New Roof Design for Sport Cabins?

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Ranger Tim

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I dropped by my dealer (Mid Atlantic Marine) for Yamalube and cleaning stuff (aka Collinite) today. I did the usual new Parker inspection and have a question for the Classic Parker braintrust. Does anyone know what the details are on the new roof design? Specifically, I'm interested to know what the ridges/contours in the top, the longer mast head light, different trumpet horns, etc. are and what difference these changes make? Also, where are the wire channels that used to run the interior corners? Are they under the carpet?
 
Those "contours" on top of the cabin are actually the wire chases for radar, VHF, and mastlight items. A tall mastlight is a good thing ... I would venture they raised it high enough to clear a radar that would be installed.

Personally ... I think the contours look butt ugly close up, but luckily you're not likely to see them in use due to the curvature of the top.
 
I just happen to have a photo... :D

Here is a cabin shot of the 2820 XL that Boatron brought to the Annapolis ClassicParker rendezvous.

Image-17AF89642B2C11DB.jpg


Even this close, the new roof design is not readilly noticable, and it does provide two benefits...

1.) The first advantage is as a wire chase, as Dale mentioned. Radar, nav-lights, GPS, VHF antennas... Everything can be run inside for a clean install.

2.) The other thing that the 'bulge' does is to provide a means to channel rain or spray water off to the sides of the pilothouse, and away from the rear door.

I can't say that I like where the horns are mounted, but that is a personal thing. I'd end up stepping on them. :(

I don't have a detail photo, but inside the pilothouse... in the rear corners where the wiring would ordinarilly travel (vertically) down from the roof channels, are removable starboard panels. Those panels are about 4 to 5" wide, and allow access to run wiring down to the wire chase areas where all the present wiring goes forward or aft. A much better solution than the small wiring tubes that I have in my 1996 model cabin.

It seems that the designers have realized the realities of todays electronics hungry boaters, and made accomodations for the cables we try to stuff into our cabins. :wink:
I like my flat roof... but this design does solve the a problem, and keeps the interior from looking like a wiring nightmare. :mrgreen:
 
Ranger Tim":3g98vfg0 said:
the longer mast head light, different trumpet horns, etc. are and what difference these changes make?

This horn modification is for -all- new Pilothouse Parkers?

I think that they made all the mods to bury all the electronics wiring in the new channels, and then discovered that the way the horns had been mounted left a couple of wires "hanging out" with no good way to hide 'em. :roll:

So the solution was to move the horns off of the main cabin so the wires won't hang down inside the new 'wireless' cabin, and mount them lower. :wink:

Personally I think that this will dramatically shorten the life of the horns (whose life is pitifully short to begin with) They are going to snarf more salt spray/water the closer they get to the water line. :shock: Unless they have changed the "innards" or found some new horn OEM that we haven't been able to find ourselves.
 
Why not put those chases on the inside and raise the roof a little to accomidate it? if you mount a radar mast or anything center on roof you better hope you have no leaks or water will be all thoughout the chases. I would think also when you tighten down on those bolts that you will compress that area which can cause cracking later on? Just my thoughts without seeing one in person.
 
It is my guess that the area where you'd be mounting radar (or antennas) would be reinforced with backing plate material.

Also, there wouldn't be any compression because the fasteners would only be through the top layer and would be hidden.

I wish I'd gotten inside photos so you could see what I mean, but there is an access plate on the underside of the pilothouse cabin roof which you would remove to access the wires, as well as the nuts from the fasteners.

Nothing shows from below. Everything is hidden.
 
I had the dealer move my horns to the roof. Couldn't believe they were mounted in front of the windshield. Had the same horns on my 2510 for 9 years, but understand the pilothouse horns don't last.
 
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