viko yacht erfahrung

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Viko S22 Erfahrungen

Jan 3rd 2015
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ich wollte mal hören, ob es hier vielleicht Leute gibt, die Erfahrungen mit der VIKO S22 gesammelt haben. Ich will jetzt nicht wieder die Diskussion des YACHT Testes über das Boot lostreten. Mir geht es um ehrliche Aussagen von Leuten die das Boot schon gesegelt sind und wirklich Erfahrungen damit gemacht haben. Mir gefällt das Boot auf dem Papier erst mal sehr gut. Ich habe es auf der Hanseboot angeschaut und war vom Preis-Leistungsverhältnis begeistert. Aber auch nach stundenlanger Recherche konnte ich keine brauchbaren Videos finden. Mir geht es eigentlich darum, dass auch ich durch diesen YACHT Test verunsichert bin. Ich würde mit dem Boot gerne auf der Ostsee fahren ohne Angst zu haben wenn der Wind mal etwas auffrischt. Bis welcher Windstärke / Wellenhöhe kann man mit so einem Boot ruhigen Gewissens Segeln? Was gebt ihr auf die CE Kennzeichnung? Mir ist klar, dass es auch vom seglerischen Können abhängt, aber trotzdem wird das Boot ja Grenzen haben.

Beste Grüße

Lese mal dieses hier: Link

Danke für den Link! Ich hatte mir bereits den gesamten Thread durchgelesen und meine Schlüsse gezogen. Was mir fehlt sind einfach noch ein paar Erfahrungen von weiteren VIKO Seglern. In dem verlinkten Thread gab es meines Wissens nur einen "echten" VIKO S22 Segler (mal von dem Tester abgesehen), der aus Erfahrung spricht. Das ist ja auch schon sehr hilfreich! Ich hatte gehofft, dass es mittlerweile noch ein paar mehr Erfahrungswerte gibt.

Quote from Marlin83 ... Ich würde mit dem Boot gerne auf der Ostsee fahren ohne Angst zu haben wenn der Wind mal etwas auffrischt. Bis welcher Windstärke / Wellenhöhe kann man mit so einem Boot ruhigen Gewissens Segeln? Was gebt ihr auf die CE Kennzeichnung? Mir ist klar, dass es auch vom seglerischen Können abhängt, aber trotzdem wird das Boot ja Grenzen haben....

ich wünsche Dir, dass Du auch noch jemanden mit Erfahrung zur Viko S22 findest, aber zu diesen Fragen mal ein paar grundsätzliche Anmerkungen, die wahrscheinlich für alle Boote dieser Größe und Bauart zutreffen. Ich habe eine TES 678 BT, die passt auch in diese Größenordnung.

Wir sind bisher fast in jedem Jahr im Urlaub an die Ostsee gefahren und haben Törns zwischen Flensburg, Lübeck, Wismar und rund Rügen "erfolgreich" hinter uns gebracht. Es geht also - zumindest dann, wenn man in Küstennähe bleibt. Die Sache mit dem "ruhigen" Gewissen hängt in erster Linie von der Besatzung und den Mitseglern ab. Was Du persönlich "abkannst", kann für einen Mitsegler bereits lebensgefährlich wirken,und dann fährst Du zukünftig alleine zur See. Das Boot kann allgemein mehr ab als die Besatzung. Soviel mal ganz allgemein zu dem Thema.

Wir haben für uns festgelegt, dass wir nur bis zu angesagten 5 Bft rausfahren. Sobald eine 6 - und sei es in Böen - in der Windvoraussage vorkommt, bleiben wir im Hafen. Und das ist auch gut so. Denn ab 6 Bft, die uns trotz aller Vorhersage natürlich auch schon unterwegs getroffen haben, macht es mit Booten dieser Größe und Bauart (ich hebe hier mal auf Schwertboote ab) keinen Spass mehr. Man kann Glück haben, dass Wind und Wellen gerade so passen, dann kann man mit etwas seglerischen Können sogar eine Menge Spass haben, aber normalerweise fängt bei 6 Bft der Stress an. Wenn Du keinen Wert auf einfache Trailerbarkeit legst, würde ich für die Ostsee übrigens die Festkielversion bevorzugen, die hat für dieses Revier mehr Sicherheitsreserven.

Die Schwertversion der hat CE-Kategorie C, die mit Festkiel hat B, daran kann man auch meine o.a. rein subjektive Meinung ablesen.

Falls Deine Frage zur CE-Kennzeichnung grundsätzlicher Natur sein sollte, dann lass Die gesagt sein, dass heute jede Yacht eine solche haben muss! (ob das Sinn macht oder nicht, ist eine ganz andere Frage) Es gab eine Zeit, da hat man in Polen das noch nicht ernst genommen, deshalb können auch heute noch Boote ohne CE-Zeichen auf dem Markt sein. Du bekommst aber heute keinen Bootsschein mehr ohne diese CE-Kennzeichnung und an manchen Binnenseen auch keine Zulassung. Gebrauchtboote ohne diese CE-Zeichen mögen preiswert zu haben sein, Du wirst das Boot aber auch schlecht wieder los...

Jan 4th 2015

Ich kann mich alinea mit meiner Erfahrung nur anschließen. Ich stand wie du vor dieser Entscheidung und kann dir für die Ostsee nur dringend zu einem Kielboot raten. Sogar die TES wurde (früher?) mit Kiel angeboten. Beim Tiefgang bis 1 m kannst du trotzdem trailern und wenn du aufsetzt springst du ins Wasser und schiebst das Boot raus. Ein Schwertboot hat seine Berechtigung wirklich nur auf Binnengewässern.

vielen dank schon mal für die hilfreichen Tipps!!! Ich habe es deswegen auch auf die Hubkielversion abgesehen. Ich erhoffe mir dabei einen guten Kompromiss aus Segeleigenschaften und Handling außerhalb des Wassers. Die Frage ist natürlich wieviel besser ein Hubkiel im Vergleich zum Schwertkiel ist und wieviel schlechter im Vergleich zum Festkiel. Mir ist es wichtig das Boot "leicht" trailern und auch slippen zu können. Aber natürlich bringt das alles nichts, wenn ich dann bei 4bft wieder an Land muss....

Quote from Benjamin60 Ich kann mich alinea mit meiner Erfahrung nur anschließen. Ich stand wie du vor dieser Entscheidung und kann dir für die Ostsee nur dringend zu einem Kielboot raten. Sogar die TES wurde (früher?) mit Kiel angeboten. Beim Tiefgang bis 1 m kannst du trotzdem trailern und wenn du aufsetzt springst du ins Wasser und schiebst das Boot raus. Ein Schwertboot hat seine Berechtigung wirklich nur auf Binnengewässern.

Auch auf der Ostsee gibt es viele Bereiche, die mit 30 cm Tiefgang zugänglich sind und mit einem Meter nicht. Soviel zum Thema Brechtigung.

Der Kiel hat nach meiner Erfahrung keine "Berechtigung". Außer zum Regattasegeln.

Wilfried Erdmann hat seine erste Einhandweltumsegelung mit einem 7 Meter Holz Kielschwerter gesegelt.

Bez. CE: Erst für Neubauten ab bestimmtem Baujahr Vorschrift, oder Importen in die EU. Alte Boote ohne CE innerhalb der EU haben Bestandsschutz.

Bez. Ostsee: Wir kommen mit einem 7 m Kielschwerter überall hin. Tiefgang von 0,55 bis 1,10 m. Übrigens sicher, ohne CE. Der Ballast steckt in einem länger gezogenen "Scheel"-ähnlichem Kiel.

Ob nun ein Ballastschwert mit Innenballast stabil genug ist oder nicht, hängt immer vom Einzelfall ab und der Besegelung. Man könnte auch eine Delanta 80 mit Kiel und Groß & Genua unsegelbar machen, z.B. ungerefft bei Windstärke 6 o.ä.

D.h., das Boot kann, wie Vorposter schrieben, meist mehr ab als die Crew (psychisch/physisch).

Die Crew sollte halt rechtzeitig reffen, Segel & Kurs anpassen, entsprechend der Prognosen segeln, nicht unbedingt gegenan, weil relativ zermürbend fürs Material, u.U. die Psyche.

Was hier zählt sind natürlich weitere Erfahrungen auf genau die Vika 22 s bezogen, wobei das Binnen/Regattarigg einen Unterschied macht im Vgl. zur Normalversion, aber auch das große Rigg kann man reffen oder trimmen. Z.B. interessant, ob der damalige Viko Eigner, der damit viel und weit Mittelmeer gesegelt ist, und positive Erfahrungen (entgegen dem Yacht-"test") berichtete, das regatta-Rigg hatte oder nicht. Und wenn, hat es Leichtwindvorteile, bei mehr Wind ==>> trimmen, reffen. Wobei jedes Kilo im Topp (Regattarigg ist leider länger) nicht schön ist bei Wind. Weshalb Normalriggs auch ihre "Berechtigung" haben, nicht ganz so hoch, bei wenig Wind zieht man eben die große Genua auf, fährt Booster oder Blister oder Spi, oder fährt die Genua Schmetterling ausgebaumt.

Eine Hubkielversion würde die beiden Gegensätze vereinen, wenn notwendig, wäre wenig Tiefgang, Trockenfallen als Extrem, machbar, auch gut zu trailern, aber auf tiefem Wasser hätte man den Ballast weit unten, und beste Kreuzeigenschaften durch gestrecktes Profil. Auch hier ein 2 Nachteile: a. Hubkieler haben meist einen Kielkasten in der Kajüte, der etwas Raum kostet. b. Aufwändige Konstruktion, Mehrkosten, evtl. Wartung

Eine Segelyacht bleibt immer ein Kompromiß. Ein Kompromiß, den man für sich selbst wählen und schließen muß. Andere Personen, andere Ziele, Wünsche, Ideen, Vorstellungen, letztendlich subjektiv bleibende Meinungen.

Quote from Hai-710 Eine Segelyacht bleibt immer ein Kompromiß. Ein Kompromiß, den man für sich selbst wählen und schließen muß. Andere Personen, andere Ziele, Wünsche, Ideen, Vorstellungen, letztendlich subjektiv bleibende Meinungen.

Georg, sei mir nicht böse aber hier will ich widersprechen. Es geht nicht um subjektive Meinung, sondern um seglerisches Können. Wenn man deine Blogs liest bist du mit einem relativ kleinen Boot fast "um die Welt gesegelt". Wie ich einschätze steht Jörg am Anfang seiner "Segelkarriere" und da hat die Sicherheit eines Kielbootes gegenüber dem Schwert ohne wenn und aber den Vorrang.

Quote from Hai-710 Bez. CE: Erst für Neubauten ab bestimmtem Baujahr Vorschrift, oder Importen in die EU. Alte Boote ohne CE innerhalb der EU haben Bestandsschutz.

Sorry, nur der Vollständigkeit halber... Der Termin war der 16.6.1998. Ab da mussten Boote ein CE-Zeichen haben. siehe hier

Mein Hinweis oben bezog sich darauf, dass es eine Menge Boote gibt, die noch bis nach 2005 (!) gebaut wurden und eben keine CE-Zertifizierung besitzen. Ich habe eine, aber auch nur, weil ich extra danach gefragt hatte, und man sollte wissen, was ohne auf einen zukommen kann. Je nach Revier und Vorschriften bleibt manchmal nur noch der Weg, das Boot als "Eigenbau" versuchen anerkennen zu lassen...

Oh, Benjamins Beitrag zu Kielboot & und dem vermeintlichen mehr an Sicherheit:

Auch eine subjektive Meinung, daß ein Anfänger die "Sicherheit" eines Kielboots bräuchte. Weder bin ich mit dem Kielschwerter Weltumsegler, das hat W. Erdmann als Anfänger gemacht, im Gegenteil, in den 80er Jahren waren meine Eltern (eigentlich ziemliche Segelanfänger damals) mit den Kindern auf dem Kielschwerter unterwegs, relativ küstennah, wie die meisten segeln, aber trotzdem schon im 1. Sommer 1981 eine Tour von Deutschland in den Kleinen Belt, Vejle-Fjord hoch und zurück.

Ich möchte anhand meiner Erfahrung betonen - und mit dem klassischen Vorurteil aufräumen, welches auch hier sich wiederfindet - daß ein Kiel keinesfalls wichtig ist. Kielschwerter, Hubkiel, alles sichere Boote. Stürme lassen sich per sorgfältig zu lesender Wettervorhersage vermeiden. Und die will man weder mit Kiel noch ohne erleben.

Hier im Forum sollte man viel mehr betonen, daß das Handling eines Bootes deutlich entscheidender zur gefühlten Sicherheit beiträgt, damit meine ich wie oben beschrieben, Trimmen bei modernen Riggs und/oder Reffen des großsegels sind normale Vorgänge, die man auch als Anfänger ganz schnell einüben sollte bei wenig/mäßigem Wind, im Hafen.

Reffen vorher besser mehr als notwendig bereits im Hafen ohne Seegang. Ausreffen einfacher als Einreffen.

Z.T. altbekannte Binsenweisheiten sollten wieder mehr Praxis finden.

So z.B., daß Stagreitervorsegel sehr gut sind, schnell geborgen, Segelwechsel, zum kleineren oder größeren Vorsegel...

Rollreff-Genuas oder Focks funktionieren, sind bequem, abe wehe wenn ... das Kugellager klemmt/defekt o.ä. Selten, aber kann passieren.

Ok, die Vorsegelgeschichte ist völlig sekundär (naja nicht ganz, wehe wenn..), weil könnte immer umgebaut/angepaßt werden.

Aber die Fragen ob Kiel, Hubkiel, Kielschwert, Ballastschwert, Jollenkreuzer, trailerbar, Motor, Raumaufteilung, sind wichtige Überlegungen vor Kauf, Änderungen nach dem Kauf sind u.U. möglich aber aufwendig, teuer.

Deshalb hier meine 2 Pfennig.

Nochmal das Pseudo-Sicherheitsargument des Kieles (womit wird überhaupt verglichen, mit der kenterbaren Jolle, mit Jollenkreuzer, die auch über die Ostsee segeln, mit Hubkiel oder Kielschwert, das sind erstmal alles völlig verschiedene Konzepte), Das gesamt aufrichtende Moment einer yacht setzt sich zusammen aus Formstabilität und Gewichtsstabilität. Anfänglich spürbar ist die Formstabilität. Ein schmales Schiff ist eher rank. Jollenkreuzer segeln hauptsächlich mit ihrer Formstabilität und sind einfach viel zu teuer, als daß die dauernd umfallen. Haben keinerlei Ballast unten drunter.

Alle anderen, vom Ballastschwert, Innenballast, Kielschwert, Hubkiel. die haben bereits Gewichtsstabilität, damit die Endstabilität größer ist, Z:B. Selbstaufrichten nach 90° Krängung stattfindet.

Aber zurück zur praktischen Wirklichkeit:

Wieviel Windkraft muß da sein, um überhaupt 20, 25 und dann 30°, geschweige denn 45° Krängung zu erzielen ? In den genannten Bereichen wird man automatisch anfangen zu trimmen, zu reffen. Obwohl schräg, Yacht segelt dabei "normal".

Das ist natürlich meine Meinung, ein Boot sollte man nach anderen Kriterien kaufen als vordergründig Kiel vs. Alternative.

Wo der Kiel, das gesamte Unterwasserschiff im Vordergrund stehen sollte, habe ich bereits zu beginn genannt: Regatta, aber selbst da wird ein guter Hubkiel funktionieren. Oder Katamaran ohne Ballast, nur mit Schwertern, oder die Jollenkreuzer. Wobei alle auch zum Tourensegeln geeignet sind.

Die Auswahl eines Bootes ist wirklich schwierig, alle möglichen Kompromisse sind bereits verwirklicht in den unterschiedlichen Bootstypen und Ausstattungsvarianten.

Also, was ich nochmals sagen will, es geht auch ohne Kiel, man sollte sich nicht beschränken mit dem Mehrgewicht, der schlechteren Trailerbarkeit (höherer Schwerpunkt), den eingeschränkten Revieren.

Lass die Finger davon! Für rund 25 k Euro bekommt man sensationelle Boote. Gebraucht. Auch mit Hub/Schwenkkiel etc. Oder nen Jolli. Da gibts auch wirklich schöne Exemplare. Bin Vikos gefahren, die waren immer dwarsloper die im Detail nicht gut verarbeitet waren. Und die CE Kategorie erteilt sich die Werft (ganz legal) selbst. Allerdings nicht ohne dabei offenbar zu schummeln (nicht legal). Denn fehlende Seeventile und Lüsterklemmen sind leider nicht CE-Konform. Schau dir Sailarts an, oder kleine Sunbeams oder von mir aus auch Etaps (28 ohne i oder ähnlich). Alles super Schiffe. Oder du schießt ne gebrauchte Dehler 31/Duetta 94. Sensationell viel Boot fürs Geld, allerdings leider nicht trailerbar. Aber zum entspannten Ostseesegeln allemal besser.

Quote from Marlin83 Die Frage ist natürlich wieviel besser ein Hubkiel im Vergleich zum Schwertkiel ist und wieviel schlechter im Vergleich zum Festkiel. Mir ist es wichtig das Boot "leicht" trailern und auch slippen zu können.

Den Begriff "Festkiel" in Verbindung mit der Viko S22 habe ich oben ins Spiel gebracht. Ich hatte die technischen Daten nur oberflächlich gelesen, sorry.

Bei der Viko S22 wird auf der deutschen Webseite von einer "Klappkielversion", einer "Tiefkielversion" und einer "Semi-Hubkiel-Version" geschrieben. In den englischen Daten heisst es ""T" shape lifting keel Center board". Wie sich diese Versionen unterscheiden, und ob "Tiefkielversion" identisch ist mit "Semi-Hubkiel-Version", weiss ich nicht.

Man refft etwas früher und fährt bei mehr als 7 oder 8 Windstärken halt nicht mehr aufs Ijsselmeer raus, ....wie sich das auf Ost und Nordsee verhällt weiß ich allerdings nicht.

Ich bestreite überhaupt nicht, dass man mit einem Schwertboot wie die Viko die Ostsee besegeln kann (wenn man es kann). Wir haben das auch 3 Jahre lang gemacht. Aber ich bin mir sicher, dass Jörg sich nach einem Jahr die Frage stellt, ob es das richtige Boot dazu ist. Ich wollte damals auch lieber ein neues statt gebrauchtes Boot und die polnischen Viko, TES, Jantar usw. sind die einzigen bezahlbaren. Mit meiner jetzigen Erfahrung (später ist man immer klüger hi, hi) würde ich mich dem Vorschlag von Segelalex anschließen und sich auf dem Gebrauchtmarkt umsehen und das zusammen mit jemandem mit entsprechender Erfahrung. .

Also zum einen wurde ich hier ganz richtig eingeschätzt. Seglerisch bin ich tatsächlich Anfänger. Ich bin oft mitgesegelt, aber noch nicht mit Eigenverantwortung. Ich komme vom Windsurfen und Seekajak, somit habe ich immerhin schon ein gutes Verständnis was Wetterkunde etc. angeht. Das ich die Finger von Viko lassen soll, möchte ich noch nicht ganz wahr haben;) Wenn ich mir die älteren Vikos ansehe und mit der S22 vergleiche, glaube ich schon einen Unterschied hin zu etwas weniger Freibord zu erkennen. Deswegen wäre es mir wichtig da Erfahrungswerte zu hören. Immerhin gab es einen Designpreis und das Boot ist Boot des Jahres in Polen geworden. Ist das wirklich ALLES Mauschelei? Ich bin bei sowas skeptisch, aber soooo schlecht kann es dann doch auch nicht sein. Zugegeben, ich neige dazu mir sowas auch schön zu reden. Das Boot hat auf dem Papier einfach alles was mir und meiner Freundin wichtig ist... Angenehme Innenraumhöhe, separater WC Raum, ich kann ein relativ nacktes Boot zu einem günstigen Preis kaufen und dann vieles selber machen (wo ich echt Lust drauf habe).... Wo ich allerdings wenig Lust drauf habe ist, ein 30 Jahre altes Boot komplett sanieren zu müssen... Aber wie schon gesagt, das Boot soll am Ende auch vernünftig segeln. Ich will damit keine Regatten gewinnen, aber halt bei 15 Knoten noch halbwegs sorgenfrei geradeaus segeln;)

wir haben uns auch ein knapp 17000€ Neuboot angesehen, ich glaube das war auch eine Viko, wenn man dann zu rechnen beginnt, 3500 für den Trailer, 2000 für einen Motor, 500 für eine Genua,...Rollreff hier was, da was, dort was sind schnell 25000 draus geworden.

Und um das noch mal klar zu stellen,mir ist es schon wichtig das Boot slippen zu können. Also insgesamt soll das Handling einfach sein. Ich möchte damit auch gerne mal Schweden fahren können (mit dem Auto) und das Boot dann dort ohne Kran ins Wasser bringen... Deswegen meine Überlegung des Hubkielers....

Moin Willy,

das stimmt,aber wie gesagt vieles möchte ich selber machen und trotz des Zubehörs,dass du angesprochen hast, ist das Boot halt im Vergleich recht günstig. Klar,andere Boote aus Polen kämen fur den Preis auch in Frage.

Wir haben uns damals ähnliche Gedanken gemacht. Meine Frau fühlte sich auf dem Schiff wohl, es war alles vorhanden, worauf sie Wert legte. Toilette, Kombüse, neue (nicht von anderen vollgepupste Polster), es war nichts zu reparieren (das fand ich gut). Das Boot war neu, preiswert, bezahlbar und segelfertig und ich konnte nach und nach alles selbst einbauen, worauf wir dann Lust bekamen. Wir haben trotz der von Alex beschworenen schlechten Polenqualität keinen Anlass für eine Reklamation gehabt. Irgendeinen Murks wird man auch auf Booten aus D, F und A immer finden, wenn man danach sucht.

Bei 30 Jahre alten Booten ist meistens erstmal nur der Eigner begeistert, der hat ja auch oft die rosarote Brille auf, weil er sein Schiff liebt. Käufer sehen durchaus die Stellen, an denen die 30 Jahre ihre Spuren hinterlassen haben - manchmal auch erst nach dem Kauf, und dann ist es oft zu spät.

Wichtig ist, dass Ihr Euch Euer Wunschboot life anseht und es selbst anfasst (!) und in die Ecken guckt. Im Prospekt sehen Boote immer gut aus. Wir haben uns auf der Messe boot in Düsseldorf damals auch deutsche Boote angesehen, die preislich in unser Budget passten und waren nicht immer von der Bauausführung begeistert, um es mal vorsichtig auszudrücken.

Willy hat natürlich recht mit den Folgekosten für Motor und Trailer - die musst Du in jedem Fall noch dazurechnen, der Rest hat Zeit.

Und wenn ich lese, dass Ihr nach Schweden wollt - mit Auto und nicht mit dem Schiff - dann glaube ich, dass Du auch die Seetüchtigkeit richtig einschätzt. Quer über die Ostsee nach Schweden ist nichts für diese Größe, aber an Schwedens Küste oder auf den Binnenseen werdet Ihr viel Spass haben. Übrigens sind 15 kn gerade mal eben 4 Bft, da fängt es an, Spass zu machen.

Yachting Monthly

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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…

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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.

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Die polnische Werft verkauft ihre Yachten über den Preis. Ein bemerkenswerter Ansatz, der viel Boot für wenig Geld verspricht

Die Firma Navikom aus dem polnischen Posen, die auch unter der Bezeichnung Viko Yachts firmiert, ist seit drei Jahrzehnten im Yachtgeschäft tätig. Einer breiten Öffentlichkeit sind die Yachten hierzulande aber erst seit 2013 bekannt. Damals lief mit der Viko S22 das erste Modell der neuen S-Linie vom Stapel, gezeichnet vom Italiener Sergio Lupoli, das mit ansprechendem Design und sensationell niedrigem Preis rasch zum Verkaufsschlager wurde. Aktuell umfasst die S-Linie sechs Modelle zwischen 21 und 35 Fuß. Mehr denn je für Aufsehen sorgt die Preisgestaltung: So kostet die getestete Viko S26, das bislang jüngste Modell, in der Basisversion nur € 23.988 inklusive Steuer – das sind € 922,6 Euro pro Fuß, ein echtes Schnäppchen.

Aktuell produziert Navicom 200 Modelle pro Jahr, darunter die S-Reihe, eine Cruising-Linie (vier Yachten zwischen 20 und 27 Fuß) sowie eine Motorboot-Palette. Zudem verfolgt man einen ehrgeizigen Expansionskurs: In Planung sind Viko S40 und S50.

Eine Frage der Philosophie

Wenn Yachten so preiswert sind, muss man genau hinsehen. Tatsächlich bekommt man für den Basispreis ein segelfertiges Boot, gefallen dürfte es allerdings nur Puristen. Es fehlen die zu öffnende Decksluke, die beiden Luken ins Cockpit, sämtliche Rumpffenster, Rollreffanlage, Badeleiter und Bugspriet, statt der Innentapezierung gibt’s mit Topcoat versiegelte Seitenwände. Das Minimum an nötigem Zubehör ist im 3.012 Euro teuren Komfort-Paket enthalten, wer darüber hinaus noch fleißig Kreuzerln in der Zubehörliste macht, kommt wie der Eigner der Testyacht auf rund 38.000 Euro. Dann hat man eine gut ausgestattete, aber immer noch sehr preiswerte Yacht. Optisch wirkt die S26 mit ihrem schlanken Vorschiff und dem begehbaren Bugspriet durchaus sportlich. Vorne ist quasi die Schokoladenseite, von schräg achtern betrachtet fallen der hochbordige Rumpf sowie der hoch liegende Cockpitboden auf – beides Zugeständnisse an den Komfort unter Deck. Obwohl das S im Namen Sportlichkeit suggeriert, handelt es sich beim Testschiff um einen reinrassigen Cruiser. Das gilt speziell für die mit Innenballast (450 kg) und Integralschwert (150 kg) ausgestattete Neusiedler-See-Version, die immer das Standardrigg trägt. Entscheidet man sich für einen Hub- oder Fixkiel, kann man den längeren Racingmast ordern und damit die Segelleistung deutlich steigern.

Rigg, Deckslayout und Qualität der Beschläge sind von überraschend guter Qualität. Die S26 verfügt über zwei Fall- und zwei Schotwinschen (Lewmar), Blöcke von Ronstan, Niederholer (Talje) und via Hahnepot und Talje trimmbares Achterstag. Der Großschotblock ist auf einem Sockel montiert und auch bei Lage gut bedienbar. Fallen und Reffleinen sind zu den seitlich am Niedergang positionierten Hebelklemmen umgelenkt. Eine gute Lösung sind Gurte statt Relingsdrähte zum Anlehnen, allerdings ist die Reling insgesamt etwas zu hoch. Ein niedriger ansetzender Gurt würde den Sitzkomfort verbessern. Smart ist die optionale gepolsterte Rückenlehne, die man in die seitlichen Sülls stecken kann.

Die Bedingungen am Testtag waren anspruchsvoll. Es wehte bockiger Nordwest mit 13 bis 17 Knoten, punktuelle Hammerböen aus Nord inklusive. Mit dem 1. Reff im Groß und ungereffter Fock ging es über den Joiser Kanal raumschots auf den Neusiedler See und weiter Richtung Süden. Wurde das Großsegel in Böen sauber mitgetrimmt, blieb die Viko brav in der Spur; das Groß in der Klemme fixieren, spielt es an Tagen wie diesen nicht.

Den gesamten Fahrbericht lesen Sie in der Yachtrevue 6/2018, am Kiosk ab 1. Juni

Der komplette bericht als pdf-download:.

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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.

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

September 21, 2022

Jake Frith test sails a surprisingly keenly priced trailer sailer in the company of both the guy that sold it and the guy that bought it.

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

Three to six months is the hump to get over for new boat ownership. It’s long enough to take the showroom sheen off a purchase, the owner will have broken a thing or two on board, the storage bills will be coming in thick and fast and many of the boat’s foibles or failings will have made themselves known. It’s also getting towards autumn if you bought it in the spring.

So conducting a ‘new boat test’ in the company of its nearly new owner and hearing what they have to say about it after some months of ownership should, in theory, be much more illuminating than venturing out in an utterly pristine example fresh out of the mould.

It was with this in mind that we met for a sail with Paul Simmonds, proud first owner of Gi Gi , a four month old, Polish-built Viko S21 on the second hottest day so far of a record-settingly hot summer of 2022.

The Viko S21 hit the UK market in 2017 to gasps of incredulity surrounding its price. Here was 21 foot (6.4m), very spacious, entry level family cruiser, with pretty, contemporary, wedgy styling and an aft double berth for the seemingly unachievable price of £23,000 in the UK.

It begged the question of ‘what’s missing when it arrives?’ Sails? Winches? Berth cushions? Its keel ? One UK boatbuilder was even heard to utter that his materials cost alone was more than £23,000 for a similar length boat.

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The Viko S21 does come with all those things, although not a lot more, and despite the fact that its base price has now risen to north of £29,000 with the ‘comfort pack’ and keel featured here, it’s still, undeniably, a lot of boat for the money.

It also swims in a pond with not very much competition. If you don’t particularly want a ‘modern gaffer’, but you want a four-berth sailing cruiser for short passages, overnighting, trailer sailing and perhaps a little informal club racing, but you don’t want to buy secondhand, there is not a lot out there.

I’m a Swift 18 owner, and have asked myself many times over the years why well-packaged little four-berth cruisers that you could have a hoot in for a week on the Norfolk Broads with a small family, simply aren’t made any more. The answer the boatbuilding industry always gave me was value for money, or lack of it.

It seems that small boats need to be sold for very nearly as much as medium sized boats, and if you think about it that does stand to reason. The fittings count is nearly the same, so the savings are really just a few bucket loads of resin and a bit less aluminium, stainless steel and Dacron, making a 20ft boat look exceptionally pricey next to a 30 foot boat that’s additionally capable of much more usable passage speeds.

Could the little Viko S21 be one answer to this conundrum, I wondered? Could it, through the wheeze of eastern European volume manufacturing, unlock the joys of reasonably priced, small boat family adventures to those who were beginning to think that all those capers had died with the Millennium Bug?

All photos: Jake Frith

Three keels: Three boats

The Viko S21 is available with a lifting flat steel-hinged centreplate keel as standard, but for an additional £1,290, buyers can opt for the fixed bulb keel variant, or at £1,754, the lifting bulb keel version we sailed here. These are all RCD Category C boats. This rating is for boats operating in ‘coastal waters and large bays and lakes’ with winds to Force 6, up to 27 knots, and significant seas 7ft (2.1m) high.

So we can take this to mean ‘estuaries and coastal’, and bear in mind that while I’d happily sail this boat to France with a decent forecast, I might have some awkward questions to answer upon making landfall there.

Talking to Hein Kuiper from South Coast Viko dealer Boats On Wheels, the three keels display very different characteristics: “The two lifting keel variants especially are chalk and cheese. The standard centreplate configuration is lovely as a lake boat. It’s the easiest by far to tow, set up and sail. The plate retracts entirely flush with the hull so the boat floats in ankle deep water and dries out flat.

The lifting keel is snuggly supported between nylon rollers

“It hinges back if you hit anything and also makes trailering much easier, and as most of the boat’s ballast is in the hull, lifting the relatively lightweight plate up is easy work.

“But the lifting bulb keel version has much better performance in a blow or in coastal conditions.

“Apart from pointing better and sailing flatter, the lifting bulb keel’s 450kgs also helps the boat retain more momentum, punching better through chop upwind.”

PBO tested the centreplate version when the boat came out in the UK in 2017, and found that, unreefed, it would round up in relatively light conditions.

While ballast ratios are not the whole picture, they provide a useful comparison of otherwise identical boats, with the lifting bulb giving a ratio of 41% and the centreplate keel 32%.

It’s important to note that apart from the ballast’s lighter weight and higher location, the centreplate is a flat plate with profiled edges, so hydrodynamically inferior to the profiled keels of the bulbed variants.

In similar conditions to the 2017 test (13 knots average), I was unable to make the rudder of this lifting bulb keeled boat come close to letting go.

If it was my choice, I’d always go for the lifting bulb as the slightly deeper keel-up draft would be an insignificant price to pay for improved performance, and (I suspect) better future saleability as to my mind it’s clearly the ‘one to have’. On the fixed keel version, while it would presumably perform the best of the lot, my view would be that fixed keel 21ft boats are something of an anachronism as part of the joy of little boats for most people is accessing little (usually drying) harbours.

Not wishing to expend 1,000 words on keels, I’ll draw a line under this by pointing out that the lifting bulb on Gi Gi could not be made to rattle, bang, groan or otherwise make its presence known while sailing, motoring, tacking, gybing or heaving-to. Looking at the mechanism (through lifting a small inspection hatch in the saloon table top), the keel actuates between shaped nylon rollers fore and aft that appear to cradle it very well.

Sailing impressions

Paul uses an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo electric outboard and for reasons we couldn’t fully unpick, despite having two fully charged spare batteries onboard, liked to get a day’s sailing done on just one battery – no mean feat when it’s three miles from the boat’s berth in Swanwick Marina to open water. I actually began to enjoy these sub 3-knot shenanigans.

This boat motors with an EPropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo electric outboard – fabulously quiet if you can live with the range

The limited electrons encouraged us to sail up and down the River Hamble, which was both pleasant and emotionally rewarding in a ‘post Covid/self-care/let’s not take on too much today’ type of way. The more that large yachts that hurried past us under their diesel engines, the happier these ‘Three Men in a Boat’ all, inexplicably, began to feel.

Once out in Southampton Water the sea breeze picked up with gusts of up to 18 knots apparent when sailing close hauled. The Viko range was penned by Sergio Lupoli, who has managed the design sorcery here of getting a very high freeboard into a relatively short boat without making something that looks like a wardrobe.

It doesn’t sail like a wardrobe either. The boat has a relatively beamy stern but only a single rudder, so I was heartened to see that as the boat heels to a gust, it only requires a very slight adjustment of the tiller to keep it on track.

Smiles all round on the second hottest day of the year

While it’s impossible to say how this would translate into progress on a windier day, I was left feeling that performing flawlessly ‘on a nice summer’s day’ is actually something that some boats of this size I’ve sailed before have struggled with.

Presumably though, once the boat gets to a certain angle of heel, that central rudder in the middle of a wide stern will ultimately get levered out, eventually eliciting a round-up, but we got nowhere near that stage with the wind we had.

Importantly, even as a somewhat jaded yachting journalist, I thoroughly enjoyed sailing this boat for a few hours. It was in its perfect conditions, reacted well to all inputs but was not so reactive as to be fatiguing.

Forestay and jib halyard tension were both a frustration, but this isn’t a high performance boat

With all that freeboard, she’s not an exceptionally close-winded boat, with a tacking angle of around 90 degrees but what she is, is exceptionally dry. We hit plenty of ship wakes over a metre high and not a drop of water came on deck at the bow, let alone back to the cockpit. We saw the high 4s (knots) for most of the day which is acceptable, if not exceptional progress for a boat of this size and type.

Comfort aboard is as important for Paul as performance. He works full time as a carer following a mid-life career change out of the stressful world of IT project management, gets to sail Gi Gi once a week, with his wife, friends or alone and has no more desire than I do to thrash to windward for six hours straight.

In his 60s, boats have been a part of Paul’s life on and off from childhood, when his dad, along with many thousands of others, built a Mirror dinghy, but it was only a visit to Southampton Boat Show last year and seeing the Viko S21 squashed gamely between 40 footers that finally made him consider owning a sailing cruiser of his own. For the first time, Paul saw a boat that looked like “OK value for money.”

Paul has found the Viko S21 a user friendly and manageable introduction to cruising yacht ownership

Something he could finally see himself owning, berthing, insuring, sailing without life changing financial upheaval. Paul had a Laser for a while in Spain in his youth, and has always got his fix of ‘bigger boats’ through regular delivery trips , charters and crewing for friends.

I think it’s quite a coup for the Viko S21 that it has done its bit to swell the ranks of cruiser owners. According to dealer Hein, it’s pulled that trick off a lot, with every Viko S21 he’s sold going to first time cruiser owners.

When I first saw Gi Gi , I privately scoffed at her cockpit backrests. Surely no serious sailor would opt for this £464 optional extra, that would only stop you from being able to sit out and sail the socks off the boat? But a day sailing the boat in 30+ degrees Celsius and I was a total convert, My back was barely off the things and I even began to idly wonder if I could make something similar for my own boat!

Owner, Paul Simmonds demonstrates the comfortable cockpit backrests

There are other areas where some performance is sacrificed for comfort or convenience that bothered me more. The forestay seemed very slack, but was only adjustable via the cap shrouds, so deemed too much like hard work in the oppressive heat.

The roller furling jib halyard, which was also markedly lacking in tension, returns back down to its tack, and I’d much prefer to have it go via a top swivel, down the mast and back to the cockpit like they do on grown-up boats. It would only be a matter of a few chandlery items to achieve this though.

The boat has a 7/8ths fractional rig with an adjustable backstay, and thanks to a relatively narrow mast section, putting tension on the backstay made a remarkably noticeable difference to the mast bend – a very useful tool to have in the box in the event of the wind picking up.

Gi Gi had an optional fully battened mainsail which looked like a bargain to me at £155 extra, but I wasn’t sure of the way the battens interacted with the mast on this boat. In the ‘gusts’ the sail filled out and the battens pulled clear of the mast making a better sail shape, but in very light winds, they didn’t and the batten ends protruded a little to windward of the luff groove spoiling the luff shape somewhat.

The backstay tensioner acts effectively on the 7/8ths fractional rig…

Pulling on an armful of backstay tidied the luff up, but who wants to flatten their mainsail when the wind is this light? Hein had arranged a Cunningham line and a second reefing point to be fitted to the sail; locally cheap fixes that he recommends for anyone using a Viko S21 in coastal waters.

The boat we tested had a transom-mounted stainless steel mast crutch fitted, somewhat surprising as Paul doesn’t want to trailer the boat anywhere. It’s definitely in the realm of personal opinion, but I found this construction a complete eyesore.

The tubing is a little narrow gauge to look anything other than fragile, and it’s positioned in a place where it often tempted crew (i.e. me) to lean on it whereupon it flexed and wobbled disconcertingly. I’d prefer it not to be there at all and I’d make something foldable and removable for a mast crutch if I owned the boat.

The stainless steel mast tabernacle hinges neatly about a pin aft of the mast heel, making the start of mast lowering or the end of mast raising a less noisy and fraught business than on many other boats.

A mast A-Frame can also be permanently fitted as an optional extra for committed and regular trailer sailers. Looking at the narrow mast section, I’d guess it’s an easy one-man job to raise or lower it.

It’s difficult to know how far you’d want to go on the various modifications that you could make to a Viko S21 before you enter the realms of ‘trying to make it something it’s not’. While its ballast ratio is commendable, let’s not forget that it has a lifting, transom-mounted, mousetrap-style lifting outboard bracket on the port side of a relatively wide transom.

…but there were some issues with the full length battens’ interaction with the mast

So on port tack, motorsailing out of trouble off a lee shore in choppy conditions, you might very well find you have propulsion that is at best sporadic and at worst non-existent as your propeller periodically pops out of the water to scream at you.

Because the large double aft berth is so central to the boat’s offering, it’s difficult to see how else the propulsion could be organised, so this will always act as a fundamental limitation to safe, any-weather auxiliary propulsion. Perhaps an electric propulsion pod (which in this case could be mounted behind the keel) could come to the rescue of small yachts with such dilemmas?

There are other things that I didn’t like from an offshore safety perspective, but that are doubtless acceptable for a Category C boat so they can’t be considered valid criticisms, more a pointing out of how things often are with such boats. For instance, the cabin sole moulding is integral to the boat and bonded in – so you cannot access the outer skin of the hull in the main part of the saloon.

The wide, gloss finished toerail area could use a roll or two of non slip tape

The outer hull skin is accessible through the (optional) heads compartment and under the forward vee berth (where transducers can be fitted), but if I was unlucky enough to hole the boat at its lowest point somewhere around the keel, I’d want to be able to pull up some bilge boards, fast, and obtain access to the damage. I guess I could keep an axe in the sink instead, although that would take even more explaining to the aforementioned French port officials.

Viko S21 accommodation

The interior is surprisingly pleasant. The plywood cabinetry looks suitably multi-layered and the open plan nature of it all gives owners something of a blank canvas. The woodwork will take some looking after and won’t last forever. I spotted some nibbles out of the edges of the uppermost veneers, especially around highly used areas such as the cabin table, and this was not an old boat.

As standard, the boat comes with ‘beige cushions in ecological leather’, presumably painlessly peeled from the ample hindquarters of a PVC cow, but Paul has opted for the ‘Comfort Pack’ with teak effect sole, toilet compartment, pumped water and softer chenille-look upholstery. His wife has created matching blue scatter cushions that set it all off nicely too. The boat comes as standard with a little 12V set-up with a fuse box and lights.

Small hull lights amidships let in a little natural light

There’s more space below than I’ve ever seen on a 21ft (6.4m) sailing boat. It’s all port berths, nothing suitable for sleeping on passage, but here I go again – precisely nobody is going to sail night watches aboard this boat.

The aft berth sleeps two, athwartships, and is best accessed after shifting the (removeable) companionway steps. The aft incumbent gets 6ft 3in of stretching-out space, the forward one a generous 6ft 6in.

Forward of that is a saloon settee berth area, that could house a child or two, and forward of that a vee berth that is tight at the bow but does provide 6ft+ in the length department for a pair of sleepers.

Looking towards the forward berths it’s easy to see the open plan nature of the Viko S21

There are a few stowage areas beneath the berth cushions but precious little locker space anywhere else. The headlining is fully future-proofed, ie. it hasn’t got one. The deckhead is lined with a wipe-clean gloss GRP surface that looks smart and like it will take very little looking after. A little table folds out around the keel box, but with only an optional single burner gas hob aboard, it’s not a boat for entertaining.

Paul’s slept several nights aboard with his son in the marina though and for two the accommodation is reported as palatial. Cooking-wise, it turned out that there are still plenty of good pubs in Swanwick.

Alternative boats Cape Cutter 19 From £17,000 (used) A tad smaller than the Viko, and of course with much less space below, the Dudley Dix designed Cape Cutter is a fellow RCD Category C four-berth cruiser. Sails better than some other modern gaffers and there is an active owners’ association. Swallow Yachts Baycruiser 23 From £54,960 Water ballasted and with a carbon mast for responsive sailing and easy rigging, the Baycruiser is a quick launching quick sailing trailerable yacht. Packed full of unique and clever design features it’s built in the UK and a little larger than the Viko S21 so can’t really compete on price. Parker 235 From £15,000 (used) Back in the day, as far as reasonably seaworthy but small trailer sailers were concerned, the Parker range were the boats to go for. The 235 followed the Parker 21 and was built from 2001 and 2009. A 330kg vertically lifting keel helps performance but robs a lot of the interior volume. Still commanding strong values secondhand.

It was not long into our test sail that Paul dropped the bombshell that he’s selling his Viko S21, just four months into ownership. But this is not because boat ownership is not for him, more because it is for him. Paul has arranged a deal with Viko on one of their 30 footers and he’s arranged it at a price that means his time with the 21 has come at zero cost to him, apart from the berthing fees. A recent family charter on a 35-footer in the Ionian has shown Paul how much more sociable life can be on a bigger boat and the similarly stylish and clever packaging, but the larger platform of the Viko 30 has won him over. Bearing in mind the gateway to boat ownership that the S21 was designed to be, I couldn’t imagine a better endorsement than this. From my point of view, I’d love to see a more passagemaking-orientated version of the S21, possibly forgoing a big chunk of the double berth for a central outboard well mounted forward of twin rudders. But it would be more costly, would have lost one of the boat’s USPs (the aft double), almost nobody would buy it and it would therefore be idiocy for any manufacturer to make it. As it is, I couldn’t think of a much more pleasant place to be in 10 knots of breeze on the hottest day of the year and that itself is a great achievement, especially at the price they have done it.

from EUR 16,990

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Test & Technik : Viko 30s: nur günstig oder auch gut?

YACHT-Redaktion

· 17.08.2015

Test & Technik: Viko 30s: nur günstig oder auch gut?

Allein der Preis macht sie schon zur Ausnahmeerscheinung. So günstig wie die Viko 30s ist kein anderes Boot am Markt. Zwar fehlt in der Basisversion ein Motor. Aber selbst mit Einbaudiesel bleibt die Polin weit unter den Einstiegspreisen von Großserienwerften wie Bavaria, Beneteau, Delphia, Dufour, Hanse oder Jeanneau.

Optisch und vom Raumangebot her bekommen Eigner dafür eine moderne, frisch bis sportiv wirkende Familienyacht von 9,27 Meter Länge. Aber erfüllt sie auch die Erwartungen – oder bezahlt man mit Abstrichen bei Segelleistung, Ausstattung und Qualität?

Dieser Frage ging Fridtjof Gunkel, Test&Technik-Chef der YACHT, auf den Grund. Er segelte die Viko bei frischem, böigem Wind auf der Ostsee. Es war eine überraschungsfreie Begegnung. Zwar lasse sich das Schiff mit den Einstiegsmodellen der Etablierten "kaum vergleichen". Spätestens als Alternative zu den günstigen Angeboten am Gebrauchtbootmarkt aber sei sie "durchaus spannend".

Lesen Sie den ausführlichen Bericht in der neuen YACHT 18-2015, ab sofort am Kiosk oder als Digitalausgabe hier zu ordern.

Moderne Linien, supergünstiger Preis – aber kein Vergleich zu den Einstiegsmodellen der Markenwerften

Sail through adventure

Cruiser line, motor boats.

Exciting Voyage Ahead: VIKO YACHTS Unveils the STRATOS 43

As we usher in the New Year, VIKO YACHTS is delighted to introduce the latest gem in our fleet - the STRATOS 43. A collaborative masterpiece with the renowned Cosutti Yacht Design, led by architect Maurizio Cosutti, the STRATOS line heralds a new era of innovation for our brand.

VIKO S 30 nominated to the Yacht of the Year at the Annapolis Boatshow

In an exciting development, the VIKO S 30 sailing yacht has been nominated for the highly coveted title of "2024 Boat of the Year" at the prestigious Annapolis Boat Show. This nomination stands as a testament to the exceptional quality and innovative design that the VIKO S 30 brings to the world of sailing yachts.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from VIKO YACHTS

Wishing all VIKO YACHTS enthusiasts, collaborators, and partners a joyous Merry Christmas filled with warmth and cherished moments. As we sail into the New Year, may it be adorned with success, prosperity, and countless opportunities. Happy Holidays from the VIKO YACHTS shipyard!

VIKO YACHTS present for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2023

We had a wonderful time displaying our sailing yachts at this year's Cannes Yachting Festival, showcasing the epitome of craftsmanship and innovation.

ul. Przemysłowa 37 62-070 Zakrzewo

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[email protected]

The Comprehensive Guide to Moscow Nightlife

Posted on April 14, 2018 July 26, 2018
by Kings of Russia
8 minute read

Moscow’s nightlife scene is thriving, and arguably one of the best the world has to offer – top-notch Russian women, coupled with a never-ending list of venues, Moscow has a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. Moscow nightlife is not for the faint of heart – and if you’re coming, you better be ready to go Friday and Saturday night into the early morning.

This comprehensive guide to Moscow nightlife will run you through the nuts and bolts of all you need to know about Moscow’s nightclubs and give you a solid blueprint to operate with during your time in Moscow.

What you need to know before hitting Moscow nightclubs

Prices in moscow nightlife.

Before you head out and start gaming all the sexy Moscow girls , we have to talk money first. Bring plenty because in Moscow you can never bring a big enough bankroll. Remember, you’re the man so making a fuzz of not paying a drink here or there will not go down well.

Luckily most Moscow clubs don’t do cover fees. Some electro clubs will charge 15-20$, depending on their lineup. There’s the odd club with a minimum spend of 20-30$, which you’ll drop on drinks easily. By and large, you can scope out the venues for free, which is a big plus.

Bottle service is a great deal in Moscow. At top-tier clubs, it starts at 1,000$. That’ll go a long way with premium vodka at 250$, especially if you have three or four guys chipping in. Not to mention that it’s a massive status boost for getting girls, especially at high-end clubs.

Without bottle service, you should estimate a budget of 100-150$ per night. That is if you drink a lot and hit the top clubs with the hottest girls. Scale down for less alcohol and more basic places.

Dress code & Face control

Door policy in Moscow is called “face control” and it’s always the guy behind the two gorillas that gives the green light if you’re in or out.

In Moscow nightlife there’s only one rule when it comes to dress codes:

You can never be underdressed.

People dress A LOT sharper than, say, in the US and that goes for both sexes. For high-end clubs, you definitely want to roll with a sharp blazer and a pocket square, not to mention dress shoes in tip-top condition. Those are the minimum requirements to level the playing field vis a vis with other sharply dressed guys that have a lot more money than you do. Unless you plan to hit explicit electro or underground clubs, which have their own dress code, you are always on the money with that style.

Getting in a Moscow club isn’t as hard as it seems: dress sharp, speak English at the door and look like you’re in the mood to spend all that money that you supposedly have (even if you don’t). That will open almost any door in Moscow’s nightlife for you.

Types of Moscow Nightclubs

In Moscow there are four types of clubs with the accompanying female clientele:

High-end clubs:

These are often crossovers between restaurants and clubs with lots of tables and very little space to dance. Heavy accent on bottle service most of the time but you can work the room from the bar as well. The hottest and most expensive girls in Moscow go there. Bring deep pockets and lots of self-confidence and you have a shot at swooping them.

Regular Mid-level clubs:

They probably resemble more what you’re used to in a nightclub: big dancefloors, stages and more space to roam around. Bottle service will make you stand out more but you can also do well without. You can find all types of girls but most will be in the 6-8 range. Your targets should always be the girls drinking and ideally in pairs. It’s impossible not to swoop if your game is at least half-decent.

Basic clubs/dive bars:

Usually spots with very cheap booze and lax face control. If you’re dressed too sharp and speak no Russian, you might attract the wrong type of attention so be vigilant. If you know the local scene you can swoop 6s and 7s almost at will. Usually students and girls from the suburbs.

Electro/underground clubs:

Home of the hipsters and creatives. Parties there don’t mean meeting girls and getting drunk but doing pills and spacing out to the music. Lots of attractive hipster girls if that is your niche. That is its own scene with a different dress code as well.

What time to go out in Moscow

Moscow nightlife starts late. Don’t show up at bars and preparty spots before 11pm because you’ll feel fairly alone. Peak time is between 1am and 3am. That is also the time of Moscow nightlife’s biggest nuisance: concerts by artists you won’t know and who only distract your girls from drinking and being gamed. From 4am to 6am the regular clubs are emptying out but plenty of people, women included, still hit up one of the many afterparty clubs. Those last till well past 10am.

As far as days go: Fridays and Saturdays are peak days. Thursday is an OK day, all other days are fairly weak and you have to know the right venues.

The Ultimate Moscow Nightclub List

Short disclaimer: I didn’t add basic and electro clubs since you’re coming for the girls, not for the music. This list will give you more options than you’ll be able to handle on a weekend.

Preparty – start here at 11PM

Classic restaurant club with lots of tables and a smallish bar and dancefloor. Come here between 11pm and 12am when the concert is over and they start with the actual party. Even early in the night tons of sexy women here, who lean slightly older (25 and up).

The second floor of the Ugolek restaurant is an extra bar with dim lights and house music tunes. Very small and cozy with a slight hipster vibe but generally draws plenty of attractive women too. A bit slower vibe than Valenok.

Very cool, spread-out venue that has a modern library theme. Not always full with people but when it is, it’s brimming with top-tier women. Slow vibe here and better for grabbing contacts and moving on.

High-end: err on the side of being too early rather than too late because of face control.

Secret Room

Probably the top venue at the moment in Moscow . Very small but wildly popular club, which is crammed with tables but always packed. They do parties on Thursdays and Sundays as well. This club has a hip-hop/high-end theme, meaning most girls are gold diggers, IG models, and tattooed hip hop chicks. Very unfavorable logistics because there is almost no room no move inside the club but the party vibe makes it worth it. Strict face control.

Close to Secret Room and with a much more favorable and spacious three-part layout. This place attracts very hot women but also lots of ball busters and fakes that will leave you blue-balled. Come early because after 4am it starts getting empty fast. Electronic music.

A slightly kitsch restaurant club that plays Russian pop and is full of gold diggers, semi-pros, and men from the Caucasus republics. Thursday is the strongest night but that dynamic might be changing since Secret Room opened its doors. You can swoop here but it will be a struggle.

Mid-level: your sweet spot in terms of ease and attractiveness of girls for an average budget.

Started going downwards in 2018 due to lax face control and this might get even worse with the World Cup. In terms of layout one of the best Moscow nightclubs because it’s very big and bottle service gives you a good edge here. Still attracts lots of cute girls with loose morals but plenty of provincial girls (and guys) as well. Swooping is fairly easy here.

I haven’t been at this place in over a year, ever since it started becoming ground zero for drunken teenagers. Similar clientele to Icon but less chic, younger and drunker. Decent mainstream music that attracts plenty of tourists. Girls are easy here as well.

Sort of a Coyote Ugly (the real one in Moscow sucks) with party music and lots of drunken people licking each others’ faces. Very entertaining with the right amount of alcohol and very easy to pull in there. Don’t think about staying sober in here, you’ll hate it.

Artel Bessonitsa/Shakti Terrace

Electronic music club that is sort of a high-end place with an underground clientele and located between the teenager clubs Icon and Gipsy. Very good music but a bit all over the place with their vibe and their branding. You can swoop almost any type of girl here from high-heeled beauty to coked-up hipsters, provided they’re not too sober.

Afterparty: if by 5AM you haven’t pulled, it’s time to move here.

Best afterparty spot in terms of trying to get girls. Pretty much no one is sober in there and savage gorilla game goes a long way. Lots of very hot and slutty-looking girls but it can be hard to tell apart who is looking for dick and who is just on drugs but not interested. If by 9-10am you haven’t pulled, it is probably better to surrender.

The hipster alternative for afterparties, where even more drugs are in play. Plenty of attractive girls there but you have to know how to work this type of club. A nicer atmosphere and better music but if you’re desperate to pull, you’ll probably go to Miks.

Weekday jokers: if you’re on the hunt for some sexy Russian girls during the week, here are two tips to make your life easier.

Chesterfield

Ladies night on Wednesdays means this place gets pretty packed with smashed teenagers and 6s and 7s. Don’t pull out the three-piece suit in here because it’s a “simpler” crowd. Definitely your best shot on Wednesdays.

If you haven’t pulled at Chesterfield, you can throw a Hail Mary and hit up Garage’s Black Music Wednesdays. Fills up really late but there are some cute Black Music groupies in here. Very small club. Thursday through Saturday they do afterparties and you have an excellent shot and swooping girls that are probably high.

Shishas Sferum

This is pretty much your only shot on Mondays and Tuesdays because they offer free or almost free drinks for women. A fairly low-class club where you should watch your drinks. As always the case in Moscow, there will be cute girls here on any day of the week but it’s nowhere near as good as on the weekend.

In a nutshell, that is all you need to know about where to meet Moscow girls in nightlife. There are tons of options, and it all depends on what best fits your style, based on the type of girls that you’re looking for.