Silver Streak or Double Eagle

allanb76

allanb76

Crew Member
I very rarely post here, but I've been trying to decide between 2 boats for quite some time now and thought maybe some members here might have experience with both. I've narrowed my new boat purchase down to a brand new Silver Streak Challenger 18'6" or a Double eagle 206. Use would be primarily for fishing the east coast of VI (I live n Nanaimo) with the odd trip to the west coast. I love the idea of much lower maintenance on an aluminum, but wonder if it will ride as nice as a double eagle. Running 50HP less on the SS is also a big bonus. I don't imagine the fuel prices are ever going anywhere but up. I've heard the SS ride great but have never ridden in a well built aluminum.
 
allanb76 said:
I very rarely post here, but I've been trying to decide between 2 boats for quite some time now and thought maybe some members here might have experience with both. I've narrowed my new boat purchase down to a brand new Silver Streak Challenger 18'6" or a Double eagle 206. Use would be primarily for fishing the east coast of VI (I live n Nanaimo) with the odd trip to the west coast. I love the idea of much lower maintenance on an aluminum, but wonder if it will ride as nice as a double eagle. Running 50HP less on the SS is also a big bonus. I don't imagine the fuel prices are ever going anywhere but up. I've heard the SS ride great but have never ridden in a well built aluminum.
Click to expand...
Test drive both. You want to get it right.
 
No comparison. Double eagle all the way. A 206 is a much bigger/better boat and will give you more access to areas if your planning on fishing WCVI etc. Bamfield even occcasionally. The silverstreeak will pound vs the double eagle.
 
Rolls Royce or Cadillac ?
SS will cost more, but less maintenance, DE will ride better and you have a cuddy
available.
comes down to personal preference.
 
I have a 206 and Aluminum 17'5 centre console ,bought the 206 a couple years back, fun boat ,good ride ,but does require hull maintaince ,has a better range than CC in respect to weather and water conditions. Aluminum fell into my lap so to speak ,my kids use it,bullet proof ,can be beached,less gas ,can leave it in the water for extended periods of time then just pressure washed off. Buy both???
 
I believe the SS is a podded boat? It will easily have twice the fishing space if not more than the DE. The 206 usually has sleeper seats and an enormous motor well in the back that eats up a lot or room. Ride and cuddy will be better in the DE as I find most alloy boats under the 21’ mark are light and can suffer from some pounding with some water conditions....short chop especially. I just pulled my new alloy boat yesterday and cleaned it up. It took my about a quarter of the time my glass boat use to take me. Like has been mentioned you need to drive them both and preferably fish them both and have a checklist of wants and needs as you go.
 
I had a 206 DE until last year,ride was good(not great)my Aquasport rides better,hardtop height was great,cuddy height not so good,fishing space limited,build quality good (other than wiring) and they used wood in construction.Silver Streak build quality is excellent,but as "ReelSlim" says it can't ride as well due to it's weight mostly.A cousin of mine has the Silverstreak 20 ET and I was very impressed.If your like me and don't go out on the windy day's I'd go for the aluminum.I'd definetely go for the extended transom model.
 
Thanks for all the input. The SS is a podded boat, so yes, it's really closer to 21'. As far as fishing space goes, it might have a bit more, but the DE 206 has a lot more storage. Towing wouldn't be an issue for any boat I'm looking at as I drive a 3/4 ton diesel. I do agree that riding in both to compare would be ideal. The SS dealer I've been to will only do a sea trial as a subject after an accepted offer, which I guess is still easy enough to bail out of if it pounds too much. I have yet to find a DE 206 EXT on a lot...they sell too fast and don't make a lot of them. I believe there's a soft top one in Victoria I'll go check out closer.
 
I went to the silver streak two seasons ago from a double eagle. Although it was from a 17 DE to a 18 SS it was a huge difference in fishing space. The 18.5 is a beautiful boat I would have it any day over a glass boat the SS is built very solid and is all you will need on both sides of the island, I use mine off Ucluelet . A friend of mine has a 20ft DE and wants to go aluminum. The SS is the way to go I would say and will always hold its value.
 
The best part of the 206 DE is the hardtop,it's 6Ft.4in. high and the cuddy is large other than I couldn't sit upright in it.. If your looking at a used one make sure you check out the transom,they are plywood core and absorb water if not sealed properly.My boat came with the original bill of sale ,it was over $70K in 2006 with all the rigging and tax.I don't know what they want for them now,I know they are very hard to find due to slow production,but I'm pretty sure it would be more than the Silver Streak.
 
If you are in the lower mainland come for a rip in my 18’6 hardtop challenger. I love the boat and the total EASE of maintenance, launching when solo and towing with my Tacoma just to name a few. Oh and suspension seats are REQUIRED, or better yet just stand when going through chop.
 
if you’re still looking at viewing a 206 PM me you can take a look at mine (not for sale though , lol) .

I haven’t been out in a SS before but I do like the ride in the double eagle .

I’m sure you cant go wrong with either . These are some of the better boats on the water in that size range.

JF
6915BFFE-943C-439F-8D72-A4E1B936F8FB.png CBF51AAB-9A1D-40A7-95DF-116D8973C39D.jpeg
 
Great pictures of the 206 show the plus's and minus's of the DE,now we need pictures of the Silver Streak to do a side by side comparison.My DE had a 225 Yam. and wasn't overpowered. A 115Yam.would probably be fine on the SS, tough choice of 2 good boats.
 
Rayvon said:
Great pictures of the 206 show the plus's and minus's of the DE,now we need pictures of the Silver Streak to do a side by side comparison.My DE had a 225 Yam. and wasn't overpowered. A 115Yam.would probably be fine on the SS, tough choice of 2 good boats.
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t go 115. My 150 is perfect for the boat. Sips fuel as you don’t need to work the motor hard to move the boat.
 
AndrewH said:
I wouldn’t go 115. My 150 is perfect for the boat. Sips fuel as you don’t need to work the motor hard to move the boat.
Click to expand...
I will check, thanks. I thought they only had a soft top version. I looked at one this morning at Sherwood in Victoria. I do like the price as it would be a bit cheaper than the SS in the end, but the ruggedness/maintenance has me leaning toward the SS.
 
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