Parker Sou' Wester Questions

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stripah

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Hello,

I am currently looking at a 23ft 1987 Parker Sou' Wester with a 2005 Suzuki 140 hp 4 Stroke for asking price of 16,000. I pretty much know nothing about these boats except for they are a modified vee. My expectations of my next boat are one that will be fuel efficient, handle inshore stripers and blues well and on good days do some shark and BFT duties. Is this boat one that I should be seriously considering based upon my expectations. Is 140 to low hp? I am not in need of super speed especially with a modified vee I am not gonna be doin balls to the wall in any rough stuff. Where can I find fuel capacity, hull weight? Are these boats known for soft decks, transoms, are the tanks fiberglass or aluminium? As you can see I have many questions any and all help with be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Marc
 
stripah":39stxsj2 said:
Where can I find fuel capacity, hull weight?
Marc, if you can get the HIN number, call Robin Parker at Parker Marine, she should be able to help you or put you in touch with someone who can.

stripah":39stxsj2 said:
Are these boats known for soft decks, transoms, are the tanks fiberglass or aluminium?
I never heard of a soft deck on a Parker, even the older ones where the bottom of the floor might not have been glassed. But ... that "could" happen with any vintage boat, regardless of brand. However, that said, we know Parker's were made right, so if one was found to be bad, I'd bet $$ it was due more to neglect from the owner(s) ... who should be keel hauled ;) !

I hear ya' that the boat won't be a barn burner with the Suzi 4-stroke 1240hp, but if it helps ease you, my old Pro-Line was a 24' cuddy of 10 degree deadrise and wore a 140hp old OMC when purchased. It would cruise @ 21+mph @ 4000 RPMs and was very fuel efficient. Yes I had to pick my days went heading "outside".

To be honest for that asking price ... I think you could go newer ... you could buy Doug's 2001/2002 Triton Seaflight CC with a 150hp for not much more.
 
Thanks Dale for the reply there are lots of things to consider I just know that these are quality boats and I would be proud to own one. I have rushed into boat purchases in the past and will NOT ever do that again. I am personally looking for a boat that I will not outgrow in the next couple of years. I have done the tuna and shark things many times on boats that I have worked on or buddies boats. I am looking for something that will give me that opportunity albiet on a limited basis. We will say 80% inshore 20% offshore would desired. So much to think about its sometimes takes the fun out of looking. [/b]
 
I believe this boat was on Ebay a few months ago. I emailed the seller asking him what kind of performance he got from the boat. He replied that he got 34mph at 6000 RPMs. If that's truely the case, that would be great. I have twin 90's on the same boat, and I see 34 as well, so it very well may be true. I do not find my boat underpowered a bit, however, I would like to see 40mph and a cruise of 30, as I boat on a lake a good bit, and can do the higher speeds most of the time.

On the fuel capacity, when I called Parker to ask some questions about my '83, I was told that back then, they were in the business of building boats, not keeping records. Your best bet is to pop the access hatches over the fuel tanks and look at the plaque on the tank. Both of mine are listed as 45gal. I believe back then, many of the boats coming out of Parker were custom built, so the specs probably will vary from boat to boat.

Now, all the being said, I personally believe $16K is a little steep for that boat.
 
Neckbone":2ro853dx said:
This is the boat I was talking about. I'm guessing there aren't many 1987 Sou'wester's w/ an '05 Suzuki 140hp.

Or... equipped with a doghouse! :shock:

f1_1.JPG
 
Thanks for the reply's. What kind of performance can be expected out of this hull in regards to seaworthyness? The starting ebay bid is 10,000 i am goin to look at it this weekend its only 30 mins from where I live.
 
I really hate when others do this, so I can't believe I'm going to do it. Do a search here and on www.thehulltruth.com. This subject has been discussed extensively. The consensus is that if you are planning on using this boat to go hauling a$$ 70 miles offshore, it's not the right boat. However, if you want a very solid, very stable boat that will get you from point A to point B safely, this is the boat. It has a relatively shallow draft, so you can fish inshore, and it has some substantial bow flair, so with tabs, you can push the bow down and get out a few miles off if you wanted.

To me, it's the perfect compromise that all boats are. In the future, I am going to buy a boat that I can haul a$$ and burn loads of gas, but I'll still have my Parker for those other days.
 
Thank you thats the kinda of info I need, I will search the other forum you mentioned all this help is appreciated.

Marc
 
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