Silverton

S

susanandlance

Well-Known Member
Feb 10, 2011
2,865
Florida
Boat Info
2007 Sea Ray 36 Sedan Bridge
Engines
8.1 mercruisers
I know this shouldn't be discussed here, but here goes anyway. Have any of you large boat owners had any experience w/silverton boats?? Started looking at them because of their cabin lay out. One was a 322 motoryacht, the other a 37 motoryacht. It seems I hear Luhrs made these boats, is that true?? Thanks for any input any of you might have, the admiral loves the room in the salon of both of these boats.
 
3596592_0_20110616095418_20_0.jpg
This is an example, a 372 motoryacht
 
Lance,

A couple of my buddies had early 90's 34 & 37' convertables. I loved those boats. The PO of my boat however says they are junk! I don't know why. I think they have pretty solid hulls and I've been in the Ocean and Gulf on them and they had a decent ride. I can't give you the engineering aspect of them, only the percieved end use. I would purchase one if so inclined personally. I actually almost bought a Silverton 392 MY with diesels before I bought my current boat. I LOVED the whole layout of that boat.

Good luck with the hunt!
 
A guy on my dock has one and has nothing but good things to say about it....He bought used and I would say it is a 2001 to 2003 34-36 convertable......He uses the boat a lot and has two young kids......He said he got so much more boat than for a similiar searay......His salon is actually very well layed out with wrap around couch....Do what is right for you, useage and price point......
 
I appreciate your input guys, I think the admiral is nearing the end of trailer time, and I'm not too far behind....... So, the boat would be at a marina (no kidding), and would be coming down on our weekends (week days for us, LOL), so when we weren't out on the hook somewhere, we'd probably stay at the marina, therefore the important room/layout thing comes in to play. Before our 280, we had a 97 250 we kept at chesapeake city, in maryland. I know the up keep was more, but we sure used the boat more often, for sure:grin:
 
Bridog said:
No, that's an example of FUGLY. Sorry, just my opinion. I would hope the interior makes up for the exterior. Keep the SR. Brian
Click to expand...
Kinda looks like the top canvas is on backwards.....
and rather Baylinerish
 
Aft canvas of bridge sloaping down to the aft hard top I suppose........
 
No, it's because of the slanted radar support. That boat looks like a big sail to me. Have fun on a windy day! There were 2 at a marina in SF and I could not help but think they are brutal to handle in the wind. Maybe that's why I always saw them berthed....
 
Sorry Bridog, there's no comparison of that boat to my lil' 280, I've owned 6 searays and love them, don't get me wrong, but the room in these boats I like, also like the hard top on the back, no sorry-ass canvas leaks dripping on my head. LOL
 
Luhrs Marine makes Luhrs, Silverton and Mainships. The 372 was later renamed the 392. The only change I've noticed is the galley cabinetry changing from a white laminate to wood.

As you compare models, take note: The 322 is not the predecessor to the 352. Those are different models and the 352 is substantially larger. The 322 is a decidedly tall and narrow boat. Almost awkward if you ask me. I've known a few people with 322's and it's quirks wore on them quickly.

Even the 352 has some awkwardness. For example, it CANNOT plane without trim tabs. However, the "Sidewalk" design DOES produce a cavernous interior. Silverton does a nice job with cabinetry and trim. Fit and finish is respectable. Like all production mfrs, they cut some corners. The rails tend to be flimsy. Some of the hardware is cheap plastic. MSD's are lower-end, as are many of the HVAC units. I've noticed that similar to Meridian and Maxum, Silverton will sometimes choose to ignore a storage opportunity, but I respect that over the alternative of installing cheaply made cabinets and doors etc. An example of this is the master stateroom in the 372 and 392. SeaRay would've put built-ins all around, where Silverton choose to leave the walls plain.

I've never been in the ER of the 322. The 352 has some tight spots. The 372/392 is very comfortable to work on. Diesels are rare in the Sidewalk boats. Most that I have seen have Crusaders. A few have Mercs. Most of the 372/392's I've seen have 8.2's. By no means fast or efficient, but comfortable with plenty of weight and beam.
 
Kind of like this but this one is much better looking...

P1000789.jpg
 
And now, introducing the 2012 Silverton 372 Shoedancer !! Thanks Rondds for helping me install the canvas!
 

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HUMPH said:
Kind of like this but this one is much better looking...

View attachment 23241
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I can't disagree w/you there HUMPH........ Just starting a long looking process, thats all for now. All I know is I moved from a 97 250 to 01 280, and have out grown that one in 1 yr, unbelieveable!!! I'm still looking at a 340 though, i like them alot, but 1 yr later the admiral has it over loaded also??? LOL
 
susanandlance said:
I can't disagree w/you there HUMPH........ Just starting a long looking process, thats all for now. All I know is I moved from a 97 250 to 01 280, and have out grown that one in 1 yr, unbelieveable!!! I'm still looking at a 340 though, i like them alot, but 1 yr later the admiral has it over loaded also??? LOL
Click to expand...

A agree that Silverton does not have very appealing styling.

I don't think you will over load a 340 in one year unless you start trying to move furniture on board. They have a TON of storage. A friend of mine went from an '07 340 to an '09 38DA and his only complaint was lack of storage on the 38 compared to his 340. He actually had to take quite a bit of "stuff" home. He then quickly upgraded to a 44DA.
 
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Do yourself a favor and find one or 2 Silvertons in your area that are 5 years older than your boat and go look at them. There is no comparison in how well the gelcoat and interiors hold up. If that doesn't convince you, then go look at a 10 year old Silverton, if you can find one, and compare it to a 10 year old Sea Ray.


Aside from how well they hold up, be very very careful of trying to buy maximum interior room in a mid 30's ft boat. You generally get floating tennis shoes or the box they came in with very little design attention to the exterior esthetics or how well they do what a boat is supposed to do . The result is usually an inefficient boat that doesn't perform well in any sea conditions. To get a decent looking boat with reasonable performance and good interior space you need to be thinking about 40'+ bridge boats......i.e. 400DB, 420DB, 370DB w/diesels, or even a mid 40' Dancer.
 
Thanks Frank and Jason, you both bring up very important items to take into consideration and I appreciate your inputs. After #6 Searay, it would be difficult not to make it #7, thanks again.
 
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