viko yacht test

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Viko S35 review: the best cruiser on a budget?

• David Harding
• December 1, 2022

Designed in Italy and built in Poland, the Viko S35 looks to offer style and space together with remarkable value for money. David Harding sees if the reality matches the promise

Product Overview

• Inexpensive for her size
• Deep sheltered cockpit
• Performance potential
• Basic hardware
• Needs refining below decks
• Limited non-slip on deck

Price as reviewed:

First seeing the Viko S35 at the Düsseldorf boat show in 2019, not long after her launch, she struck me as a boat worth watching. She looked as though she might sail quite nicely and also had a price tag (just €60,000 plus VAT) that would have looked more at home on a 32-footer.

Only a few years earlier I had tested the Viko 21 and I’d come away with mixed feelings, so I was interested to see the new arrival. She too was designed in Italy by Sergio Lupoli, whose racing yachts and performance cruisers (including the Comet range) go back to IOR designs from the late 1970s.

I sailed his Comet 33 in 2007, rather liked it and was disappointed that the Comets never gained a foothold in the UK, though Viko subsequently used the hull of the Comet 31 to produce the Viko 30. This move by Viko – taking on an existing design to build under their own name – reflected a broader push by Polish builders to sell boats themselves rather than just act as contractors for yards in western Europe.

Many well-known builders have had their boats produced (or at least moulded) in Poland for decades. Some I only learned about by chance when, poking around in the back of laminating shops in the middle of nowhere in the depths of Polish winter – as you do – I found the names of some highly reputable boats attached to various moulds.

The new-generation ‘own-brand’ Polish boats have typically been very inexpensive for their size. I have, however, often found shortcomings in the equipment and fit-out. Designs that have been fundamentally sound and seemingly well built have been let down by lack of detailed thought, as though the designer has done the basics and then handed the project over to a yard run by people with limited experience of how a boat works.

For this reason, among many others, I was interested to see how the Viko had turned out when, nearly three years after meeting her in Düsseldorf, I went to sail the first boat to arrive in the UK.

The cockpit is deep and a sensible width, allowing the side decks to run all the way to the stern. Photo: David Harding

What struck me immediately was the height of the topsides. She’s quite sharp-lined, but I hadn’t remembered quite how far the gunwales were above the waterline. Otherwise there’s little out of the ordinary in the context of a modern cruiser with some sporty pretensions: a double-spreader, high-fractional rig (our test boat’s was 1.5m/5ft taller than the standard), pronounced chines running most of the length of the hull, a vertical stem, an optional hinge-down bathing platform, rectangular ports in the topsides and an L-bulb fin keel giving a draught of 1.95m (6ft 4in).

Article continues below…

Dehler 30 OD: the most fun you can have on the water

Can a one-design offshore racing yacht be suitable for short-handed cruising too? This might actually be the case with the…

Dufour 32 – impressive new smaller yacht

Dufour is one of the few yards that has maintained a constant presence at the smaller end of the new…

The stern is fashionably wide, allowing plenty of space for twin wheels, and another option is a moulded bowsprit to keep the anchor away from the stem and project the tack of an asymmetric spinnaker. It’s all pretty standard in many ways, though even this taller rig didn’t look particularly tall. It made me wonder about the amount of weight in the keel, a modest rig often indicating a relatively high centre of gravity because of shallow draft and/or a low ballast ratio.

In this case, around 33% of the boat’s weight is in the keel and the draught is enough to place it reasonably low, so sail-carrying power shouldn’t be an issue.

A comfortable helming position from the coamings. If you want to sit inboard, you even have a backrest. Photo: David Harding

Onboard the Viko S35

Hopping aboard the Viko S35, you find two elements worthy of note straight away. One is the deep cockpit with high coamings, which make it feel much less exposed than on many modern cruisers, with their wide, shallow, dance-floor cockpits. For a boat sold as a family cruiser, that’s a good start.

Moulded bulwarks running the length of the boat lend security outboard. These bulwarks seem to be making a comeback and are now widely seen in place of the once-almost-ubiquitous aluminium toerail bolted through the hull-to-deck joint.

Less convincing to me was the coverage of the non-slip finish on the coachroof. Sizeable areas were left smooth. At this stage I normally like to go sailing to see how a boat behaves. If she sails and handles nicely, it’s worth looking at everything else in more detail. Otherwise you have a non-starter and nothing else matters quite so much.

We motored out into Southampton Water, pushed along by the 30hp Yanmar – an upgrade from the standard 15hp. Getting the mainsail up proved to be our first challenge because of a mast gate that wouldn’t stay in place. The gate should be easy to improve, and would need to be improved because the only way to get the reefing cringles on to the tack horns would be to remove some slides from the mast as you lower the halyard.

I would suggest that reef spectacles would be a worthwhile addition. Alternatively fit reefing pennants, invest in some extra hardware and lead them aft.

The sails on our test Viko S35 were the ‘high performance’ versions (still in Dacron), supplied as part of an optional package with the taller rig for a very reasonable £1,750.

Once under sail, we slipped along nicely enough in about eight knots of breeze and flat water, typically making just over four knots on the wind and tacking through 80-85°.

Our speed would undoubtedly have been greater had we not been dragging some weed around with us. A quick scrub from the pontoon before we set off had failed to remove much of what we could see at the bow, and we don’t know how much more was lurking out of sight. A folding prop would make a difference too.

On a cruising boat it’s interesting to see a full-width mainsheet traveller, set into the cockpit sole immediately forward of the wheel pedestals. It’s a feature of which I very much approve, unexpected though it was given that most of the hardware and systems are pretty basic. I also liked the simplicity and directness of the mainsheet purchase directly from traveller to boom.

High topsides are made higher by the generous moulded bulwarks on which the stanchions are mounted. Photo: David Harding

The problem is that it’s just 4:1 which, predictably, made it impossible to apply anywhere near enough tension when the breeze kicked in.

Our test boat had non-standard grab handles and pods for nav instruments on the helm pedestals. They would be at risk of being snagged by the mainsheet during manoeuvres, so owners might prefer to mount their instruments elsewhere.

At the helms of the Viko S35 you have a comfortable perch on the coamings, as you do further forward in the cockpit. They’re nicely angled and you can lean back against the guardwires.

The stanchions slot into broad bases, which spread the load nicely and should make stanchion replacement relatively straightforward. My only concern was that a fair bit of rust had formed already.

A full-width mainsheet traveller is set into the cockpit sole. It’s a good arrangement but both the traveller and the sheet need more purchase. Photo: David Harding

Staying on track

Slack in the steering cables between the wheels didn’t enhance the helming experience to start with. Thankfully it was a simple job to tension the bottlescrew in the linkage, reached via a hatch in the cockpit sole.

The rudder bearings were stiff, however, making it hard to feel the increase in weather helm when the wind eventually picked up to around 14 knots. And although our test boat had the bigger rig, I was surprised by how quickly we needed to start de-powering the Viko S35 to keep her on track: she would round up even at a modest angle of heel.

If you can feel the rudder through the helm, it’s much easier to know when you’re pushing the limits. If that feel is disguised by stiff bearings – and perhaps reduced further by a lightly balanced rudder blade, as I suspect might have been the case here – you’re more likely to find that you have applied more lock than you realised.  Then the rudder stalls and the boat rounds up.

As a matter of course you don’t want to sail with more than a few degrees of rudder angle. Any more means something is amiss. Easing the traveller was a quick fix. I would have liked to be able to de-power by other means first, such as removing some of the excessive forestay sag. That wasn’t possible because the rigging was under-tensioned and the leeward D1 (lower shroud) was waving around in the breeze.

Combined with the (optional) 4:1 purchase on the backstay, it meant that tensioning the forestay wasn’t an option.

Of course on a racing boat you expect to change gear all the time with variations in wind speed. On a cruiser, both the need and the crew’s interest or inclination are generally less.

I would like to sail a Viko 35 with a clean bottom, a folding prop and tensioned rigging for starters, not to mention easier rudder bearings and some upgrades to the hardware and sail-control systems.

Lupoli seems to be a designer who gets his sums right, so I suspect the boat would feel and behave in a very different manner with a little tweaking, even if the standard rudder doesn’t look particularly big. You would undoubtedly have to start de-powering earlier still if you had the 1.6m/5ft 3in shallow fin and the shallower rudder that goes with it.

The stanchion bases are mounted atop the high bulwarks. Some were showing early signs of rusting. Photo: David Harding

Viko S35 on deck

Moving to the other end of the boat, we find an anchor well in the bow. If you have the optional bowsprit, the anchor is likely to live on its projected roller and, with the windlass (included in the dealer’s UK Cruiser Pack) feeding the rode straight down through the deck, the locker itself is likely to be used principally for warps and fenders.

Moving aft again is easy given the width of the decks and the outboard rigging. The headsail tracks, mounted just outboard of the coachroof, give a reasonably narrow sheeting angle. I would want to try reefing the headsail in a good breeze to make sure that the tracks extend sufficiently far forward to maintain leech tension: with a low-clewed sail like this, the position of the cars is more critical than it is with a higher clew.

The drop-leaf table is simple but provides useful handholds and a bracing point. Photo: David Harding

I would also want to ensure that extra deck hardware could be fitted for handling reefing pennants, spinnaker gear, the kicking strap (another 4:1 purchase) and anything else one might want led aft.

Clutches are mounted on raised plinths forward of the winches, but the solid moulded headlining throughout (with just one removable panel around the compression post) provides no access to the deckhead.

Back in the cockpit of the Viko S35, stowage is limited if you have the twin double aft cabins as on our test boat. You have a deep locker each side under the helm seats and a shallower bin just forward of the transom that could be used for liferaft stowage. As on most boats these days, there’s no readily-accessible stowage for small items.

The interior is simple and mostly neatly finished in light oak, with no mouldings except the heads and the rather shiny headliner. Photo: David Harding

Below decks

Internally the Viko is simply finished in European light oak. The saloon feels nicely woody from the gunwales down. Overhead, the shiny moulded headlining inevitably looks rather plasticky.

Despite the high-volume hull, this is not an enormous boat down below by modern standards. That’s partly because the rudder is mounted well forward and the space abaft the helm pedestals is occupied by the steering linkage, so the aft cabins don’t extend as far aft as is often the case. Even though their berths are only 6ft 1in(1.85m) long, this inevitably pushes the whole layout forward.

The boat has a fairly basic forecabin, with the berth set noticeably low down in the hull. Photo: David Harding

If you have twin double aft cabins, the heads is opposite the galley, leading to a less open feel down below.

The extra cabin is a lot to fit into a boat of this size. If you have just the one double cabin in the stern, to port, it’s a good deal larger, extending across the centreline, and you can sleep athwartships. Then you have a cockpit locker to starboard and the heads moves aft, creating space for a small chart table.

Whichever Viko S35 layout you choose, the saloon berths are straight, parallel and 1.88m (6ft 2in) long.

Apart from the headlining and in the heads, Viko have used no interior mouldings, maximising stowage space and allowing access to the outer hull. Reassuringly, bulkheads appear to be bonded directly to the hull and deck.

The aft cabins are fairly compact if you have two of them; more spacious if there’s just the one. Photo: David Harding

Because the saloon is well forward, the forecabin isn’t vast. Here you will find a low V-berth and some locker space for storage. Features that might bug me include the absence of catches to hold doors open (or even positive closure for the double doors to the forecabin), the smooth, flat companionway steps (potentially tricky when wet), nothing to hold the steps up when you need to get at the engine, lack of a crash bar in the galley and a total absence of engine insulation.

It made me wonder about fire-proofing although, strangely enough, noise levels throughout the vessel didn’t seem excessive.

The Viko is an interesting mix of the basic cruisey and the slightly sporty. She has the appearance of a modern performance cruiser, statistics that tell you she should be a reasonably quick boat, and some features in keeping with this, such as the full-width traveller. On the other hand, most of the sail-control systems are pretty basic and, in some cases, barely adequate even for cruising purposes. She also seemed to prefer lighter conditions, and was less sure how to behave when the wind picked up. A performance boat needs to be tuned and equipped like a performance boat in order to handle like one. Otherwise you’re trying to drive a sports car on four get-you-home spare wheels. I believe the Viko 35 has potential. She just needs the opportunity to show what she can do.

• Competitions
• Southampton Boat Show
• British Yachting Awards
• Print Subscription
• Digital Subscription
• Single Issues
• Advertise with us

Your special offer

Subscribe to Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting today!

Save 32% on the shop price when to subscribe for a year at just £39.95

Subscribe to Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting!

Save 32% on the shop price when you subscribe for a year at just £39.95

Viko 30 – tested and reviewed

A 30ft cruiser/racer with a small price tag.

I was pretty impressed with the Viko. She looked smart and thoroughly up to date and she handled some frankly awful conditions gamely. I would have liked to sail the fixed-keel version, because if you added a gennaker and some racing sails, you would have a pretty competitive racing yacht. This is ironic, because Viko is aiming this one at young families starting out in yachting. Nevertheless, she has a modest, manageable sail plan and is comfortable, if slightly basic, down below. That open transom is the only cruising concern.

The choice of swing, lift and fixed keels also gives you an excellent range of cruising options, while that price tag means that this is a hell of a lot of boat for relatively little outlay. She’s a great starter yacht or an equally great little racer which could be cheaply campaigned.

Performance : 4/5 Accommodation : 3/5 Looks : 4/5 Price : £39,000

vikoyachts.co.uk

Polish design

At first glance, her lines are remarkably easy on the eye. With her broad hindquarters and knifelike entrance, near plumb bow and vertical transom, there is definitely more of the racer than the cruiser about the Viko 30

Sergio-Lupoli design

She bears more than a passing resemblance to Comar’s sporty little Comet 31. Closer inspection reveals why. She is the Comet 31. Well, she shares the same Sergio Lupoli-designed hull.

Keel variations

She comes with three different keel configurations: swing, lift and fixed, which makes her pretty versatile. She’s light, weighing in at under three tons (1,000kg lighter than the Comet 31 incidentally), but can’t be trailered due to that sizeable derrière.

It’s stark but perfectly comfortable and functional. Basically, you could go for an extended cruise if you wished and there is also everything required for a comfortable family weekender.

On the water in uncompromising conditions, the Viko was excellent. Under sail she was a revelation. Due to an issue with reefing lines, we could only put one reef in, so were over-canvassed all things considered. Yet the little yacht stood it well and manfully stuck to the task of actually sailing, hitting 6.5kt at times and 7kt-plus off the wind.

info heading

info content

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Boat Test: New Luxurious Multihull Lagoon 60

Boat Test: Jeanneau Sun Fast 30

Boat Test: New Bavaria C46

Offering a wealth of practical advice and a dynamic mix of in-depth boat, gear and equipment news, Sailing Today is written cover to cover by sailors, for sailors. Since its launch in 1997, the magazine has sealed its reputation for essential sailing information and advice.

• Telegraph.co.uk

ADVERTISING

© 2024 Chelsea Magazine Company , part of the Telegraph Media Group . | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Viko S30 walkaround review: Affordable Polish-built cruiser

• February 16, 2023

Jake Frith looks at the Viko S30 and wonders how far he’d cruise in this affordable Polish-built cruiser…

Following last month’s test of the Viko S21 and learning that Paul Simmonds, the 21’s owner, is upgrading to the Viko S30 Walkaround, we took the opportunity to have a peep at the latter model during the Southampton International Boat Show .

The first thing we noticed about the S30, especially this one which happened to be berthed next to an S21 for reference, was the fact that they are so clearly peas from the same pod.

Both Sergio Lupoli designs, they share a distinct family resemblance from their open transoms to their plumb stems. The 30’s freeboard is not far off that of the 21 though, so it’s a more lithe and elegant looking affair than the cute 21.

But where the 21 boasts class leading interior volume for a 21-footer, the 30 offers volume below that’s more on a par with some other 30-footers.

With a UK base price of around £85,000, for a yacht with the UK cruising pack which includes extras such as heating, hot water, lazyjacks, anchoring kit and upgraded engine size, my gut feel was it could end up being two thirds the cost of a 30ft French boat or half that of a Scandinavian boat of the same size. This for many will present a more than compelling argument in the Viko’s favour.

Article continues below…

Viko S21: Test sail of this highly affordable nearly new trailer-sailer

Three to six months is the hump to get over for new boat ownership. It’s long enough to take the…

Best cruising boats under 30 feet: Is this the ideal size for a yacht?

Cruising boats of around 30ft can often become a ‘boat for life’. Having graduated from dinghies to small cruisers, many…

It doesn’t take a genius to see where a lot of the savings are made. Being picky, some of the rigging and deck hardware looked a size down from what you’d expect to stub your toes on aboard a 40-year-old Westerly Fulmar.

More of a surprise was that, according to UK dealer Boatshed Suffolk, UK models come with a 20hp saildrive as ‘semi standard in the UK cruising pack’, meaning an upgrade that it’s anticipated everyone will go for.

As ‘standard’ standard, in Europe they’ll sell you a Viko S30 Walkaround powered by a 9.1hp saildrive with a 15hp or 20hp as upgrades. Frankly, they all sound a little on the light side for a 30ft yacht that weighs 3.5 tonnes with the heavier of its two keel options. I guess the 9.1 is aimed at the European lakes only – or those of them that still allow internal combustion engines.

RCD Category B Viko S30 can tackle some offshore sailing. Photo: Viko Yachts

The forward part of the coachroof as it descended to the foredeck had an odd rippling effect that looked as though some of the internal deck reinforcement structure was printing through the outer skin, but this was purely a cosmetic matter.

Venturing below to explore the six berth accommodation, the Viko S30 shares the 21’s moulded GRP headlining which is bright and low maintenance, but fully equipped 30-foot boats need quite a lot more electronics at deck level than 21-footers, so the inability to pop a vinyl headlining down to route a handful of new wires might become an annoyance for some owners. The S30’s aft cabin, accessed on the starboard side, was oddly massive at about 8ft square.

Such huge sleeping spaces are of course great in port but can be something of a freefall liability on an offshore passage. I’d imagine a lot of this volume could be pinched for a big cockpit lazarette on the port side aft of the heads.

Aft berth utilises the full width of the boat

The 30 is clearly going to be a more offshore capable boat than the 21, but as a CE Category B boat, just like the (Category C) S21 it would pay for those with passage-making dreams to not get too carried away.

It might be tempting to assume a Polish-built 30-footer would be hewn from metaphorical granite to master the Baltic on any given day, but at this price that would be a large ask. Category B covers offshore sailing in up to 40 knots of wind with significant wave heights up to a ‘quite scary enough’ 4m (13ft).

Realistically this puts a summer trip across Channel or a week in the Scillies within scope, but once those with longer legs start muttering about Biscay it begins to stretch the imagination.

Viko S30 specifications

Hull length:  9,27 m Max beam:  3,28 m Total mass:  from 2900 – 3400kg/2750kg Keel :  “T” shape Fixed/”T” shape Lifting Draught:  1,65 m/0,80/1,80 m Ballast weight:  900/1200 kg/750 kg Berths:  6 Engine/ Type:  Sail Drive 15 HP/Outboard 15 HP Mainsail/ Type:  25,00 m2 /22,90 m2 Genoa/ Type:  21,50 m2 /18,30 m2 Gennaker:  75,00 m2 / 69,00 m2 Designer:  Sergio Lupoli Yacht Design CE category:  B

Why not subscribe today?

This feature appeared in the February 2023 edition of Practical Boat Owner . For more articles like this, including DIY, money-saving advice, great boat projects, expert tips and ways to improve your boat’s performance, take out a magazine subscription to Britain’s best-selling boating magazine.

Subscribe, or make a gift for someone else, and you’ll always save at least 30% compared to newsstand prices.

See the latest PBO subscription deals on magazinesdirect.com

Viko S 21 test : Small cruiser in the guise of a cruising yacht

Michael Rinck

 ·  27.08.2024

The measured values for testing the Viko S 21

The viko s 21 in detail, price and shipyard, yacht review of the viko s 21, video of the viko s 21.

With the Viko S 21, the shipyard has built a large yacht in a small format. Just place your hand over the photo above so that the people in the cockpit are covered. This gives the impression that it is a 40-footer. This illusion is created on the one hand by the voluminous lines, which do not appear clumsy despite the high freeboard, and on the other hand by the hull windows. Visually, the Viko S 21 is a successful compromise between maximum living space in a small area and a modern appearance.

Rough weather

Gusty 4 Beaufort winds prevailed in Neustadt Bay for the test of the Polish small cruiser, conditions that can make it difficult for a ship of this size. The Viko performed well, logging speeds of between 4 and 5 knots. The boat was already sailing at the reefing limit. This is due to the powerful rig, which is dimensioned for inland waterways. However, by actively working with the mainsheet, the gusts were not a problem. Although the boat became quite windward, partly due to the large sail area of the side, it was easy to control.

The cockpit is very high to create space for a berth underneath. This makes the position more noticeable when sailing. This is because the rather wide stern and the high seating position create a lift effect when heeling, and the crew in the cockpit is then relatively far above the water. But that's not a bad thing, the cockpit is a good place to sit. The opposite side of the seat offers secure support for the feet. Alternatively, a footrest in the cockpit floor provides support. Backrests are also available as an option: The padded cylindrical supports are simply inserted into the flat coaming; they can be removed just as quickly and stowed below deck. This is useful when, for example, the gennaker is set - then the otherwise cosy backrests are in the way of the sheets. Without cushions, the crew can also sit comfortably on the high edge.

Most read articles

Also interesting:

• Junda KII in the test: Exciting sports boat project designed as a two-man boat
• IF boat in the YACHT test: Seaworthy daysailer relaunched
• Black Pepper Code 0.1 test: extraordinary weekender is a force under sail

Thanks to the elevated seating position and thus the relatively large distance to the waterline, sailors on the Viko S 21 are also spared splash water as far as possible. The boat is steered using a stainless steel tube tiller. This has a large round handle like on a training boat or larger older regatta yachts. The mainsheet is guided in the cockpit and is within easy reach. The headsheets are operated with winches on the superstructure roof. The 7-piece Lewmar winch on the port side is not self-tailing, and there is a cleat on the companionway bulkhead. On the starboard side, however, there is a selftailer, as this winch is also used for hauling up the keel.

The concept of the boat is clear, André Hochfeld from Yachthandel Hamburg explains: "The Viko S 21 is aimed at families, not regatta or single-handed sailors. The boat is also designed for beginners and offers a phenomenal amount of space below deck for a length of 6.50 metres." In addition, the entry-level price of 22,990 euros is unbeatably favourable. A point that still needs to be checked.

Two rooms, kitchen, bathroom

The way down the companionway into the cabin is impressive. There are four steps to take, it's a metre down until you reach the saloon floor. Once again, you get the feeling that you are actually missing three metres of hull length, because this is a large yacht that has been shortened slightly. Just below deck, it becomes clear how high the sides are. Even though at 1.65 metres there is still no headroom, the feeling of space for a boat 21 feet long is impressive.

The berth in the bow is not partitioned off, everything is open. The transverse bunk under the cockpit is also easily accessible if you push past the pantry block. The companionway steps can be easily removed to create more space. The saloon table houses the retractable keel, which is 1.40 metres deep. And it's hard to believe: there is even a toilet room. At 80 centimetres long, 90 centimetres wide and 148 centimetres high, it is not particularly voluminous. But on this size of boat, it's the presence that counts. And with a small porthole, it is even possible to ventilate.

In the rest of the interior, this is done via the porthole and companionway. The hull windows also allow plenty of light to penetrate downwards. In the tested version of the Viko S 21, the front hull windows are real, while the aft ones are glued to the hull. However, real windows are also available as an option. The hull is a polyester full laminate with an inner shell. This extends to the waterline. The deck is a sandwich with a foam core. The workmanship looks good, there are no visible defects. The woodwork in the saloon also makes a good impression.

Scarce standard equipment

Like the hull windows and the mahogany decor on the saloon floor, upholstery, lighting, fresh water, a cooker, the separate toilet room and the lifting keel come on board as options; a swivelling keel hangs under the hull as standard. Compared to the extremely favourable entry-level price, these extras seem expensive. However, Flexiteak, Torqeedo, Furlex and the like are branded products that appear on the accessories list at a fair price.

There is ample storage space for luggage under the bow berth. There is also an open space with a sling rail in the foredeck for equipment that can be reached quickly. Behind the aft berth, there is a very large storage space in the stern, which extends across the width of the boat of 2.50 metres. The flexible tank under the bunk holds 40 litres of fresh water for the sink. There is also space for kitchen utensils in the galley block. At 120 x 60 centimetres, the saloon table is large enough for four people. On deck, fenders and lines are stowed in the starboard locker and in the anchor locker.

Back on deck, it turns out that the wind has dropped a little - the ideal moment to unpack the gennaker. The 26 square metres of cloth are led to the bowsprit made of solid laminate using a jib line. This also functions as a step and is an option. Although the wind lets us down a little, we log 4.5 knots. When the longed-for gust comes, the clamp on the jib line tears from the superstructure roof. The two screws had hardly any grip in the laminate, they should be bolted through better - the shipyard must improve this point. The argument that the boat is intended for inland waters doesn't hold water here. After all, it is well known that pressure and gusts can sometimes occur there.

The design for less windy areas is also reflected in the rather generously dimensioned sail area. In relation to the weight of the boat, this results in a sail load factor of 4.9, which actually indicates a very sporty boat, but the Viko S 21 is not. Because if you factor in 300 kilograms for two sailors plus luggage and equipment, this value drops to 4.4. Every additional kilo has a particularly negative effect on the sailing characteristics in relation to the light boat. This is probably also where the greatest danger lurks: As there is a lot of space and storage space available below deck, it will be utilised and the boat will be overloaded.

The mast base is foldable, so the rig can be laid down easily

On a half-wind course we log well over 5 knots, here the Viko S 21 sails very upright again. The ballast of 300 kilograms provides a lot of righting moment. In addition, the wide hull with a flat underwater hull already provides a lot of initial stability. The harbour rigidity, which is important for small boats, is noticeable from the very first step on board.

Shortly before entering the harbour, the sails are recovered and everything is redirected into the cockpit. The battened mainsail falls into the lazy jacks. The Torqeedo is simply folded down and comes to life with a slight turn of the tiller. It can be reached from the cockpit while seated. This means that a manoeuvre in a confined space can be supported by carrying the drive and turning almost on the spot.

The trailer is already waiting under the crane, the Viko S 21 is to go directly to the customer. Before that, the mast has to be laid and the keel raised. With the small 7 mm winch, this is a feat of strength, but in the end it goes off without a hitch. All that needs to be done is to remove a cover from the saloon table and then the keel can be winched under the cabin deck. The keel is guided by four rollers and is limited at the bottom by a wire stop; this is also the only stop. The keel has a few millimetres of play and rattles, which is particularly noticeable in aft winds and waves.

Then the rudder is folded up and the boat can be craned. The almost one tonne weight is easily lifted out of the water and onto the trailer, revealing two underwater lights, also an extra. The small Viko doesn't just want to compete with the really big ones in terms of volume.

Technical data of the Viko S 21

• Designer: Andre Koschel
• CE design category: C
• Torso length: 6,50 m
• Width: 2,50 m
• Depth: 0,50-1,40 m
• Weight: 0,95 t
• Ballast/proportion: 0,3 t/32 %
• Mainsail: 13,3 m2
• Furling genoa (105 %): 8,9 m2
• machine (Torqeedo): 1.0 kW/1.4 hp

Hull and deck construction

• Hull: Full laminate with inner shell
• Deck: Sandwich with foam core
• Base price ex shipyard: 22,990 euros gross incl. 19 % VAT.
• Guarantee/against osmosis: 2/2 year

As of 08/2024, how the prices shown are defined can be found here !

www.vikoyachts.com

Distribution

Yachthandel Hamburg, Jacobsrade 38-40, 22962 Siek, www.viko-hh.de

The Viko S 21 is a good compromise between spaciousness, modern looks and good sailing characteristics. The price is also very attractive, even if many purchases are still necessary to make the boat ready for sailing

Design and concept

• + Successful lines
• + Variable draught
• + trailer bar

Sailing performance and trim

• + Large cockpit
• - Lots of wind pressure on high dropside

Living and finishing quality

• + Plenty of space below deck
• + WC room possible
• - Pantry without ventilation options

Equipment and technology

• + Very practical bowsprit
• - Small winches
• - Scarce basic equipment

This article first appeared in YACHT 25-26/2016 and has been updated for this online version.

Most read in category Yachts