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1999 52' Viking Sport Cruiser

Discussion in 'Viking Yacht' started by Chesapeake, Nov 25, 2020.

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  1. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    Good Evening -
    Happy Thanksgiving.
    I've been doing a lot of reading on YachtForums tonight - What great information - Thank you.

    I am nearing making an offer on a 1999 52' Viking sport cruiser w/ 3196 Cats @ 1900 hours each. I'd love to get some feedback on a few things -
    1) 3196 Cats - Aftercoolers, etc.... What questions should I ask prior to the survey? I'll get an engine survey as part of the overall survey but before that - any question specific to engine I can ask?

    2) Overall impressions and things to look out for. As I understand it, this is a Viking model and not Princess so the information I am reading makes this better quality? Thoughts/Facts?

    3) Major upgrades have been done - soft goods, electronics, Head System just to name a few. But she is still a 20+ year old boat. What else should I look for specific to this boat or brand?

    https://www.**************/boats/1999/viking-sport-cruisers-52-flybridge-sport-cruiser-3692096/

    Appreciate your input.
    TK
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    1. Aftercoolers and what maintenance has been scheduled on it.

    2. Teak decks and if there's any left. Access to the engines for servicing. Quality is basically the same, major difference was the earlier Princess were 50 cycle boats most all.
  3. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    Capt J (or others) - Assuming the 3196's have been maintained verified by proper documentation and the AC were replaced with the 3-series model - Should 2000 hours scare me off understanding I'm a local cruiser putting 80 - 100 hours per year on boat. Average operable hours on these engines before majoring is around 6k if what I'm reading is correct - True/Thoughts/False - look I get it - it all depends on service, how you load the engine, etc. But the avg life expectancy of a pleasure boat 3196 @ 660hp is.....?
    This boat was a fresh water boat and only brought to FL in 2019 - that's a good thing!
  4. Alzira II

    Alzira II Member

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    Someone has been pouring money into that boat quite nicely.
  5. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Yes, they should go 6,000 hours before majors. A good engine surveyor would be able to answer that question after surveying them and taking oil samples.
  6. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    I know - right... ;) That's why I'm interested for sure. The engine package is a little concerning. I am asking broker for documentation before I spend money on engine survey.

    Appreciate the feedback.
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Why? There is nothing wrong with 3196's if maintained properly. They're good running motors.
  8. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    Exactly - 'IF'.... That's why I get records, research and surveys. I'll keep you posted. Moving up from a Regal 3880 with Yanmar Diesels (Great Boat!) that had the valve issue if you didn't adjust the clearances. So instead of doing it every 500 hours, I'm doing it every 250 or so hours. Small extra price to pay for piece of mind. That's the level of attention to detail I'm looking for in these 3196's.
  9. 993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    The Viking Princess has no significant changes to a Princess built for the US market.
    The first thing I would look at is if she has the stock aluminum holding tank. If so the bottom will fall out when you spend some time offshore. Replacement is not that expensive as boat repairs go but finding s yard to do it is. As far as I know all Princess boats had aluminum holding tanks until 2002 +/-.
    My first upgrade would be to convert the nasty Separ fuel filters to Racors.
    They are nice boats. Run well.
    I owned a '01 45' FB that we ran 6,000 miles in 2 years..
    Maybe this stuff has been done. I did not review the listing.
    Get Tim Caruso on there to check out the Cats. I love my 3196's. Clean running, quiet and dependable. Parts and service are available at reasonable cost. I did have a leaky after cooler when I bought it so we swapped out cyl kits. No bigee.
  10. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    Thank you!
  11. Chesapeake

    Chesapeake Member

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    Looks like this deal is not gonna happen. Oh well. We love our Regal 3880. Blessed and appreciate what we have!