OnBoard Magazine - Issue XIII - 2021 Season

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION Another innovation showcased in the V-46 is found in the console with a dedicated machinery room. Until now, center console builders have advertised easy access to components, but Valhalla is changing the game with a separate room just for access to generators, batteries, battery distribution systems, a water heater and more. It’s a carry-over from how their bigger Viking cousins are configured. Components that require access and periodic maintenance will be contained in this space that is a true walk-in and stand-up electrical and mechanical space, which is accessed through a watertight door in the head. Hall explains that Valhalla benefits over their center console rivals because the Viking team has already seen and done it all in their bigger boats. “This isn’t another small boat builder stretching their boats and capabilities. It’s a big boat builder applying their expertise to smaller boats, and it shows up in the systems,” says Hall. The stringer grid of every Valhalla model including the new V-46 is an infused, standalone part that is then placed in the hull during construction. The stringer grid also includes a dedicated space for an optional factory installed Seakeeper. Hull 1 of the V-46 was completed in time to debut at the 2021 VIP Boat Show in South Florida. Equipped with new Mercury Verado 450R supercharged V8 outboards for a total of 1,800 horsepower, the V-46 was no slouch in the acceleration and speed category. Hall recounts, “the sea state that day was mean, but the boat ate it up. Its sea-kindliness is just mind blowing.” Its size and accommodations also impressed the VIPs in attendance, with Earle pointing out that while it’s a “big” boat in terms of a center console, perceptions change when you put it next to a motoryacht “mothership” as a first-class luxury fishing tender, as some of Bluewater’s first V-46 customers plan to do. As if the splash of hull 1 wasn’t exciting enough, the Valhalla team had another surprise up their sleeves in early 2021. It turns out the V-46 was one of the secret test boats selected for Mercury Marine’s ground-breaking 600hp V12 Verado outboards! Both Earle Hall and Bluewater’s Sales Manager Baxter Lusink were in attendance for the unveiling and a demo ride in Central Florida, and both were floored by the new power options. “There’s really no comparison,” says Lusink when asked about the difference in power. The entire Valhalla line has been wildly successful since the brand's debut, and the V-46 and new power options have surely amplified the excitement. The new model's popularity has already been proven by a break-neck pace of retail orders in 2021. Over fifty hulls of the V-46 are already spoken for, so if you want to get your hands on the big gains being made at Valhalla Boatworks, you better get in the queue immediately! The V-46 machinery room is a feature borrowed from Viking's larger convertibles, providing excellent access to key components. This V-46 was one of the first boats in the world outfitted with Mercury's new Verado V12 Outboards 21 2021 SEASON