size limits

Viking is a US company, the boats they import are US spec, as far as I know.

If you can get a permit for a custom dock, likely no size limit. But as a practical matter, simply call around to the bigger marinas on your lake. Ask them what is the largest boat they can keep. A custom private dock for a very large boat would not be a trivial undertaking.

Kelly Cook

The other thing to consider is the logistic of getting the boat to and in the water. Is the boat roadable to the destination lake? What lifting equipment is needed on site to launch the boat etc.

Steve

Except for the Great Lakes, houseboats are the usual choice in that size for inland lakes. A proper yacht will not have as much room as a houseboat.

Kelly

What lake are you looking at?

900,000 acre lake. Looks like a nice place to boat. You may be thinking a bit large though. A quick look at the area shows a couple of marinas with 60' & 65' slips, but my guess is that they're used mostly by houseboats. The Viking Sport Cruiser (put that into the SEARCH box and you'll come up with many opinions. Personally, I love them.) would be like putting a 10,000 sq. ft. house in a neighborhood of 800 sq. ft. homes. Doubt I'd go over 50' there except with a houseboat. 85' & 95' yachts are meant for the coasts where you might get some serious water and you'll move them NE summer/ Florida or Caribbean winter. On a lake (other than the Greats) you may just look like a show off. Getting work done on them could also prove to be a challenge.

Nearly all European yachts that get exported to the US are US spec'd, and have their power frequency's changed from 50hz to 60hz.

I know of a 68S Azimut that was transported from Clear Lake up to Texoma. They had to remove all of the radar arch array but I am fairly sure they did not have to break down the arch itself.

Another consideration I'd have personally is draft. Is the level of Texoma dependent upon dam controls and rains? If one were to end up with a 8.5' draft and have to stay far out from shore to be safe, then what use is the big yacht over a shallower draft, slightly smaller yacht? What happens in a drier year when lake levels may be down, will the larger yacht even be able to launch?

On an inland lake, I'd personally prefer the boat that doesn't have to stand out at anchor wherever it goes.

I think the 68s you are talking about is on Lake Travis outside of Austin. It was delivered about a year ago I think. That big red boat sure does look out of place on the lake!

NYCAP you got too many zeros in your acreage. Lake Texoma is a bulge in the Red River on the Tx/Ok border and is less than 90,000 acres. There are about 10,000 boats registered on the lake.

KingRanch I would strongly suggest you call the Texas Parks Dept. for information on depths and other items that might apply to the boat you want to put on that lake. Also, there is a website called lakepirateforums you can Google. Almost all their members live around Lake Texoma and they can give you lots of pointers about boating on it. I've been there less than six times so I'm not the man to talk to.

Travis is almost 20 feet below normal. Where is it anchored now? Surely not at a normal lake dock...

90,000 it is. In this business you fingers just naturally go to 6 and 7 digit numbers.

You are right, my mistake! It left Clear Lake around Feb this year to go up there.

Have you seen anything like this on the lake? If not you may spend a lot of money to feel like a nudist at a black tie dinner. How about diesel mechanics? How about the availability of diesel fuel? Are there marinas and restaurants that can accomodate this size vessel? If the wife insists on this size vessel maybe a different locale is called for (coast).

A suggestion might be that you keep your Viking somewhere else. A friend of our family from San Diego was looking for a 100'+ boat, my father suggested that he keep her on the Chesapeake as it there is way more to explore, not only on the Chesapeake, but up and down the entire East Coast. For the money you are looking spend, the coast of a flight to coastal waters is nothing and it will allow you to maximize what the Viking offers. Keep a smaller boat on the Lake to hang with your friends.

I was at the Princess facility in Plymouth, England in July. I have been around the world to see builders and I would say they are on the top of the list with regards to the facility and manufacturing process. Everything is organized and clean. It's worth a visit if you are having a boat built there.

No need to worry about draft on Texoma. I sailed a sailboat with a 6' draft and there are larger sailboats with deeper drafts, ie 10'.