Sport-fish boats get bigger every year, but not all anglers want a sun-blocking battlewagon. There is still a great deal of love for the midsize, owner-operated fin-chaser, ¶ Enter the Viking Yachts 38 Billfish. To fight story-worthy marlin, you need room to move quickly around the cockpit in stand-up gear, and to spin an angler rapidly in a fighting chair, which is why the 38 Billfish has 109 square feet of dance floor, 23 square feet more than Viking's earlier 37 Billfish. It also has a mounting plate for a chair or a rocket launcher, along with two in-sole fish boxes for sizable game fish such as yellowfin tuna, a transom fish box and livewell, and a bait freezer. Mirrored mezzanine seats to port and starboard let the crew keep an eye on the spread, ¶ The salon is accessed via a passageway between those seats and, as you see above, can be opened to keep everyone in the conversation, ¶ There is a high-low dinette table to port for meals between bites, and a second seat to starboard (a longer settee is available). The galley is belowdecks, three steps off the salon, with a two-burner cooktop and microwave. Also below are a head with a toilet and stall shower, and a queen-size berth. 11 To bag the big ones, anglers also require a fast and nimble vessel. This sport-fisherman is powered with twin 550 hp Cummins QSB6.7 diesels spinning propellers the builder says are tuned to S -class tolerances, which are the most accurate pitch tolerances available. What this means for the helmsman at the standard Release Marine teak _ helm seat is that the 38 Billfish should be real-time responsive to input from the single-lever controls, or from the wheel with hydraulic power-assist steering, ¶ The 38 Billfish comes standard with a flybridge helm that's protected from the elements with a three-sided Costa Clear enclosure. A lower helm station is an option, and owners can add a tuna tower from Viking subsidiary Palm Beach Towers, as well as another steering station under a buggy top. The standard flybridge helm, flanked by settees to port and starboard, is on centerline with walk-around room on both sides. (A 38 Open is on its way too.) ¶ Supporting this fishing-friendly layout is a fiberglass hull built with modified vinylester resin. End-grain balsa and closed-cell foam core are added for strength without added weight. The hull-to-deck joint is mechanically fastened every 3 inches and fiberglassed from the inside, ¶ For anyone who likes to run with a small crew to where the big fish live, the Viking 38 Billfish is worth a look.
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