Ocean 46, Cabo 47, or Viking 58

Figured I’d catch some attention with that thread title (one if these is not like the others…)

Seeking some opinions…Let me explain. We bought our 58 Viking EB about 2 years ago when living in the DC area and boating the Chesapeake Bay and mid Atlantic coastal area. The enclosed bridge made it a year round, all weather boat for our family of 4 including 2 teenage girls. And it almost doubled the living space on the boat. With the tower, i still had a gorgeous perch to run and dock the boat on nice days. With very few low bridges in the region, the tower was not a problem. And the 5.5’ draft similarly never limited us. The heft and length of the boat made otherwise miserable 2-3’ short period chop feel like glass, and she runs in larger seas fine as well. The 1200hp mans push her surprisingly efficiently given the size of the boat, the tower, the EB, and the dinghy on the bow, cruising at 24kts at 1900 rpm and 71gph fully loaded with fuel and water (prop shop told me upgrading to a 5 blade would give me another 1.5-3 kts at cruise, even better).

Then last summer work moved me to central Florida. We were lucky to find a house on the water in my wife’s childhood cocoa beach neighborhood and couldn’t be happier. But the boating has been a bit of a challenge. The 5.5’ draft makes the banana river almost unnavigable at all but the highest water levels. This means I’ll never be able to bring the boat to my house (though prefer to keep it at a marina anyway). To get out of the port, I have to do an hour out of my way up the Indian river, through the long no-wake barge canal, and wait for the timed SR3 bridge that doesn’t open during rush hour. The port canaveral bridge similarly has lots of opening restrictions. Both bridges are around 20’, so most sporties can pass under with outriggers deployed provided they don’t have a tower. Heading either way on the inter coastal means more bridges.

The 5.5’ draft seems workable for the keys and Bahamas with some limits on entering harbors at low tide, and the keys ICW is not viable (this boat belongs on the ocean side anyway).

I’ve put almost $200k into the boat since i bought her, much of which i won’t get back.

To the point - should I keep the 58’ Viking and enjoy the size and luxury while accepting the downsides, or step down to something smaller that is likely considerably cheaper to operate and maintain and maybe better suited for where we live?

I’m tempted by the latest gen 46 Ocean, with a remarkable 26kt cruise at 44gph if the reports are to be believed. 3 staterooms, and David Martin appears to have knocked it out of the park in terms of the hull design and handling characteristics. Worried about the engine room being tight (I do my own maintenance when I can and am 6’2”/205), the ocean quality generally being a step down from Viking, and the fact that ocean (as well as the likely series 60 engines) is out of production.

Cabo 47 is another good option. 48 would be even better but likely just out of reach price-wise. As well as also being an out of production brand, I’m worried about the very mixed reviews of the running characteristics (perhaps addressable by careful attention to balance). Fuel burn would be between the ocean and what I have now, 28 kts at 55gph with man 800’s (would love to have cats but in this market may be hard to find).

Post 50 could be another option but worried about the head and following sea ride. Viking 45, 47, and 48 are expensive and not the best layouts for us (for a 2 stateroom boat, really looking for split over/unders vs just a fwd queen and traditional midship 2-bunk room. Riviera 47 gen 2 might be another option but very worried about ride and engine room and they seem to be considerably more expensive than the oceans.

Use cases are family weekend trips around south to north central fl (Ft Pierce, symrna, etc), fishing ~25 nmi out of port canaveral and Sebastian, and hopefully a couple trips a year to the Bahamas or keys.

My wife and I both work a lot and travel a lot, so getting the most out of our time matters a lot.

So…is this a grass is greener situation? Been driving myself crazy over this (admittedly good problem to have) ever since the move and interested in the “wisdom of the crowd.”

Yes tower coming off would help but with the EB, sightlines aren’t great when docking unless up in the tower. I could probably get used to it though. Probably worth looking into if I decide to keep her. Would improve my cruise speed a little too.

marina situation is tough for this sized boat around here. Port canaveral has slips but you are required to remove the boat for a named storm and nowhere within 100 miles has haul out agreements available. Ft pierce would be great but haven’t been able to find a slip, 2 year waiting list is the best I’ve come up with. Florida marinas are very, very crowded these days.

thanks for the offer, but I think if I make the change I’ll be looking for something a little smaller. I’d probably remove the tower and deal with the draft if I stay with a >50’ boat.

Yes, certainly. But I’m actually more worried about the ride than the space. We had a 38 Bertram before that was a great headsea and following sea boat but made us all sick in a 3-4’ quartering or beam sea. I don’t really want to go back to that.

As far as the space goes, kids are complaining because they love the Viking. But I think three small staterooms or two big ones would be fine. We won’t miss the third head - one less thing to break. We will definitely miss the EB the first time the weather is crappy and we’re trying to squint to see through a rain covered enclosure, or when we’re idling on a 95 degree day with no breeze. But on a nice day, an open flybridge is a nice place to drive a boat from, esp with no tower. So pros and cons.

Great question and interesting way of thinking about it. I suppose there are trips/days/weekends that would be marginal in a smaller boat but comfortable in the one we have.

Interesting strategy and if I keep the boat I’m tempted to put on a set of 5 blades. But…changing props may require a short haul. My diver is a little nervous about attempting a prop change in the water with these 125 lb wheels.

All good info. Re: props, I too was skeptical of that much improvement, but this was from canaveral propeller and I’ve heard nothing bad about them. He said the Acme’s even come with a money back guarantee if I don’t get the improvement promised. Of course I’ll still be on the hook for labor.

re:keeping the boat elsewhere, funny you mention that. Several months ago I inquired about a slip at cannonsport by lake worth inlet (2 hour drive by car). It’s always been one of our favorite spots. Well wouldn’t you know they just called me out of the blue today and offered me a slip. It’s pricey - twice what I pay up here, AND i may have to keep my slip up here for hurricane purposes. But still an intriguing prospect, and quite a coincidence given the discussion

re: pelican in Ft Pierce, I called them a few months ago. Very friendly, but they are saying it’s a 1-2 year wait, and can’t get on the wait list without joining. Dockside was looking like my best option there, but as of a couple of months ago they couldn’t confirm availability. The safe harbor is undergoing a huge, multi year renovation down there which is making slips particularly scarce.

This is good feedback but troubling. Just to confirm, you are talking about the latest gen ocean 46 (2005- ) not the previous generation?

It appears engine room access is through the cockpit vs the saloon floor on this model, but pictures can be deceiving - particularly engine room pictures.

Any opinions on the tiara 4800 convertible? I’ve found very few non “pay for play” reviews out there. Seems like there weren’t a lot made. I loved our tiara 3100, other than the 454 gassers, and the specs and layout look good.

def leaning toward keeping the Viking a while longer…avoiding a “grass is greener” mistake.