Silverton 43: A Boat Worth Buying?

Silverton has been building boats in New Jersey for many years and has a long heritage of producing sturdy, seaworthy vessels. The Silverton 43 Motor Yacht is no exception. With a length of 43 feet and a 14-foot beam, this boat offers a spacious interior with luxurious finishes and ample storage. The galley features a cooktop, convection oven/microwave, and dual-voltage refrigeration, while the saloon provides comfortable seating and entertainment options. The exterior of the boat is just as impressive, with a flybridge, aft deck, and foredeck offering plenty of space for outdoor living and entertaining. Overall, the Silverton 43 delivers on both space and speed, making it an ideal choice for family cruising and overnight boating trips.

Silverton 43's design and features

The Silverton 43 is a motor yacht that offers a unique blend of space and speed. With a length of 43 feet and a 14-foot beam, it provides ample room for luxurious accommodations and amenities. The interior is designed with a focus on family cruising, featuring a spacious saloon, galley, and multiple staterooms.

The saloon, with its impressive headroom of nearly 7 feet and expansive windows, feels more like a great room than a typical saloon on a 43-foot yacht. The L-shaped saloon settee can be converted into a comfortable berth, and the forward U-shaped dinette provides distinct "living room" and "dining room" areas. The galley, located a step lower than the main saloon, ensures that the cook remains part of the action while being out of the way. It is equipped with a Force 10 range, a dual-voltage refrigerator and freezer, a coffee maker, a stainless-steel sink, and ample storage options.

The Silverton 43 offers two stateroom layouts, each with its own unique features. The master stateroom, located forward, boasts a queen-size island berth with drawer and cabinet storage underneath. It also includes cedar-lined hanging lockers and a private master head with a split arrangement for the shower and toilet compartments. The guest stateroom, tucked beneath the dining area, provides a flexible sleeping arrangement with two single berths that can be converted into a double.

The exterior of the Silverton 43 is just as impressive as its interior. The SideWalk design, with its full-beam main cabin and integrated side decks, provides easy access fore and aft. The flying bridge offers additional outdoor living space with L-shaped settees and a helm station. The foredeck features a sunpad, and the swim platform is easily accessible via a staircase and includes a shower, mooring cleats, and a dockside plug-in.

The hull of the Silverton 43 is hand-laid with woven roving and Coremat to increase thickness and minimize print-through. The decks and portions of the superstructure are stiffened with balsa coring. The boat is powered by twin diesel engines, providing a responsive and quiet ride. Overall, the Silverton 43 combines luxurious accommodations, spacious living areas, and impressive performance, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a comfortable and stylish cruising experience.

Performance and handling

The Silverton 43 is a fun boat to drive. It is whisper quiet and never surpassed 72 decibels on the bridge during a sea trial. It planes easily around 1600 rpm and requires no tab in flat water. The test boat had power steering and required only a slight finger adjustment to respond.

The 43 has a moderate entry with strakes to control spray. Its after sections terminate with a transom deadrise of 17 degrees and propeller pockets help trim her draft to a modest 3 feet, 10 inches. The test boat was fitted with the optional 480 hp Volvo package, one of a variety of power options offered. The maximum speed recorded was 28.3 knots and a fast cruise of 25.9 knots at 2400 rpm. Given the 3-foot chop, the boat seemed most pleasant at a relaxing 21.3 knots (2100 rpm). At this speed, the engine electronics indicated a fuel burn of 31.4 gallons per hour. The 480 hp Volvos seem a good match for the 43. It accelerated evenly without noticeable smoke and reached maximum turns in about 25 seconds.

The 43 Sport Bridge planes with authority. It made comfortable way through three-to-five-foot headseas at 25 mph during a test. Running with seas on the aft quarter, the wettest tack for any boat, proved dry. It stayed on plane as it throttled back to 10.7 mph, a good attribute. If you get caught in a blow, you can still make headway and maintain steerage without resorting to idle speed.

Running downsea, the boat had a tendency to bow steer. It requires a bit more attention to the helm on this course than is ideal. You would have to eliminate the deep forefoot that helped slice through the headseas and widen the roomy stern to allay this characteristic, a tradeoff that wouldn't be worth it in a sedan.

Interior comfort and amenities

The Silverton 43 is jam-packed with luxury and comfort. The saloon has nearly 7 feet of headroom, expansive windows, and a 14-foot, 10-inch beam, giving it a spacious feel. The L-shaped saloon settee can be folded out to form a berth, and the forward U-shaped dinette provides "living room" and "dining room" areas. A 27-inch television is easily viewed from the settee, dinette, and galley. The cherry finish is well executed and varnished to a mirror-like finish.

The galley is a step lower than the main saloon, allowing the cook to remain part of the action while staying out of the way. It features a pullout pantry, overhead cabinets, pot and pan storage, and shelves for plates. It also includes a Force 10 range, a dual-voltage Norcold refrigerator and freezer, a Moen faucet, a coffee maker, a stainless-steel sink, and a standard microwave oven. The sole is a durable faux wood vinyl that is easy to wipe down.

The staterooms are separated from the galley and saloon area, providing maximum privacy. The forward guest stateroom features a queen berth and innerspring mattress, cedar-lined hanging lockers, an optional 13-inch TV/VCR, and a head. The master berth is catty-corner on the starboard side, creating plenty of floor space. It also includes a 13-inch flip-down LCD screen with a video player, which can be stowed in the overhead when not in use. The head is split, with the vanity between the shower and toilet compartments, a layout requested by customers to allow multiple people to get ready at the same time.

The interior of the Silverton 43 is filled with natural light from windows and side vent windows. The semi-gloss cherry interior, Ultraleather upholstery, and designer soft goods and accessories create a warm and inviting atmosphere. The domestic-style sofa in the seating area aft converts to a double berth, and there is also a curved sofa with internal drawer storage or optional dual recliners. An entertainment centre includes a 20-inch flat-panel TV that rises from a cabinet with the push of a button. Forward, it is a step up to the dinette area, which can comfortably seat four full-beam adults, and a step down to the galley. The dinette has a solid cherry table with a high-gloss finish. The master stateroom has a queen-size island berth, with drawer and cabinet storage underneath, as well as two cedar-lined hanging lockers.

Engine room and mechanicals

The Silverton 43's engine room reveals Silverton's decades of experience. On the test boat, the engines were slim, six-cylinder 480 hp Volvo 74 TAMD diesels, which were easily accessible and allowed for extensive service. Most of the sole is removable, providing access to the engines. A 10kW Kohler generator is also included and is serviceable. Silverton provides both a starting battery bank and a house bank. All wiring is colour-coded and neatly run.

The 43 has a moderate entry with strakes to control spray. The transom deadrise is 17 degrees, and propeller pockets help trim the draft to a modest 3 feet, 10 inches. The test boat was fitted with the optional 480 hp Volvo package, one of a variety of power options offered. The maximum speed recorded was 28.3 knots, and the fast cruise was 25.9 knots at 2400 rpm. With a 3-foot chop, the boat seemed most pleasant at a speed of 21.3 knots (2100 rpm). At this speed, the engine electronics indicated a fuel burn of 31.4 gallons per hour. The 480 hp Volvos seem well-matched to the 43, with even acceleration and no noticeable smoke.

The engines are mounted on powder-coated steel I-beams that are bolted to the forward engine room bulkhead and a web frame aft. This arrangement simplifies engine alignment and allows for better transmission of thrust to the hull structure, while also isolating engine noise and vibration. The setup works well on the 43, with minimal vibration and low sound levels at speed.

The 43 Sport Bridge's engine room also showcases robust construction and assembly techniques. The twin 480-bhp Volvo Penta TAMD 75P diesel inboards are through-bolted to steel I-beam engine beds, which are themselves bolted to structural bulkheads fore and aft. This installation method provides an exceptionally robust way to install engines, typically found only on large yachts and inlet-busting sportfishermen. It allows for a more even transmission of torque and thrust to the hull and enables the use of softer mounts, minimising vibration.

The wiring in the 43 Sport Bridge is well-supported and neatly run, with all terminals shrink-sealed to keep out moisture and prevent connections from vibrating loose. Silverton also pays close attention to chafe protection, using nylon grommets where cables pass through the forward bulkhead. However, it is important to thoroughly inspect the boat during your inspection, as some components may need to be corrected or replaced.

The hull-to-deck joint is another area of excellence in the 43 Sport Bridge. Instead of a common shoebox fit, Silverton connects the two major components via through-bolted horizontal flanges with a gasket sandwiched between them. This design allows the hull and deck to move in concert as the boat navigates through waves, minimising leaks and worries.

Comparison to other boats in its class

The Silverton 43 is a motor yacht that offers a lot in terms of space and luxury. But how does it compare to other boats in its class?

Firstly, the Silverton 43 is a step up from its predecessor, the Silverton 39 Motor Yacht, which already offered a lot in terms of comfort and amenities. The 39's low profile and wide stance make for an excellent ride, but the 43 improves on this with even more space and headroom, giving it a "great room" feel. The Silverton 43 is also comparable in size to the Silverton 39, measuring 43 feet, 7 inches in overall length with a 14-foot beam.

When it comes to other boats in its class, the Silverton 43 Sport Bridge is a competitor to the Carver 42 Mariner and the Sea Ray 420 Sedan Bridge. These boats offer similar features and amenities, but the Silverton 43 stands out for its exceptional durability, robust construction, and responsive handling. The engine installation in the Silverton 43 is typically found only on large yachts and inlet-busting sportfishermen, and the hull-to-deck joint design minimizes leaks and worries.

In terms of space and amenities, the Silverton 43 Motor Yacht offers a galley with ample storage, a real oven, and a dual-voltage refrigerator and freezer. The saloon provides a great room feel with its high headroom and expansive windows, and the staterooms offer maximum privacy and clever use of space.

Overall, the Silverton 43 is a strong competitor in its class, offering a unique blend of space, speed, luxury, and durability. It is an ideal platform for family cruising and those seeking a comfortable and responsive boat for open water cruising.

Frequently asked questions