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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Silverton 43 Motor Yacht
What the published record establishes about this model, what owners report,
and the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page is about the
MODEL — a specific hull always gets its own homework.
A high-volume aft-deck motor yacht that Loops well at trawler speed but is a lot of boat: engine choice (diesel vs. gas) and measured air draft drive everything.
The Silverton 43 Motor Yacht is a wide-beam, high-profile aft-cabin cruiser from the mid-2000s. Most were fitted with diesels (Cummins 6CTA 8.3L ~430–450 hp or Volvo Penta TAMD74/75 ~480 hp), though some larger Silverton motor yachts of the era were sold with gas engines — confirm which your boat has, because it changes range, reliability, and Loop suitability materially. It can idle along near 8 knots like a trawler for economical Loop cruising or run into the low 20s to make a bridge or dodge weather. Note that "Silverton 43" also refers to a separate 43 Sport Bridge hull; this profile is the aft-deck Motor Yacht.
How to read this: 🟢 Fact = confirmed against a document, spec sheet,
or owner. Everything else — Claim, Pattern, Question, Context — is not yet
verified: things to check, not settled truth. Sources are linked where published.
Range & fuel burn
CONTEXT
Runs economically at trawler speed but expensively on plane
A diesel 43 MY owner (Cummins 450s) reported roughly 5.8 gph at 8 knots, rising to about 6.5 gph with the generator running — modest burn giving useful displacement-speed range. On plane the boat cruises around 18–19 knots with top speed in the low 20s, but planing burn is several times higher per mile. The Loop-friendly strategy is to cruise slow and hold the speed reserve for making a bridge opening or outrunning weather.
src:
Trawler Forum; HMY powerboat guide; Loop Captain
CLAIM
Diesel fuel capacity is roughly 400 gallons
Owner reports reference tanks around 400 gallons, which at ~5.8 gph and 8 knots implies a comfortable multi-hundred-mile displacement-speed range before reserve. A broker listing quoted a range near 300 NM for a Cummins boat, reflecting planing use rather than trawler-speed cruising.
src:
Trawler Forum; Tampa Yacht Sales
Air draft
CLAIM
High-profile hardtop and radar arch make air draft the key Loop measurement
This is a tall, high-volume motor yacht with a hardtop and radar arch, and published listing figures for air draft disagree with each other. The route's controlling clearances are shown elsewhere in the app; what matters here is that the boat's height is near the margin and must be measured, not trusted to a listing. A hinged radar arch or the portion above the aft hardtop is a known reduction option discussed for comparable motor yachts.
src:
GreatLoop.org/AGLCA classifieds; Tampa Yacht Sales; Trawler Forum
Your move: Measure actual air draft with everything raised (antennas, bimini, arch), then identify what can be lowered or hinged and by how much, and get the measured figure in writing.
Handling
CLAIM
High windage — docking in wind takes practice and a bow thruster helps
The 43's tall SideWalk-design profile gives it a lot of windage; reviewers and owners note skippers must take extra care docking in strong winds. A bow thruster is called a worthwhile option and eases close-quarters handling in the tight marinas and locks of the Loop.
src:
Yachting magazine review; The Hull Truth
Your move: Confirm whether a bow (and stern) thruster is fitted and functional, and factor a retrofit into the budget if not.
Draft
CLAIM
Shallow draft is an asset for the Loop
Listings show maximum draft under about 4 feet, which is comfortable for the shallow stretches, anchorages, and canal sections of the Loop. Confirm the loaded figure on your hull, since cruising gear, fuel, and water add trim.
src:
GreatLoop.org/AGLCA classifieds; Tampa Yacht Sales
Reading the boat
QUESTION
Is this the 43 Motor Yacht or the 43 Sport Bridge?
Silverton used the '43' designation for two different boats: the aft-deck 43 Motor Yacht and a separate 43 Sport Bridge on a different hull mold. They have different layouts and cruising characteristics, so listing photos and hull ID matter when comparing.
src:
HMY powerboat guide
Your move: Confirm the model designation on the hull identification number and match it to the aft-deck Motor Yacht layout rather than the Sport Bridge.
Engines
The engines research — factory options, tested performance,
and the engine-specific questions our members' dossiers carry — is part of the
full profile inside the product. It travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
Looking at a specific 43 Motor Yacht?
This page is the model's story. The product reads an actual listing against it —
your requirements, the hard gates, the record cross-checks, and the questions ready
to send. See a full
sample dossier first if you like.
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