New Silver Streak

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I am thinking of making the plunge and getting an 18' Hard Top Silver Streak built. Are there any suggestions on what options to get and what to avoid? Or any negative/positive feedback on Silver Streak? I want to keep it as inexpensive as possible without skipping anything important. I like the idea of a self bailing deck and a walkthrough windshield.

I'm also hoping to find a good used outboard to keep the price down. I've been told 115hp is plenty and yet others insist on 150hp. There seems to be way more used 115s for sale especially camp returns, but I'm concerned this will make the boat underpowered.

Thanks for any suggestions. I'm hoping this boat will be the perfect fishing machine for decades and want to make sure I get it right.
 
I have a 18' Center Console Silverstreak with a 115 Yami 4 stroke. It is no rocket by any means. 25knot cruise 32knots top speed. If you always are light loaded a 115 is adequate but barely. I would personally opt for the 150 if I were starting from scratch. Pretty tough to do a self bailer on a hull that small. I don't think Silverstreak offers it until you get to the 20' models. Mine has the floors all welded in and a sump area in the back with a bilge pump where all the water drains to. Pretty decent design and no crud gets in the cracks like non sealed floor boards. Overall it is a great little boat and quite capable for its size.
 
If your spending that kind of money put a few more bucks out and get the 150hp. You will be happy that u did
 
I have a 18' Center Console Silverstreak with a 115 Yami 4 stroke. It is no rocket by any means. 25knot cruise 32knots top speed. If you always are light loaded a 115 is adequate but barely. I would personally opt for the 150 if I were starting from scratch. Pretty tough to do a self bailer on a hull that small. I don't think Silverstreak offers it until you get to the 20' models. Mine has the floors all welded in and a sump area in the back with a bilge pump where all the water drains to. Pretty decent design and no crud gets in the cracks like non sealed floor boards. Overall it is a great little boat and quite capable for its size.

Thanks. I think I will try to find a 150hp. I imagine your boat is a but lighter being a CC too.

Silver Streak does offer a self bailing deck in the 18'. It's only in the back half of the boat because it wouldn't allow for enough head height under the hard top. There's a draining channel leading to the bilge pump for any water that gets in the front. The self bailing deck does take away quite a bit of freeboard making it necessary to weld rails around the back, further adding to the cost. It becomes quite an expensive upgrade, and I'm not sure if it's worth it.
 
I agree that a self-bailing deck might be tough to accommodate on a smaller craft. Further, I don't think it's necessary. If you find yourself in weather that would necessitate a self bailing deck in an 18ft boat, then you have probably made a big boo-boo in planning for the weather.

There is another option other than a 150HP... look at the 140HP Suzuki. They are less expensive than Yamahas and Hondas, and they are fantastic motors. They have exactly the same displacement at the DF115, it's just hopped up a bit. That means extra horsepower, and no additional weight. To move up to the 150HP (at least in the Zukes) you get 50.2 more cubic inches of displacement, but it costs you 70 lbs or so. The power to weight ratio for the DF140 is 0.354, where the 150 come in at 0.314. All things considered, when you factor in the mass, the DF140 is about 11% more powerful, pound for pound.

You can do similar calculations on any make of outboard to figure out where you best bang is going to be. I just chose the Suzuki because I have experience with them and they are typically the lower priced of the three big import manufacturers. If you dig on Hondas, Yammies, or mercs, then do some math on them. Sometimes, jumping to the bigger HP kills you because you move into a bigger block, ad the benefits of that block size are not realized until they move up in displacement (increased bore and/or stroke). Just remember that on smaller boats, the weight is as important to consider as the power.
 
I'm by no means an expert and don't mean to hijack this thread, but I've seen a few people with Silverstreaks come in to the Gas Dock where I work, and me being the chatty person that I am talked to them about mods, 2 people had self bailing decks, and said they would not if they could start over, 1 said that he had twin 1100GPH automatic bilge pumps, and this along with a separate battery cost him a fraction of a self bailing deck. He was happy with it. All the boats had 150's on them.

I think If you were to go without the self bailing deck, you can spend that money on other toys.... my $.02
 
While self bailers are handy I still maintain the are hard to execute on a hull smaller than 22'-23' or so. Even some 24' boats I have been in you better have your boots on if two decent size adults stand in one back corner. I would try to take a demo ride on a 18' SS with a self bailing back deck and have the salesman get in the back corner with you and see what happens. Self bailers do rock if you pick a lot of shrimp and crab gear. Just hose all the debris out the scuppers! Also if you plan on mooring the boat you don't have to worry as much about a bilge pump crapping out and the boat sinking from accumulated rain water. There is much upside to a self bailer but probably not feasible in that hull.
 
Thanks for the great info guys! I'm definitely re-thinking the self bailing deck now. My dad had one in a 21' Wolf many years ago and it was great, but that was a completely different, much larger boat.

The 140 Suzuki is an option. I've owned one before and it was a great motor. Unfortunately it sold with my last boat and it's still a bit pricey to buy new, so it depends what I find used. I'll have a few months to search for one while the boat is being built.
 
I would get the walk through transom, non self bailing and spend as much as you can for best engine and 150hp
 
Hopefully my opinion is welcome here.

With a non self bailing boat you are depending on an electrical bilge pump and a battery to prevent the boat from sinking.....think about that for a moment.

Also, if you are starting with a new boat why would you cheap out on the most important part.....the motor? You would be better off with a used boat and a new motor if you want to save money. Also, you will regret underpowering your boat. Been there done that.

These observations from someone who has been around boats for 50 yrs and been in the salmon guiding business for over 30 yrs.
 
I have a 2004, 20ft. SliverStreak runabout. Options to get:
- hardtop, soft tops need replacement
- walk through windshield, makes beaching easier, smaller and strong front windows
- full transom stern, get rids of engine well loss of space, makes it more sea worthy and the fish box there is invaluable
- 40 gallon fuel tank, increases range
- dual batteries with and ACR switch, one for starting , another for accessories, downriggers, etc.
- get a 150 hp motor anything less is underpowered
- I wish I got cabin doors, keeps things more secure and drier
- self bailing is not needed, get a good bilge pump and a manual pump
 
I tend to agree with the comments that others have made. maybe skip the self bailing floor and double up on a good dual bilge pump system... I think self bailing might be more trouble than it's worth in a small craft. especially if you find it loaded down in certain situations... another nice feature to think about having might be dual batteries and an acr... myself, i'd be looking for a used boat in good condition if looking for something in the 18 to 20' range. should be a few out there. new is nice though if you can afford it. fishtofino made a good point about self bailing floors though so it's kinda a hard question with lots of different opinions. if your going offshore at all maybe self bailing is something to give more consideration...
 
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Hopefully my opinion is welcome here.

Also, if you are starting with a new boat why would you cheap out on the most important part.....the motor? You would be better off with a used boat and a new motor if you want to save money. Also, you will regret underpowering your boat. Been there done that.

These observations from someone who has been around boats for 50 yrs and been in the salmon guiding business for over 30 yrs.

I'm hoping to find a "lightly used" outboard. Such as a one year old camp return or similar. I agree that a good motor is very important and I don't want to under-power the boat, but brand new outboards are very expensive.

I looked at used aluminum boats for a while and found many of the cookie cutter types. (Hewes, Thunderjet...etc, but while these might be great boats, they're not what I'm looking for. As for local, custom built aluminum boats in the 18-20' range I found very little, and what I did find was priced almost as high as new, unless it was ancient.

I'd rather pay slightly more and get exactly what I want. Also if I buy a used boat it's almost a definite that it will come with a used motor, so getting a used boat with a new motor is going to involve selling an old motor, along with installing a new one, and I doubt I'll come up ahead $$ wise.
 
I have a 2004, 20ft. SliverStreak runabout. Options to get:
- hardtop, soft tops need replacement
- walk through windshield, makes beaching easier, smaller and strong front windows
- full transom stern, get rids of engine well loss of space, makes it more sea worthy and the fish box there is invaluable
- 40 gallon fuel tank, increases range
- dual batteries with and ACR switch, one for starting , another for accessories, downriggers, etc.
- get a 150 hp motor anything less is underpowered
- I wish I got cabin doors, keeps things more secure and drier
- self bailing is not needed, get a good bilge pump and a manual pump

Thanks WITW. I was going to opt for the drop curtain instead of the cabin doors. The full bulkhead seems like it would really separate the people in the front of the boat from the people in the stern. I think it might be more difficult for fishing by myself too. Trying to see other boats from the stern could be more difficult. It's also about the most expensive upgrade there is. I do agree that it would be nice for safe, dry storage though, and on cold/rainy days.
 
Looks like a real 18 ' boat ? :p

Yes, as JAC mentioned, the race rocks edition is quite different. Thinner aluminum, 8" narrower, about 800lbs lighter...etc. I compared the two side by side in the shop and there is a very noticeable difference. Still a nice boat though. It would be easy to tow and economical.
 
I'm going to echo the importance of a self bailing deck. I wouldn't own a boat without one. If designed properly you will have minimal "wet feet" in the corner. Daigle has been building small boats with self bailers for years. I don't like the idea of relying on something electrical to keep me afloat and no stinky bilge to clean.

Go with the 150. Even if you don't need the power it is nice to not overwork the engine and you have the power when needed (loaded up with crew, coolers, and gear running in a swell etc.).
 
I am not an aluminum guy by any means, but I have to echo what sculps and Tofino both say,
self bailing all the way, before you know it your bilge will be full of fish blood and the pumps will never get it all out, you'll be forever hosing it out,
then comes the summer and the stink makes its way to the cabin.
another thing with the self bailing is your free to wash down the decks as much as you like while at sea, bilge area stays dry, no blood, and no smell,
been there-done that would never go back to a non bailing deck again
JMO take it for what its worth
 
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