About the boat
The boat is a Skilsø 35 Panorama bought from Viknes in 2024. Mine is their demo boat, and the same exact boat is in the pictures found here:
https://www.viknes.no/en/product/skilso-35-panorama
In case the link stops working or they change the images, it is always possible to see the saved page in the WayBack Machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240801143402/https://www.viknes.no/en/product/skilso-35-panorama/
On order I had some customizations done. The bowsprit was changed for a different one, a front anchor was installed, a water filter added (more on that later), and a rear view camera. I would have asked for a bunch more things, had I known they were available at the yard – the prices for the extras are in many cases significantly lower than retrofitting things later.
Why this boat?
For a 35 foot boat there is a lot on offer, which is very unique in the class. Probably the closest comparison from a powertrain perspective is a Nimbus 365 Coupe, which can also be had with a single shaft, but the space inside is incomparable. Especially the standing headroom.
The main selling point was the centre cabin, which is better than on many larger boats. You have a double bed where you can sit upright on the entire length and additionally a single bed (with a lower ceiling). So you have 5 berths.
The way they did it was by creating a midship helm position and pushing the walkway to the side, that way it does not intrude into the center cabin and the ceiling is flat. Also you don’t have to duck down when going down the stairs.
The second big advantage is the rear cockpit, which is large and fully enclosed. The high-low electric table allows to convert it into a massive pad, which allows to create a great playground for small kids (when enclosed of course).
From other equipment, I’d like to mention the side gate, which is amazing. Just open the side door, pop open the gate and step onto the dock:
Another must-have option is the door/cover separating the saloon from the cabins and head. Closing it significantly reduces noise when underway.
Finally – having a semi-planing hull on shaft drive is quite important, as to get anywhere exciting from Tallinn you first have to cross the Gulf of Finland, and unless you want to wait for a long time for perfect weather, you need something with good seakeeping ability.
Nothing is perfect
There are a bunch of things that could be solved much better on the boat, and also a couple of smaller defects that were present on delivery, and I’ve not yet had luck to get the dealer/yard to fix. Hopefully after they are back from vacation in September.
This blog is to document the issues, modifications, improvements and installation of additional equipment.
I would like to give a shoutout to this website for inspiration to start a similar process: http://nbmarine.se/skilsobygge/dagbok_skilso.html