When It Comes to West Coast Marlin Fishing,

the game is played a little differently than almost anywhere else in the world. Sight fishing for bills using live bait along with run and gun tactics complement trolling in this big game world.

If you want to play with the best you better design a boat to outrun and outgun the best, and that's what the Bad Company Edition Viking is made to do. It combines the incredible east coast tradition and performance of Viking Yachts with over 100 years of west coast tournament fishing experience and makes for one killer boat design.

Utilizing new tooling, including Viking's million dollar 5 axis profiler along with almost 2000 hours of research, design and engineering, Team Bad Company and Viking Yachts created one of the best sportfishers to ever get wet. With direction from Team Bad Company owner Anthony Hsieh, Team Bad Company Captain Steve Lassley and the rest of both teams, designs were refined until the boat that they desired went from dream to reality. Captain Lassley told me that they could "never repay Viking for the opportunity and support in designing the new boats."

At the 2008 Miami Boat Show, two of the instigators behind this sportfishing beast, Captains Steve Lassley and Peter Grossbeck took me around hull number 5, a 60-foot Bad Company Edition Viking and gave my camera and I full run of the boat from bilge to bridge and way above. Smooth lines and an attention to detail greeted me at every turn.

At the Helm

The heart of any serious fishing operation sits at the center of action and on the Bad Company edition, that center could double for the CIC on a battleshipThe heart of any serious fishing operation sits at the center of action and on the Bad Company edition, that center could double for the CIC on a battleship. The helm station that Captain Lassley designed is flanked by well situated master controls for the radar, electronics and powerplant on the right and a Furuno CH-37 Phased Array 360-degree sonar monitoring all that happens below from the left.

This sector scan sonar is one of the features designed into the Bad Company Edition and represents a new era in electronics. The controls on the right are carefully thought out allowing easy access to the most used tools while the compartment can be half closed to cover and protect the less often used items. While leaving unexcelled visibility forward, three 17-inch full color Furuno displays offer traditional readouts from GPS, Radar, and fishfinders along with night vision and real-time camera feeds from throughout the boat. Communication between crew in the cockpit or tower is achieved through headsets to ensure that nothing is missed.

Full Visibility, Unmatched Function.

Maneuverability at the dock or on the ocean is well served from the Release Marine captain's chair with all controls easy and comfortable to reach. To move in tight spaces the controls are aided by a bow thruster - the controls sitting at the captain's thumb tips on either throttle. Engine readouts, autopilot controls and radios are housed in a dropdown box above, leaving them easy to view and use from the captain's position on the bridge. The helm is flanked on the right by a second captain's chair while built in seating and compartments ring the outside of the bridge. Cabinets are molded into every available space leaving plenty of room for dry storage while the seating remains comfortable for a number of guest or crew. Bridge teaser reels are tucked away in the fiberglass hard top in perfect position for the captain to control as a hungry billfish comes charging the spread.