Trust me, this article is about my test of a Silverton 33 Convertible, but let me begin with an aside.

The boating industry has launched a program called Grow Boating to help increase boater participation, and its publicists are stressing that boating is “affordable.” As gas prices have shot up, so has the price of fiberglass materials, which in turn drive the price of boats, creating a challenge for the entry-level cruiser.

Which is a roundabout way of coming to the point: team Silverton deserves a heap of praise for having developed a decent entry-level family cruiser priced at less than $190,000. Unlike her bigger luxurious siblings, the 33C is nothing fancy inside, but the finishes are attractive and the accommodations are very good for a 33-foot boat.

Mike Usina is Silverton’s vice president for sales and marketing. Usina says the 33C conforms to the construction level of the sport bridges and motor yachts, the largest of which is 50 feet. To manage costs, however, Silverton revamped production methods to achieve the savings needed to offer the 33 for less than $200,000. Silverton’s goal, Usina says, was to “seed the marketplace” with entry-level buyers.

Down at the docks in Ft. Lauderdale, my first impression of the 33C surprised me. As a traditionalist, I tend to admire vessels with the upswept sheer of a Down East lobsterboat. The designers at Silverton know their market so they opted for a more contemporary or “Euro” look. They went about their business sensibly, however; they did not give us what is derisively termed a “bubble boat.” The 33’s lines are both elegant and practical, and her conservatively drawn reverse sheer maximizes interior volume where it does the most good, amidships.

Convertibles descended from the sportfishing fleet, and the 33 has a cockpit sized for the task, but fishing is not the vessel’s primary mission; for example, there is no factory livewell option. “Her primary utility is to cruise,” Usina says. “You can throw out a line if you want and fish it, but you’re not going to tournament fish.”

With twin 6-liter Crusaders, 375hp each, the 33C can cruise the way many young families must—gotta get back home to work Monday. In our run off Lauderdale Beach, the test boat cruised at 20 knots and hit 30 at wide-open throttle. To borrow a rural Florida expression, the 33 accelerated to cruise with the urgency of a “scalded dog.” She handled well, too. Stability was none the worse even with the weight of five of us on the flying bridge during maneuvers.

Capt. Rich Murray was at the helm for most of the test. Three of us sat behind on a padded bench mounted to rails, while I was in the aft-facing seat molded into the bridge structure. Customers clearly must love molded stairs to the flying bridge because it is a feature that has become de rigeur on new bridge boats, but on the 33 it meant that the stairs opened at my feet.

Under way in seas it would be disconcerting to sit with your back to the direction of travel and face a big hole. Call me old fashioned, but a well designed ladder would have put the opening further aft, away from the seat and, unlike molded stairs, would not rob space from the saloon.

While I’m redesigning the bridge, I will admit admiring the look of the sweptback radar arch, fabricated from coated aluminum tubing. Had the flying bridge rails been made to match the arch instead of using the 1-inch stainless steel, they would have had a more unified look.

Back down stairs the cockpit has nice lazarette storage; it is a nested fiberglass insert big enough for lines and fenders; lift it out and set it aside for access to machinery beneath. The engineroom is accessed by lift panels in the saloon. Twin 5-liter Crusaders with V-drives come standard on the 33, but Usina says entry into the European market convinced Silverton to offer Yanmar 315 diesels as an option along with the 6-liters. The Yanmars would certainly burn less fuel, but their added cost would push the price up over Silverton’s $200,000 benchmark.

The galley-up and saloon layout is wonderfully social with a wraparound settee and table opposite a couch, which incidentally folds open into a double berth. The starboardside galley is fine for weekend service with a single electric burner and sink mounted in a Corian countertop. Beneath are cherry drawers, a cabinet and a half-size dual voltage fridge. A stainless faced microwave is flush mounted into a matching wood panel.

Down below, the master has a queen berth to starboard and hanging locker. The wet head is really pretty big for a 33, and that allows for a 360-degree shower curtain, so towels and toiletries don’t get soaked during use. Silverton’s designers really scored big, however, with the second stateroom with yet another queen-size berth, a hanging locker and enough standing room for changing clothes. This is the kind of feature that can make a huge difference in enjoyment when more than two people set off for an overnight adventure on the water.

Silverton used to produce models under 30 feet, so in a sense producing an entry-level product is a return to its roots. In the 33C, the folks in Millville, New Jersey, have designed a boat to fit the cruising styles and (one hopes) the budgets of young families. This is surely one of the best ways to grow boating. Silverton Marine, (877)863-5268; www.silverton.com

Silverton 33

LOA..........................32'7"

Beam........................12'8"

Draft ...........................2'7"

Deadrise...........14 degrees

Weight dry..........16,000lbs.

Fuel......................208 gal.

Water......................82 gal.

Holding Tank............30 gal.

Headroom...................6'6"

Sleeping capacity.............6