Images of beautiful recently completed Valhallas have taken center stage in the last few V Report e-newsletters, including the first V-46 with a tuna tower. Now we shine the spotlight on the people and the place responsible for producing the finest center consoles in the world – Viking Mullica. It consists of three manufacturing buildings nested in the Pinelands of New Jersey, just 11 miles from the mothership in New Gretna. Viking Mullica’s 200-plus-strong workforce operates out of 88,000 square feet of manufacturing space with expansion projects underway that will add another 12,000 square feet.
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Just like their fellow shipwrights at Viking, the team at Mullica is led by experienced supervisors, foremen and leadmen. Veteran boatbuilders like Deck Assembly Foreman Joe LoSasso (red shirt) and Leadman Tito Hernandez (yellow shirt) are committed to building a better boat every day. Below, Tito installs the standard under-gunwale multi-color lighting on hull No. 40 of our Valhalla 33, and Fredis Paz (a 26-year Viking/Valhalla shipwright) fits an optional Gemlux stainless steel swivel rod holder in the coaming for the same boat.
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Here’s another long-time company man in action – Jhony Perla (yellow shirt), a Leadman in the Fiberglass Department who has been with Viking since 1996. Jhony and his team have just separated a V-46’s lower console liner from its mold and are now covering it with protective plastic. The liner serves as the base of the cabin where the dinette and galley are located.
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Each of the four Valhalla Boatworks models is built on a dedicated production line. Here’s a look at the lines for the Valhalla 41 and 46, showing a V-46’s console being readied before installation. Below, Leadman Alex Alicea (yellow shirt) works with Igmar Cruz to prep the console’s upper liner for insertion of its headliner panels, and Elvis Rosales installs tubing that provides drainage to the deck for rod holders in the forward lounge.
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This is the first of two expansion projects that will provide an additional 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space at Viking Mullica. The above 6,000-square-foot structure will join Buildings 2 and 3. In the second project, scheduled to begin later this year, Building 1 be expanded by 6,000 square feet. As you can see, Viking Mullica is a pretty amazing place, thriving and poised for growth.
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