Vking V vs YT pro and cons need help

[Tigit]

Hey Everyone,
Im in the market for a Vking been looking for a wile. But i'm on the fence between the Vee pad or tunnel hull. I know the tunnel hull is pretty stable. but is it as fun to drive. Has anyone owned both here? The hydrostream website said the Vking can blow over with out warning over timing. Not sure what hull they are talking about. I honestly haven't seen and Vkings blow over. Any help would be great. And if you Know a good Vking for sale let me know. :)

[XstreamVking]

Over trim any fast boat and it will blow over. V-Kings are fairly stable once you get to know how to run it. YT has the pods and may be a little easier to drive. But with big power, it will bite you too.

[TraceF3]

The post before mine represents 100x more experience than I have. But it seems to me if you get them both up on the pad in the sweet spot you're golden! I'd ask why ONLY a VKing?

[David]

These are 30 plus years old now, so buy one with a restoration you can trust at a price that works. I would focus on condition and cost first.

[Tigit]

Yes, Agreed with all of that. I'm looking for a nice lake boat. And always liked the looks of the Vking lines. I have had lots of 21's,24's,30's and 34. I have Always been on a Ruff river. So i would run deep V hulls. But, now that I have a lake the 18's-20 footers look fun. I have a checkmate starflite. And its a blast. Forgot how much I loved smaller boats. Its right around 70mph. Stable as a rock. No chine at all. Just want something a little faster and fun.

[largecar91]

I've run lots of tunnels over the years. Also pad v's. There is nothing like the thrill of driving a pad v V-King on the ragged edge.

[Tigit]

Hah, yes thats what i have heard. So I am on the hunt for one.

[mikesufka]

Never owned a Viking, but owned a Vasserette V-Bottom for years. Buy the V.

MDS

[donmac]

the only time I had any kiting was when the wind was gusting,you set the trim for a nice aired out blast and %^&* where did that come from? rivers can be problematic as you round a corner and don't realize your into headwind,small lakes and bays rarely give you wind info with wave formation! you need to pay close attention when your 80+ mph!

[Tigit]

Good point on the river direction changing. thx. The River I used to run on was pretty strait for miles. ( Potomac river)

[LakeFever]

I'd buy condition over hull within V-King size. Valero, V-King, Vassaret all share the same hull and getting a mint one is far more critical than model or yt/v decisions imo. I've heard talk the V is faster but look at Eddie P's rig which is a YT and those outer tabs are no where near the water when its full tilt so I cant see any performance differences with enough power. Super fun boats to tool around in

[PaulR]

Back in the 1980's I had Viper and a Vector and both had the same 200hp Merc on them. Both ran in the low 90's on a Nordskog speedo. I had a YT for 15 years with a MOD-VP carb then a 260 and the YT is by far easier to drive and much more forgiving if you hit some rollers at speed. If you put a straight edge or wrap a string around a YT you find that the pad is even or a bit higher than the sponsons so the sponsons are almost always touching the water so IMO the YT needs more power to run as fast as the Vee bottom if you can drive the Vee! You definitely have to drive a YT at 75+mph or it will "walk" just like a Vee, just not as violently.

[LakeFever]

Back in the 1980's I had Viper and a Vector and both had the same 200hp Merc on them. Both ran in the low 90's on a Nordskog speedo. I had a YT for 15 years with a MOD-VP carb then a 260 and the YT is by far easier to drive and much more forgiving if you hit some rollers at speed. If you put a straight edge or wrap a string around a YT you find that the pad is even or a bit higher than the sponsons so the sponsons are almost always touching the water so IMO the YT needs more power to run as fast as the Vee bottom if you can drive the Vee! You definitely have to drive a YT at 75+mph or it will "walk" just like a Vee, just not as violently.

437656




Dang, that is GORGEOUS!

[Tigit]

Ahh, yes that is want i wanted to know. Everyone is really helpful on this forum! Very nice boat you have in the pics. Is that a formula 400 on the side :)

[PaulR]

YUP! Has a LS2 in it now!

[moatorbotin]

I'd buy condition over hull within V-King size. Valero, V-King, Vassaret all share the same hull and getting a mint one is far more critical than model or yt/v decisions imo. I've heard talk the V is faster but look at Eddie P's rig which is a YT and those outer tabs are no where near the water when its full tilt so I cant see any performance differences with enough power. Super fun boats to tool around in
While I agree about the condition, the YT and V's drive very differently and I wouldn't just "buy the nicer one" I'd first decide which style hull I would rather have. For me that's the V, I found them more fun to drive than the YT hull.

[Capt.Insane-o]

Id add an inch to the pad on a yt. Ive recored a couple of them and ran a drag on one. Preferred the v bottom but wouldnt say no to either. Pauls black YT is gorgeous

[Tigit]

Yes, this is why im on the fence. Both look fun. But after seeing how a vector drives, I don't want to spend 2 summers of seat time to lean how to drive this V hull. I have driven boats with (walk). Im not a master at it but i know how to drive them. And they are all a little different. I just don't know how bad those boats get. I had an 24 active thunder twin outboard that was really bad around 75mph. It bounced and walked. Almost got tossed a few times. But the weight is no comparison on those two boats.

[PaulR]

I ordered the black YT "new" in 1986, It has two extra stripes on it and HydroStream wasn't happy about it but it's one of a kind! I sold it to a guy in Texas almost 20 years ago, that's how old that pic is. The bowrider is a project I picked up a few years ago and we did just what Capt.Insane-o said to do...we added an inch to the pad and made it narrower so it created an extra lifting strake. YT's drive so nice with this mod but it wasn't cheap!!!!! I paid a guy to do the work but the boat is like new now and it runs almost 90 with a 260, I was hoping for more but it is an open bow and not super light.

[Tigit]

Nice mods. Clean too!

[16ft superboat]

Yt for the win! Great boats very stable and very fast. Mine will be up for sale in the next week or so. Rigged for merc

[Tigit]

Hey, I PM'd you about your boat. Please PM me back as to what you are asking...

[Capt.Insane-o]

There is one near me we built a carbon filler panel for the bow opening and picked up 6 mph. The aero drag and taller windsheild plays a lot of havoc over 75.

[donmac]

Yes, this is why im on the fence. Both look fun. But after seeing how a vector drives, I don't want to spend 2 summers of seat time to lean how to drive this V hull. I have driven boats with (walk). Im not a master at it but i know how to drive them. And they are all a little different. I just don't know how bad those boats get. I had an 24 active thunder twin outboard that was really bad around 75mph. It bounced and walked. Almost got tossed a few times. But the weight is no comparison on those two boats.vKings don't walk at all when the bottom and rigging is good!Driver has an idea about pre-correction! i bought a voodoo hung a 70omc with a bigfoot on it[not the easiest boat to drive} and ran it for a 2 seasons until i could drive it in my sleep, when I rigged the vKing is was pedal down and relax all day long!

[mikesufka]

Yeah don't let the driving scare you .... You either "can" or "you can't", which is one of the best parts of owning a V-Hull.

MDS

[XstreamVking]

V-Kings with big hp at speed are like your 1st taste of hard liquor.....Either you open the bottle and drink again, or you put it back on the shelf....
No in-between..

[mikesufka]

Well I like Crown Royal if that tells you anything .... LOL

MDS

[LakeFever]

Paul do you have any detail pics on how adding the inch to the the pad/narrowing process went? Quite an interesting idea.

Eddie P does your boat have that done? You selling the hull on its own or stuffing a Merc on there?

[XstreamVking]

Bullett bourbon for me....But I never drink when running the King....

[LakeFever]

I drank it all and found Scotch to be my fav. Hunting for the finest Scotch is a super fun adventure and the good stuff is like drinking liquid candy. No booze for me in many years now, dont really miss it either which I thought I would. Opens up a whole new level of freedom because I can drive whenever, wherever which is nice.

I do drink zero alc beer now, I actually like it there are some good ones out there nowadays. Always have a few of those on board :cheers:

[XstreamVking]

Glenfiddich 18, or chivas regal 18 will do nicely when on the scotch...I don't drink much anymore, but when I do I go for effect...Lot of good reasons to quit drinking. I am winding way down on it...Special occasions and always with friends....

[LakeFever]

Yeah makes sense. I had some older friends whos health took a pretty sudden turn from over drinking that motivated me to stop. We just buried one a couple weeks back, great man too what a loss.

As for Scotch? Its all good, just some is better than others ;) Favs of mine were GlenLivet 15 year as the easy dram of the bunch, a great starter Scotch. Oban! For the firey fury and intensity of a drink your sure to never forget, but still enjoy somehow. Lagvulin a full bodied middle road covers it all at a high level Scotch. The latter two not so much for beginners.

Daily dram its hard to beat Black Label for the price. I also enojoyed The Singelton a lot. Then theres the pricey stuff which all has its place but most of it is not for the faint of heart, save for Maccallan which is all excellent. Anyways sidetrack central here :leaving:

[W2F a V-King]

There is one near me we built a carbon filler panel for the bow opening and picked up 6 mph. The aero drag and taller windsheild plays a lot of havoc over 75.

Your thoughts on pad V-King with or without windshield at 90+ ?

[Captaincj]

Yes, this is why im on the fence. Both look fun. But after seeing how a vector drives, I don't want to spend 2 summers of seat time to lean how to drive this V hull. I have driven boats with (walk). Im not a master at it but i know how to drive them. And they are all a little different. I just don't know how bad those boats get. I had an 24 active thunder twin outboard that was really bad around 75mph. It bounced and walked. Almost got tossed a few times. But the weight is no comparison on those two boats.

I bought a V-pad Viking (mines a 79, I can still call it a Viking) about a year and a half ago. It's a great boat, but wasn't set up very well from previous owners. I finally got the set-up sorted out and took it out this week and it was AN ABSOLUTE BLAST to drive. There is a learning curve, but it hasn't been that difficult.

I, like you, did lots of reading and contemplation about whether I wanted a V or a YT. There is no "right" answer, but I'm VERY happy with my decision to pursue the V.

Read the Hydrostream website description of the V-kings, and there is also a well written report on hull technology differences on the Hydrostream website.

[Captaincj]

Read this several times if you haven't already:

https://hydrostream.org/ArticleArchives/HullTech.htm

[Tigit]

Ah, that is a good read. I didn't see that on the Hydrostream website. THX!

[LakeFever]

V looks considerably cooler :D


:leaving:

[XstreamVking]

Sales guy from Hydrostream came to our dealership and said a new hull was coming that would be the best ever. 1978 Viking. I saw the 1st one delivered and knew I had to have one. (Moonshadow elite, blue back to backs) Rigged with a '78' 175 merc, which was really a 150 by today's rating it went 76 mph with a 28p small blade chopper. 2.5'' homemade spacer on the trans top and no jack plate or setback. So, naturally I started thinking about the possibilities of one with a bridgeport 2.4.....Up until then a Viper with a 150XS was the baddest of the bad...They would touch 80...Which in the late 70's was real fast....

[TraceF3]

V-Kings with big hp at speed are like your 1st taste of hard liquor.....Either you open the bottle and drink again, or you put it back on the shelf....
No in-between..

Gentleman Jack neat for me

[TraceF3]

This says a LOT of good about the newer XT hull design!


"Lastly, the XT hull is basically a synthesis of the V and YT designs, incorporating modest sponsons and a center pad. The sponsons are not level with the pad, resulting in great stability and maneuvering ability at low speeds, and the efficiency of a V-bottom at higher speeds.
When the XT hull attains speeds starting at sixty mph, the outer sponsons will rise above the water, also adding to hull lift as they trap air in the tunnel passages. After this, the same care as a V-bottom is required to maintain an even keel and safety at high speeds.
I found this design to add greatly to performance ability in the twenty-foot hull designs verses the V-bottom. The added lift from the air-entrapment qualities of the XT hull help offset the added bulk of the larger hull; however, do not underestimate the lifting capabilities of the XT design. Without proper user intervention, the Vegas or Venus XT will run away from you. Those hulls will fly! This is truly a performance solution for those who want great stability at low speeds, and want to open it up when the situation calls for it."

[XstreamVking]

Training wheels are like that......Give you confidence till you crash.

[TraceF3]

Hmmm... so I guess you disagree with Virus's last sentence? I can tell you mine turns like a go-kart.

[XstreamVking]

No, I'm saying that the boat will act more stable initially but is still able to have things go wrong.
This part backs me up...
speeds starting at sixty mph, the outer sponsons will rise above the water, Notice this part (also adding to hull lift ) as they trap air in the tunnel passages. After this, the same care as a V-bottom is required to maintain an even keel and safety at high speeds.

[TraceF3]

OK, agree. Same characteristics once it's up on the pad.

[XstreamVking]

I like the way they run, great boat. Nothing wrong with them at all. Just different characteristics from the others.

[W2F a V-King]

TraceF3

I have never been in a YT, but have read they can, in the right circumstances dig in hard on a tight turn abruptly. Like circling around for picking up a fallen skier, etc.. I don't know if true or not and may be specific to only a few.

This was in the back of my mind when searching for a Viking project.
I initially wanted the YT because I have never owned a tunnel of any kind, and wanted a Viking.

I was also already familiar with balancing a V pad hull having a couple in my past that were capable of riding on just the pad, and love that!

So I bought a V pad Viking that was in need of a complete restore.

ANY performance boat can/will have issues if not watched closely....some more than others.

[Laser88]

I've owned the V-hull. You'll need a mechanical trim gage since the hull will kite unexpectedly as mentioned earlier. Also, we've learned the hard way that the windshield is needed for downforce. Unless you'd like to swim, do not remove it!!!

Here is my first drag against a YT hull. RIP Gordon Munday, this was one of his last runs...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiwf-f13vR4

I like the hydrostream because you can sit side by side, motor sounds are clear , the windshield will let you run it later into the season, and the hull is very forgiving if you chop the throttle (coned lower)...

I always prefer the V hull... good luck

[LakeFever]

Anyone crack the sponsons on a yt hull? Got to thinking about catching a wave with one and digging in and crack? Any other yt specific concerns to consider? How bad is the splashing water when cruising at lower speeds?