Viking moves ahead while Hatteras sinks

Despite my thing for motoryachts I find the sportfishes very attractive. Perfect boat for us except for climbing a ladder to the flybridge and the narrow side decks for accessing the bow are a no go for my wife. Add stairs to the bridge and railing all the way back to the cockpit and then I am interested. I like the big bow of a SF for hauling a big dingy. Maritimo and Riviera have some designs that appeal to me but am having a hard time gauging their quality.

Check out the Mikelson 43's and 50's. Great combination of sportfish performance with safe bow access and stairs to the flybridge. Most have dinghies on the large foredeck. I have a Mikelson 43, so I admit to some bias.

Then his X-Yacht was a fluke, or it was one of the not so great X-Yachts.

Joke aside with full tower or an enclosed bridge they do not look great. But with an open hard-top and outriggers most look sweet.
my 2 cent*

My experience as a raggie is nowhere near enough to judge what is or isn't great among sailboats.
All I know is that the boat, which used to be the largest model of the yard, was awarded "yacht the year" upon introduction.
So, I suppose she shouldn't be too shabby.

Anyhow, talking of aesthetic alone, IMHO anyone used to that sort of vessels is fully entitled to look down on pretty much every MoBos, not just SFs.
That said, everything in life is relative, of course.
But someone like you, who appreciate boats like Magnum, Itama, Pershing etc., arguing that SFs with outriggers looks sweet?!?
If you mean sweeter than tugboats, fair enough.
But other than that, you must be joking!

Viking above 50 feet can be custom ordered with a build in stair case to the flybridge.
I am sure they did this to a 50 (when the model was produced) and one of the newer 58s.
As for extended railing they are a common order for West coast and European builds.

I did see one 50 Viking SF with stairs. I didn’t know you could order them that way. I thought the stairs were done at Viking’s facility in Riviera Beach, not the factory.

The engine is in the right location but I'm not sure how this conveys to the conversation?