It’s an amazing sight when the Viking Yacht Company bands together to execute a large-scale physical achievement at our boatbuilding facility. And that’s exactly what occurred last week when our shipwrights carried out two more milestones in the production of the new Viking 90.
Utilizing a 150-ton Travelift and two forklifts, our 13-strong Plant Engineering team moved the massive steel-and-wood-framed deckhouse mold and plug out of R&D so it could be de-molded outside. The project warranted the use of two cranes (with a combined 180-ton capacity) to pull the 55,000-pound mold structure from its foam plug. Still using the cranes, the mold was then flipped and turned around before being set down on its wheeled steel frame. Forklifts took over at this point, maneuvering it back inside Viglass, our fiberglass department, where it will be used to build the 90 deckhouse – a single fiberglass part that stretches from the bow pulpit to the cockpit liner.
The second job of the day for Plant Engineering entailed moving the 90 hull mold from R&D to VIglass; this also required plenty of heavy machinery, manpower and careful planning. “We had great cooperation from Viglass and other departments, helping to create the space we needed,” said Plant Engineering Manager Jeff Staub. “We ended up moving each mold about a half-mile. It took a total team effort to pull off.” All in a day’s work … at Viking.
