is waiting for a new build slot. First-generation boats are the bargain, with clean, updated 2007 to 2009 hulls listed around $1.1 million to $1.4 million, often with newer electronics, Seakeeper retrofits and fresh paint.

Open, Sport Coupe and Sport Tower on the same hull

Viking builds the 54 platform in four styles. The 54 Open puts the helm on a command deck with a one-piece wraparound windshield and hardtop, reachable directly from the cockpit. The 54 Sport Coupe encloses the command deck with an optional solid aft bulkhead for cruising, and the 54 Sport Tower adds a Palm Beach Towers tuna tower to the coupe for better fishability.

For most fishing teams the convertible remains the best tool, because the bridge gives a far better view of the spread and the mezzanine is larger. The express and coupe versions suit owners who cruise more and want everyone on one level, and they share the same running surface and engine options.