Is this the toughest 30ft leisure boat in the world? Viggo C8 test drive & review | MBY

Remember Anytec and its 747? Well, the team behind that are back with a new name and an equally focussed and ferocious all-aluminium speed machine, the Viggo C8. Is this all-aluminium Swede the toughest sub-30ft boat on the market? Motor Boat & Yachting deputy editor Jack Haines takes a test drive with a C8 owner to find out...
Viggo C8 specifications
LOA: 26ft 9in (8.2m)
Beam: 7ft 5in (2.3m)
Draught: 1ft 9in (0.6m)
Displacement: 1.9 tonnes
Test engines: Single 300hp Mercury Verado outboard
Top speed on test: 48.1 knots
Fuel consumption: 34.4 lph @ 20 knots / 15.8 lph @ 7 knots
Range: 199nm @ 30 knots
Noise: 81 d(B)A @ 20 knots / 65 d(B)A @ 7 knots
Fuel capacity: 350 litres
Water capacity: N/A
RCD category: C for 6 people
Designer: Viggo Boats
Starting price: £123,437 (inc. VAT)
Price
as tested: £145,000 (inc. VAT)
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[@bope308]

Fun fact. Neither Finland or Sweden have polarbears

[@foodley123]

Ooh.. 1st

[@advantagemarine7305]

It's interesting to see the Brits catching on to aluminum boats, I'm an Englishman living in Sweden and have a 7.2 metre aluminum cabin boat, Vboat voyager 700 with an Evinrude 250 HO G2 and I run charter trips all year round in the Stockholm archipelago. I would never go back to a plastic boat as you have a very short season, with my aluminum boat I break out the marina through the ice. Even good for a 90 NM offshore trip to Gotland last summer.

[@sib610]

Aluminium is such a great material for boats….sail , power and racing. Light, strong, repairable, maintenance free. Sounds like you’ve got it sorted Stuart !

[@advantagemarine7305]

@@sib610 well exactly, these types of boats are known as "land rovers of the sea" locally, they're amazing, hardy little things that can take a good bit of sea with a good skipper. It helps that the Baltic is quite fresh water, not so salty and with no tides you can always find somewhere to dock. It truly is an amazing place to live.

[@mbboater703]

Vboat voyager 700 is a russian boat, not a swedish one ;) You are an Englishman living in Sweden using russian Volzhanka (renamed into westernized V-boat) and lecturing on KZbin about the Brits catching on to aluminum boats... funny ;) by the way Volzhanka was a crappy soviet boat with engine from Moskvitch. Brits in Sweden are normally quite privileged so you must afford at least finnish Buster aluminum boat.

[@advantagemarine7305]

@@mbboater703 ha ha, someone likes to get annoyed on the internet! Go you dude 😆 firstly I never said it was a Swedish boat, secondly the 700 is a very good boat for the money and believe it or not they let you choose what engine you want! Unbelievable huh? I've seen busters, anytec, etc and yes they are nice but you will pay extra, thirdly, I wasn't lecturing, merely pointing out that aluminum cabin boats are only now becoming popular in the UK. Now go and cry over somebody else's comments you pathetic, sad individual.

[@charley9986]

I saw a Viggo when i was in Sweden and the build quality and attention to detail, particularly the wiring which is often overlooked, was first class. Nicely made and very functional boat. Well done MBY for the review. =

[@tomrathmann3801]

Interesting boat. What about surface temperatures in the summer? Will you be able to touch any of the surfaces in the cockpit in glaring sunlight?

[@ZoneTelevision]

Viggo is killing it. I'd take this all day over an AXO.

[@marvinrascal3376]

That's not a boat. That's a weapon.

[@cad5238]

Name her barracuda! She's fast and sleek! Shiny too!But mean looking also.The welds are something else! Wow!Great design fabulous workmanship. Well done.

[@vesaroivainen]

Polar bears in Finland 😂🤣😂

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

😎🇬🇧 Nice boat esp if fitted with a 300hp diesel. Polarbear proof ..🤔 Wally the Walrus proof 👍🏼yes 😁🤣. Also 50knts + into giant hailstones definately. Its the boat equivalent of a V8 110 Landrover or early Range rover... 🌊 for exactly that sort of job

[@toivomyllyla8776]

13:15 what is this guy talking about?😂 There are no polar bears in finland.

[@clifbradley]

So it's like a Spiker C8, but your ability level to drive it could be comparable to driving a Fiat 500 and you'll be fine. I've heard of these being used as small fishing boats for tagging sharks in the north Atlantic. Might have been a different boat, but I swear it was this boat. Rough and rugged.

[@dieseldog00]

What happens when that ONE motor quits and won't restart? Who you gonna call, ghostbusters? Seatow? Trim the transom and put another motor on it. Why take a chance on one engine??

[@Kowalski301]

Single engine works great for most in Europe for some reason... there is rarely a need to go very far offshore. There is various Sea rescue and/or SAR you indeed can call if needed, and it's free in case of emergency, or included with the boat insurance or membership for assistance. And if you want that extra backup, most just add a kicker with separate fuel tank, and save a ton of money and weight compared to a twin install. And a kicker is probably more reliable than a twin install, that now days share so much electronic that easily can render both engines equally dead if something fails. Not to mention if they share the same fuel system...

[@paulnorman8274]

@@Kowalski301 One of the side benefits of boats this light and efficient, is even a small kicker will do the trick. On bigger boats, twins become more desirable, if going further away and staying out longer.

[@nickglossop]

The only thing I’d add is a head. Oh, and maybe a slightly bigger engine. Great review.

[@normanmerrill1241]

Great runabout with speed and stability…nice aesthetics…\

[@joshlower1]

In america you need 4 450 hp outboards to make 70 knots so either our boat building sucks or we are being swindled.

[@MrJockelito]

To be fair, our Scandinavian waters are much calmer and hence less hp. But yes, In my opinion our cousins in the west have gone a bit to far... 😉

[@joshlower1]

@@MrJockelito naw man yall in the north sea. Yalls seas are far rougher than the gulf of mexico

[@paulnorman8274]

"...so either our boat building sucks or we are being swindled." Or your serving sizes are too big..... Old Donzis get close to 70 knots with 100-150hp..... They're really tiny, though. Hardly bigger than a floating sports car. At least among mainstream boats, the Euros have traditionally been more concerned about efficiency. Gas used to be cheap in the US. Calories, too . So people splurge. The way they get elbow room in Europe is to, like the owner of this boat, forego unneeded stuff which would otherwise clutter up open spaces. While In America, you get elbow room by good, old fashioned bloating of everything. Then compensating with another pair of outboards on the fatter transom.

[@joshlower1]

All my boats are plain Jane as shit commercial boats lol.​@@paulnorman8274

[@christiansjogren5784]

My Viggo C8 with Mercury 450R is for sale. Located in Stockholm.

[@gerhardvanwaltsleben8944]

Lekker man lekker 🇿🇦

[@BigDom61]

It looks an excellent piece of kit very nice do they do twin outboards

[@patrickmolloy6994]

fabulous, how great is it to get the owners perspective.

[@sib610]

Thanks Patrick. For me this boat just fits like a glove and does everything i want from a boat. Us boaters all look for different things in a boat and every boat is ultimately compromised in some way but as a bit of a boat nerd this was the one for me and my needs. Agreed that well done to Jack for allowing me to rant on a bit but i also enjoy watching owners talk about their boats as you get to see the reasoning behind their wants and needs . I’m quite into boat design and for me the material, build quality, ergonomics and design priorities do it for me but understandably not for most.

[@nicbennett6554]

Looks like brilliant fun in all weather!! 😁 Thanks for sharing 👍

[@cookiemonster2299]

Solid and fast, yummy 🤪👍❤️🇬🇧

[@user-D407]

Bloody hell, you are blaring into the mic and we can barely hear him! A little forethought on mic placement would have gone a long way in improving this video.

[@jonasgussvattnet]

Polarbears in Finland?? 😂

[@Aleks123]

Maybe in Svalbard but definetly not in Finland :)

[@sib610]

Hi Jonas sorry that came out wrong. I remember the guys at Viggo saying about the polar bear rules / certificates on windscreens which clearly had no impact on me in the UK but for you guys up north quite possibly more relevant as they do sell quite a few Viggo’s into Finland and North Norway.

[@tallesttreeintheforest]

i like how it looks, while im personally not entirely sold on these sharp tactical designs in general, both alukin and arronet make similar boats with classical design traits.

[@mfld719]

Be nice to get an idea of cost.

[@stephenb7333]

what a boat.right up my street.well done for finding it jack and to the owner.just one question.no loo?.or is it a bucket of shame.;)

[@sib610]

Hi Stephen. Yes on the C8 and X8 its the bucket of shame or a porta potty type arrangement but on the bigger C10 there’s a proper heads if you want. From experience we tend to overnight in marinas so its no problem or it doesn’t take long to get anywhere should you need to. I’m just used to it from a ribbing background ..easier for blokes of course !

[@stephenb7333]

@@sib610 I figured as much.im of the same ilk.lol.besides I have one in my boat room.;)

[@lukewalker3905]

For the talking to camera section whilst driving. It would have been nice to just have the camera suction cup mounted to the glass to see a non-shaky cam shot, also allowing us to see the shock mount seats in action.

[@rogerhommas]

..70 knots and safe...? _ please, , no seatbelts and no dingy..

[@sib610]

Obviously you’d drive to the conditions , when its really nasty i’m down to 20 knots like other boats this size depending on the sea state. most race boats /fast commuter boats dont have dinghy’s attached but If you mean life raft then yes i take one depending on the trip. , you could get belts if you want. i slow down when it gets nasty especially with passengers. At high speed they’re rock solid, you can see their KZbin vids but again, this is assuming calm conditions. The hull was designed around high power outboards by a man from a racing boat background. If you go out to Oregrund they’ll show you in person 👍

[@rogerhommas]

@@sib610 ..you read my mind. _ yes , raft for emergensy, popup boat . I will head to Örrengrund , with my new electric motor.. 7m cigar-boat it needs to shuffle there_ but 3KW and time I got... ( Lovisa has a new guestport_ welcome )

[@mikenelson1495]

What a fun drive and dive boat!

[@KimCJorgensen]

Wicked fun boat, now for that Rum-toddy to clear your nose!

[@timconrad63]

Great video terrible sound

[@jessefig5281]

Can test for free in the NYC waters

[@The_Arby]

See you deleted my comment LOL

[@gregwindell7702]

BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BE KIND

[@craybro]

Perfect for the UK weather so the Brits will never buy it ;)

[@darthkek1953]

What's "perfect" about a boat without a toilet?

[@karatejoe5049]

Nice edit at 1:18

[@lukewalker3905]

You said you could road trailer it? What beam is it? 2.5m? I assume it weighs 3T+ with trailer.

[@sib610]

Hi Luke. The whole boat with engine is around 1.9 tonnes. Add in half a tank of fuel and some gubbins takes it to 2.1 tonnes. She’s 8.2 x 2.3m . A lot lighter than you think. There are plenty of similar length ribs that are heavier so easily towable behind a decent tow car.

[@paulnorman8274]

@@sib610 That is remarkably light for this much space, and such a presumably sturdy build. 27 foot makes it seem like it would be a bigger, heavier boat. Probably not the lowest cost 2 tonnes floating around the marina......... :)

[@sib610]

@@paulnorman8274 hi Paul, price wise she comes in lower than the Axopar despite being fully hand welded and built in small numbers. Also less expensive than a decent cabin rib. Erik at Viggo will ping you price lists . Less gubbins to go wrong…less weight…better fuel efficiency, more open space. Yes less facilities and nick nacks but that doesn’t bother me. It’s a great drivers boat. You’re welcome to have a look at her..

[@fknmillsi]

Looks like an over priced tinny with a cabin dropped on top. Not much leisure about it.

[@darthkek1953]

It's not a leisure vessel. It's a fantastic boat for its purpose... commuting to and from some very dangerous rocky islands. That's it. That's why it has no galley, no bar, no berths, not even a shitter. It's designed to get from A (home) to B (work) and back again, fast, no matter the weather.

[@fknmillsi]

@@darthkek1953 perhaps read the video title again

[@darthkek1953]

​@@fknmillsi the guy is using a commuter boat as a leisure vessel.

[@gregormiller4037]

Great post. Are these available in the states? Thanks.

[@sib610]

Hi Gregor, currently not as its a fairly niche boat hand built in small numbers for the mainly Scandinavian market but I’m sure if you speak to Erik at Viggo he’ll advise you..its just a case of shipping at the end of the day i would have thought.

[@gregormiller4037]

@@sib610 Dang okies. I was hoping ya had a US distributor. This rig would be perfect for somewhat calm summers and cold, snowy winters on Lake Tahoe in the Sierras...this would also make a great convwete fishing boat :)

[@sib610]

It certainly would suit Lake Tahoe. Viggo have sold a few down to Lake Geneva with similar conditions.

[@paulbryan1094]

Great boat but nowhere to make a cup o tea. And no heads

[@sib610]

Hi Paul. Like most boat owners and most ribsters I use marina facilities when the need arises ..its a commuter boat as opposed to an overnighter . I found that boats of similar length/price that had more facilities, and there are plenty of these types of boats out there, try too hard to squeeze everything in and ultimately weren’t for me. I grab a coffee at the start of the day and stick it in a flask usually but i do have a camping stove on the boat for longer trips or if i do camp in it with my son we can cook up some grub if the pubs shut ! I prefer it that way but understand that most people prefer boats that have more facilities. I don’t sit at anchor too much. I also didn’t t spec a fridge as I prefer a very good cool bag which we can take to the beach . I come from a rib background so i still get excited by the diesel heater and windscreen wipers !!

[@clifbradley]

If you got a piece of MDF or thick enough plywood, you could set a tent up on the bow. Little gas stove, kettle and s cooler. You are all set. Lol.

[@sib610]

That’s exactly what we do 👍

[@clifbradley]

@@sib610 In Florida, there are lots of people that do that, they call them redneck cabin cruisers or Redneck Yacht. I say, if it works...it works. Blow up air mattress, tent, grill off the rails. Portable generators like the ones Anker make is something practically every Floridian owns so that provides all the power you need too.

[@sib610]

Ive got a bivi bag for that purpose when 3 of us were planning to bring it back to the UK from Oregrund. All good fun and more memorable than hotels..for me at least.

[@clifbradley]

@@sib610 very true