Los Sueños Resort and Marina founder Bill Royster enjoys running his own boats almost as much as he loves fishing off the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. So when he had the opportunity to join the Valhalla Boatworks family, he didn’t hesitate.
“I go back a long way with [Viking Yacht Company president and CEO] Pat Healey and [Galati Yacht Sales president] Carmine Galati, since they both have been coming to my resort and fishing in our tournaments for 20 years—we have a wonderful relationship. One Sunday evening, I was sitting on my terrace drinking a glass of wine when I received an email from Carmine telling me about the new Valhalla outboard boats that Pat’s sons were building, with all the quality of a Viking.”
Royster ordered a 37-foot Valhalla, which he named Valhalla Uno, and had it shipped to Costa Rica. “On our very first day of fishing, we ran out 18 miles at 40 mph. It’s one of the best center-consoles I’ve ever been on in my life. The way the hull is designed, it gets up on the steps and it flies. It was a rough morning, as it can be here in Costa Rica with the onshore wind, but the boat just ate it up. Once we slowed down and started putting the lines out, I was still driving the boat when we hooked a blue marlin. We kept fishing for another three hours and caught 11 sailfish, including a few doubles, plus the marlin. It was an amazing half-day of fishing to break in the boat! This was my first time ever fishing a center-console, and I could not believe the maneuverability. We would hook a fish, turn around, and go catch it with such ease. We had a great time, and I have to say that I am now really sold on center-consoles. Another thing I found amazing was that running at 40 miles an hour, this boat was only burning 1 gallon per nautical mile.”
A video of that day the team posted on social media went viral, prompting numerous calls from prospective buyers. Soon Valhalla Uno was sold and on her way back to Florida; Royster immediately ordered a new 41-footer, which was on display at the 2020 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
According to Capt. Ryan Higgins, general sales manager for Valhalla Boat Sales South, Valhalla Dos is designed to be the ultimate billfish-catching center-console for the Pacific. “Since the boat will spend a good deal of time trolling, there’s an integrated teaser-reel box in the hardtop radar pod for the Miya Epoch US-6 12-volt teaser reels,” he says. “It’s rigged with 22-foot carbon-fiber telescoping outriggers with Gemlux heavy-duty bases and plenty of rod holders: 14 flush-mounted in the coaming, 10 more along the sides of the lounge, and six on the hardtop. There’s also forward bench seating, a huge console lounge, three Release Marine helm chairs with electric slides, aft-facing mezzanine seating, and flip-down transom seats. A Seakeeper 3 mounted in a dedicated location in the stringer grid reduces the boat’s roll by over 90 percent.”
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If the day’s plan calls for live-baiting, no problem: Valhalla Dos has a 94-gallon transom livewell with a clear lid and front viewing window, as well as an optional above-deck livewell in the forward section of the console lounge, also with a clear lid. A Hooker sea-chest system includes two variable-speed 4,500 gph pumps, with individual controls located inside the helm storage box. In another nod to her big-boat roots, the engine displays, autopilot, Icom VHF radio, Fusion stereo and other controls are located in the hardtop above the helm, with a trio of Garmin multifunction displays in the console.
Valhalla Dos is no slouch in the performance department either. Quadruple 400 hp Mercury Verado outboards, combined with the boat’s double-stepped hull, make the 41 a fast, efficient platform. “No one builds a boat like Valhalla, with this kind of quality,” Royster says. “All the options they’ve designed into the boat make it an outstanding performance center-console that’s perfect for our style of fishing here in Los Sueños.”
