New-to-me 2005 Parker 2530

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Truesdell

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Messages
22
Reaction score
20
Location
Anacortes, WA
Greetings! I've been looking for this model for a while. So happy I found one at a not-silly price! This one is fairly bare bones, which is what I wanted. A clean slate!

I'm not really into fishing but, living on the Salish Sea, I will be doing a bit of crabbing. My boat will be used to support sailboat racing as a Race Committee boat used to manage, select/set courses, communicate with competors, start, finish, and score races. It will also be used as a family "picnic" boat with day trips to local islands. Next season my cousin-in-law and I will do a little run up into BC where he grew up. Visit the normal places like Desolation Sound and find some of his old secret haunts.

Photo: Waiting for Kingston/Edmonds ferry at sunset, en route to home.
3801_waiting_for_kingston_ferry_1024px.jpg
Happy to be an owner!
 
Nice boat! I wish they still make the2X30's. Wonder if one can be ordered?
 
My local dealer says he can order a new 2530 for me! He would much rather do that as opposed to get me parts for fixing up my current 15-year-old boat! :(
 
Hey guys, I’m curious if the galley is something that I’d be able to find to add to mine. I’ve searched a little, but nothing has turned up. If this is something anyone has heard of, any help would be great 👍
 

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Hey guys, I’m curious if the galley is something that I’d be able to find to add to mine. I’ve searched a little, but nothing has turned up. If this is something anyone has heard of, any help would be great 👍
Most likely you're not going to be able to find a used drop-in unit. They're not that common in the first place, and you'd have to come across one that someone has pulled out. You MAY be able to get a dealer to order you one, provided Parker still offers it as an option; the design of the boat hasn't changed that drastically. Be prepared to pay an astronomical price for that, and also beware that it may not fit through the pilothouse door assembled.

HOWEVER, the galley package really isn't much more than a sink+freshwater system, a refrigerator, and a stove (I believe it's an alcohol one). Given that, you could most likely build a custom one to your exact specifications with a little creativity and some electrical prowess. Even having one custom built for you in your local area is probably going to be cheaper than getting it from Parker.
 
I was thinking pretty much everything you just said. It’s really my wife’s idea. And not opposed considering I don’t plan to need space for fishing gear or passengers. We really really just trying to put together a traveler of sorts, and I’m a huge fan of her cooking :) so I figured I’d inquire to see if anyone had recommendations before I started putting something together. Thanx for your time bud
 
I would not build in the stove. Keep the countertop next to the sink and use a camping stove brought out when you need it. $35 at Walmart, Cabela’s, Home Depot, etc. includes a carrying/storage case that can fit between the helm seat and the galley unit. I got one that uses the same 1-lb green Coleman propane canisters as my Mr. Heater “Buddy” and my Magma BBQ grill.

CAMPLUX ENJOY OUTDOOR LIFE Camplux Dual Fuel Camping Stove, Portable Butane Stove 7200 BTU, Single Burner Propane Stove with Carry Case, Black-JK-5310 - The Home Depot
 
Truesdell,

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to CP! That is a beautiful boat you've got there and perfect for your location. I really love your part of the world. It would be sooo cool to cruise around in the San Juan Islands amongst all the natural beauty and wildlife. I can't imagine what it would be like to cruise along with orcas. Keep us posted on your progress with making your new boat "yours".

Cap'n Dan
 
I would not build in the stove. Keep the countertop next to the sink and use a camping stove brought out when you need it. $35 at Walmart, Cabela’s, Home Depot, etc. includes a carrying/storage case that can fit between the helm seat and the galley unit. I got one that uses the same 1-lb green Coleman propane canisters as my Mr. Heater “Buddy” and my Magma BBQ grill.

CAMPLUX ENJOY OUTDOOR LIFE Camplux Dual Fuel Camping Stove, Portable Butane Stove 7200 BTU, Single Burner Propane Stove with Carry Case, Black-JK-5310 - The Home Depot
Propane is dangerous if used improperly it is heavy and pools in low areas. Make sure any gas is stored so that it vents overboard if leaking. Cylinders can do that when getting bumped around
 
That's true. Look at how many use propane heaters in their cabin, fall thru spring.
I know most everyone knows what I'm going to say here, but it's worth a look in case even one person may not know, and can be saved the embarrassment of blowing up one of our beloved Parkers!
A lot of folks (me too!) use portable propane heaters on the boat in the winter, and everyone would agree you must use it safely. There are not many incidents where the small one-pound 'green Coleman-style' LP cylinders seals have malfunctioned, but there are a couple, and that's enough to let you that know you don't want to be one of them; yes they can leak...
Be especially careful where you store spare LP cylinders/containers, or where you store the heater itself, especially if you leave it on the boat with the propane cylinder still attached. (How old is the heater/stove? How old is the rubber gasket/seal on the heater/stove?). The best bet is to remove the heater from the boat when not being used. If not, at least store it somewhere 'outside' of the cabin/pilothouse/center-console area like in the cockpit in a ventilated storage box/locker or cooler. This is especially important with partially used cylinders. If removing the partially used cylinder from the device, you are relying upon it to seal itself back. Most of the time it will, but not always.
And yes Propane, aka LP, aka Liquified Petroleum, aka Liquified Gas, is 'heavier' than air, meaning if it leaks out of its container, and is not 'burned' off as it 'leaks', then it will settle to the lowest part of the boat; and once there, it will accumulate until it is either vented out, or it ignites/explodes. (The specific gravity of propane is 1.55 versus air at 1.00; that is 'heavy' !) so if it 'leaks' out of its container it will 'settle' to the lowest space in the boat. If something 'sparks' in the space where the propane gas is, the gas can ignite/ explode when it reaches the critical air/gas ration/density.
(Both propane and natural gas are odorless in their natural states. A chemical called Mercaptan (that smells bad, like rotten eggs) is added to both propane and natural gas so we can smell it when/if it leaks. Natural gas, being lighter than air, we (our noses) are more likely to be able to detect the gas, as our noses are more likely to be where the natural gas is. (There was a time when boaters used CNG/Compressed Natural Gas, as it was deemed safer because it was lighter than air, but it took a lot of very large and very strong cylinders to contain it; not a good thing for boats). So most boaters who wanted gas settled on propane.).. With propane, our noses are not as likely to be where leaking propane gas is, as in the bilges of our boats. But, since Mercaptan is VERY stinky, when propane gas leaks out of a container it will leave a 'Residue of Stink' on most everything it comes in contact with. So, if you smell the stink, do not turn on any electrical device, in fact it is recommended to evacuate the area.
 
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I’m installing a diesel heater and an alcohol stove. Sall good 😌
Hi Smmahaffey, Love the Diesel Heat! What type, brand, size, boat are you heating? And where do you use the boat? (I ask this to know more about your climate/how cold it gets). If you're in a cold climate, good choice on a 'vented' Diesel heater, and especially so if you already have a diesel-engine boat; you can draw the fuel from the main tanks. (I know, that's not likely the case if you have a Parker, so whatever! Install a pony-tank!)
Try to properly size the Btu/h output of the heater to your specific needs. Even a small Diesel heater will put out a lot of heat. Most have multiple and/or variable settings. (In our 2520 pilothouse/cuddy we use a small portable propane heater, day-use-only, and only on the low setting as that is even too much heat most of the time. At night, and even when it's in the 20's outside, a 1500 Watt, 5120 Btu/h electric heater is more than adequate; even on a lower 800 Watt setting (2730 Btu/h), it is usually all that is needed. We had a vented, Espar Diesel heater on a previous boat. It was great, super-warm heat (about 130 degree supply-air temperature, vs the 95-105 degree supply-air temperature from our 16,000 Btu/h water-source, reverse-cycle Marine-Aire heating/AC system). Although that 95-105 degree heat would 'heat' the boat comfortably, the 95-105 degree 'heat' does not feel warm when you blow it on your 93-95 degree hands/body. (yes, 98.6 is our 'core' temperature; but the 93-95 is average body surface-temperature, is usually around what our hands are).
For giggles, try this experiment; 1) Take a deep breath. 2) Hold it for 20-30 seconds. 3) Put your mouth close to the back of your hand and SLOWLY blow that 98 degree air out of your lungs, onto the back of your hand. 4) It will feel warm. 5) Repeat steps one and two. 6) Put your mouth near the back of your hand and blow HARD, at high velocity! That same 98 degree air that felt warm a minute ago will now feel cool. But, it's the SAME temperature air!
You have just demonstrated 'wind-chill-factor' and also explained why we try to slow down the supply-air, on forced-air heating systems. The slower the air, the warmer it feels. (it's why some humans refer to 'heat-pump' heat, as 'cold-heat'!... whoops, didn't mean to get off subject...
Is your alcohol stove a 'pressurized' system or is it evaporative like an Origo Alcohol Stove? We had an Origo two-burner stove on our Albin back in the early 1980's. We really liked it, especially for it's safety factor, and ease of use, and lack of maintenance; just be aware it takes a LONG time to boil even a small pot of water. There's less Btu's produced with alcohol, and also be aware that burning alcohol produces carbon monoxide, and also produces tremendous amounts of moisture; best to use it in a ventilated space....
 
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I bought one of the little Chinese diesel heaters. Has its own pony tank etc. we use the same ones on our tow boats and they work fantastic. We boat mainly in the Chesapeake bay and are trying to extend our boating season with the Parker. Not sure how many overnights we’ll do but being able to knock the frost off the windows on a chilly morning is a plus. The boat is also sitting on a pretty stout trailer so we want to have the option of heading north to do some Great Lakes cruising as well as Maine and eastern Canada. It’s a project that I’m sure will keep me busy for a few years both working on it and using it along the way :)
I’m glad for this forum as it has lots of info and informative folks that are very helpful.
 
We live o the Potomac just south of the 301 bridge. Roughly 30 miles to point lookout so we tend to boat from Solomons to reedville sections of the bay but have been . Now looking to go “further” :)
 
What part of the bay? I'm on the southern shore and launch out of the naval base at little creek.
GC, didn't realize you were so local. I'm in Ocean View and I launch out of Willoughby. Any tricks to launching on LC? I can access the base just fine, just never done so with the boat in tow. What's the procedure for the MWR ramp?
 
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