Considering a Parker....Please help

[tracey]

I need some help here. So any opinions would be great. I'm pretty familiar with Parker boats and I believe they are well built to say the least. My experience is with there center consoles, both the deep vee and modified vee hulls. I have never been on a pilot house model unless it was sitting in the parking lot. A friend of mine is looking at a 01' , 2520 Pilot House with a deep vee hull. I believe it has 21 degrees of deadrise at the transom. It is a diesel powered boat with a stern drive. The engine is a 4.2 liter that is rated at 250 hp. The gentleman who owns the boat say it cruises at 25 knots and will run 30 wide open.

This boat is going to be used off shore and to cruise.

My questions are.......Is this boat under powered. (speed is not a priority)

How seaworthy are the pilot house models and how will this boat handle our typical forcasts 2-4, 3-5, 4-6?

Thanks for your help.

Oh...By the way, My name is Ben. I'm from North Carolina and I fish out of Morehead. Thanks for having me.

 

[B-Faithful]

You may want to contact this guy and get his thoughts:

http://classicparker.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=255

 

[Megabyte]

Welcome aboard Ben!

I have to tell you... a 2001 Parker 2520 that is diesel powered is a pretty rare and much sought after boat. 8)
We have members here who have inboard and I/O diesel models of that hull.

She won't be fast, but she sure will be economical, and will be a beauty to own. :wink:
Good luck!

 

[tracey]

Thanks for the input and the welcome. I'm supposed to sea trial this boat in a couple of weeks. The owner is out of town at the present. I'd like to be on it tomorrow if it were possible. :lol:

The current owner claims the boat will cruise a 25 kts and top out at 30. We don't have a whole lot of days where you can run that fast out of Morehead. I'm most concerned about the ride, and it being a safe and seaworthy platform to introduce my two young daughters to offshore fishing with. Of course that would only be when it's real nice.
As for me and my fishing partners......well.... we can take a little bit of a beating.

 

[dcunniff]

Not underpowered. 250 HP was minimum HP with the IO. Should likely have a Bravo III drive that will act like a 275 HP.

4-6' is a big wave for any Parker unless you slow down, or unless they are spaced out. Pilot house 25' Parkers splash in head and quarter seas.

Those speeds are attainable. I have a gas version 2530 and cruise at 25-27 mph.

The boat rides well, just have to pick the average speed, slow down for the waves, and know when to keep the windows closed!

Dana

 

[B-Faithful]

Purely guessing but I dont think you can compare gas to diesel power in this boat. A diesel engine is going to turn more pitch due to torque and the duoprop will really bite the water and reduce prop slip. I bet a 250 diesel will push a 25' parker nicely. Just a guess.

 

[WhalinDave]

I have the Volvo powered sterndrive with duoprop. It is rated at just a hair over 200 hp. It is no speed demon compared to other boats I have owned, but I now greatly appreciated the comfort of the pilot house over speed. I cruise at 22 and top out at around 27 - 29 depending on the load. I also enjoy the fuel economy but the recent increase in diesel cost negates that part of the equation.

Good Luck in your decision making.

 

[BilltheGil]

Ben,

I have the '99 2520 Deep V with the 4.2 Liter D-Tronic Merc Diesel and Bravo III outdrive. It cruises at 21-22 kts @ 3Krpm and tops out at about 33 kts. Fuel economy is an impressive 3 kmpg.

It is a very smooth, smoke free, instant starting, a very sweet running engine. My boat drives more like a bus, not exactly nimble. A very safe, stable and secure ride, with the boat seeming much bigger than it is. Plus you get your bones vibrated and massaged by the diesel all day. I happen to like this aspect (but not the noise). For me it's all part of that diesel mystique...

Oh yes, the bad news. This engine has very questionable reliability, poor marinization, generally lousy service and you will get an engine that could go pop at any moment. I don't want to go into the all the details, better to call me to discuss. 415 518 5028.

I would get it IF I was able to afford at a future date upgrading to a Yanmar. It uses the same 4.2 Liter block, will couple to a Bravo III and I belive the engine will fit nicely into the large engine box. It's a nice back up plan.

Bill

 

[tracey]

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. I will certainly give you a call. Thanks again, Ben

 

[pelagic2530]

DIESEL 2520 :shock:!!!!!! snap that thing up ASAP!!!!!!!!!!

otherwise, safety is not a concern, Parkers are built like brick $h*thouses, everyone on here will tell you the same.

good luck whatever you decide, hope to see you around!

 

[tracey]

Guys, Thanks for all your input. It is much appreciated. Special thanks to Billthegil, as we were able to talk on the phone and he gave me the run down on the power in the boat. I'm a little concerned to say the least. I love the idea of a diesel boat and I really love the 2520 hull, I'm just afraid there may be some strings attached with this motor that I don't want. Anyhow, no decision has been made and I'm still doing some research. I can't even get on the boat in question until next weekend.
Maybe I'll start looking at a 2520 with a bracket and an outboard(s). :wink: Thanks again, Ben