The Haabestad family was all smiles recently as they took delivery of SKÖL, a gorgeous Valhalla 46 hailing out of Stone Harbor, New Jersey. “It has been my lifelong dream to own a boat like this,” says Peter Haabestad (second from left), shown with his wife Wendy and sons Graham (left) and Reed (right). “After raising three children and working hard for many years as a self-made businessman, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.” | |
Powered with quad Mercury 600s, SKÖL (the Danish-Norwegian-Swedish word for “CHEERS”) features a faux teak transom, a custom Palm Beach Towers marlin tower and a personalized electronics package from Atlantic Marine Electronics. A red bottom with a white boot stripe and red pinstripe complement her Flag Blue hull. “We fell in love with hull No. 1, which was Flag Blue, and then we saw photos of another V-46 with a red bottom and white boot stripe on social media – and the rest is history,” says Peter. | |
Peter learned about Valhalla Boatworks (VBW) after discussing various center console brands with a good friend who has an extensive knowledge of boats. “He said, ‘Peter, stop messing around – the best center console on the market is built right here in New Jersey,’ ” recalls Peter. “And he was absolutely right.” | |
Several factors contributed to the Haabestads’ decision to join the Viking/VBW family. Not only were they blown away by the performance, quality and overall aesthetic appeal of the boat, they felt extreme confidence because they were buying from Viking – a continuously owned family business for 58 years. “The more I learned about the company and the Healey family the more I knew this was going to be the best possible choice,” adds Peter. “I have tremendous respect for family businesses like theirs. We need more of them.” | |
The Haabestads look forward to many memorable days on the water, fishing and cruising off of the Jersey coast and also bringing SKÖL to Florida for the winter months. “I grew up boating and fishing with my father, Bud, who owned a couple of different boats,” Peter says of his 89-year-old dad. “I’m very much looking forward to returning the favor and getting him on the Valhalla. He’s in great shape – and is more excited about this boat than I am!” Adds Wendy: “Our daughter, Brooke, who is away at school, is also very excited. We can’t wait to get the whole family together on the boat!” | |
After going with a traditional red-white-and-blue exterior color scheme (“We’re very patriotic,” says, Peter.), outfitting the cockpit and deck with a teak sole was a no-brainer. “Teak and boats go hand in hand,” says Peter. “It’s the best – not only does it look fabulous, you can’t beat that feeling of teak on your bare feet.” | |
SKÖL exudes a classic look, no doubt, but she also boasts plenty of advanced technology with a Seakeeper 6, Mercury joystick control at the main and tower helm stations, a sound system with upwards of 20 speakers, satellite communications, a 12kW genset and dual electrically actuated VHF antennas (for access under bridges). And the icing on the cake? A cockpit-facing 16-inch Garmin display, which will play a dual role for the family – “find fish but also watch the Birds … we’re big Eagles fans.” | |
For more information about the Valhalla 46, or any of our V Series models, please contact your authorized VBW dealer; you can also check out this recently released V-46 video, as well as this one showcasing a Flag Blue V-46 in action. | |
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