What's the best way to make my new 2320 Parker w/F300... slower?

[Andy]

Absolutely. Too much power is not the issue, this boat cruises effortlessly at 45+ mph, in flat water it just flyes. Loaded, or not.
I had 7 adults in the boat at some point this weekend, six of them were sitting as far back as possible in the rear.
I was almost surprised we could run under WOT at 45-48mph, in flat water in the channel, engine sounding awesome, with that effortless ring to it.
View attachment 29586

View attachment 29587

We had to slow down to ~30 mph once in the bay, and I needed to trim the engine and drop the tabs all the way to improve the ride. But, two hours later everyone was still smiling.
That was my "around Manhattan" tour number ~twenty or so in this boat.
The NY bay can get pretty rough, even Hudson can be choppy.
View attachment 29588

Right now, I'm thinking the 4 blade should really help the ride. I don't like using tabs.

--

Love all your pictures! There's a lot to see in that area....

 

[DEHusker]

Ok- so I have a similar issue- I have the dual console, twin 200s yamahas- factory props. Was out last weekend in Nantucket sound, 2-3ft, which can be no problem at 17-19 mph, my family and I slowed down to do the Hyannis to Edgartown crossing in 4-5 (at 13mph), but I am always trying to get on plane and then back off when we get slammed by these little f’ers… I “thought” it was just the way things go… but are you all saying I can buy props to eliminate my mother in law from needing traction every time we go out in the chop? How!?!

see my previous post on this thread.We have the same hull and same twins.

 

[Mpellet]

Ski,

You’ve got me scratching my head. Your numbers on that boat with your current propeller are IMO exceptional. If you want to go slower, reduce power with your throttle. You have absolutely outstanding numbers with the current propeller on the boat.

LEAVE IT ALONE and work on tab, engine trim and throttle management technique please leave your excellent performing propeller alone!

 

[Swatski]

Ski,

You’ve got me scratching my head. Your numbers on that boat with your current propeller are IMO exceptional. If you want to go slower, reduce power with your throttle. You have absolutely outstanding numbers with the current propeller on the boat.

LEAVE IT ALONE and work on tab, engine trim and throttle management technique please leave your excellent performing propeller alone!

LOL, I wish I could - leave things alone!
I'm one of those unfortunates always fighting the urge to tinker.... lol.
I would agree with you though, this boat runs fantastic, in flat water - the numbers are great. My recent outing where I packed six college kids in the back and cruised leisurely at 40+mph felt almost unreal.

I do want to try the 4blade prop though.
the ride in the ocean can definitely be improved, if I can substitute the trim tabs action with a stern-lifting prop, and hit a bit higher revs at lower speeds.

We will see! No complains, just tweaking.

--

 

[baker]

I do want to try the 4blade prop though.
the ride in the ocean can definitely be improved, if I can substitute the trim tabs action with a stern-lifting prop, and hit a bit higher revs at lower speeds.
--

This is interesting. I'm eagerly awaiting to hear about the results.
How many days till blast off?

 

[Swatski]

This is interesting. I'm eagerly awaiting to hear about the results.
How many days till blast off?

Ken (of Prop Gods) indicated 4-6 weeks lead time for the prop. Been two weeks already. Hopefully soon, but who knows.

I'm very curious, myself.
--

 

[baker]

anyone who says this hull ( 2320) doesn't need a 300 never ran a 2320 with a 300. It's a weight distribution problem to be solved. Jim said it best above: Get a 160 quart cooler and put it between the berths. Fill it with ice. Either use it for your primary cooler or use it just to hold ice to transfer to your fish box as the fish come in and you pack them up.

On my 1st Parker ( 2120), I put a cooler between the berth, full of ice and the boat ran like a tank. I had one friend laugh at me, even make snarky remarks about bringing fish into the cabin, but hey, it worked great and made that hull center of gravity that much more sea worthy. It was out of the way, shaded, ice kept for ever: a simple and perfect plan.

I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I intend to get a cooler for between the berth of my 2320 as well. Finally, when you can, report back with specs on the performance of your new prop selected by Ken.

Adding 100 feet of chain in the anchor locker achieve similar results?

 

[sydngoose]

Adding 100 feet of chain in the anchor locker achieve similar results?

Interesting thought; I am not sure how that would play out. I can't see it as a bad thing...

 

[Swatski]

Adding 100 feet of chain in the anchor locker achieve similar results?

I would consider that, as lots of chain has other merits besides weight re-distribution in this case.

However, I feel there is room for improvement with a simple prop change, before I start loading up the bow.

I don't know if this is a common experience, I assume it is as I have confirmed it in 3 or 4 brand new 2320s I have been in with the F300 - anywhere below 4,000RPM in 3,000s they just sound like garbage. I can run all day long at 4,500 and it is pure joy, but go down to 3,800 RPM, barely on plane, and the thing sounds like the whole boat is going to rattle apart.

It is getting better, not worse, as the boat is being used and broken in, but I want to be able to slow down and go higher in the RPM band in moderate speeds; currently, I can best achieve it by dropping the tabs down. Trimmed down and tabs down all the way, I'm good plowing through the usual 2-3fters around here, low 4k RPM, ~25mph - on plane. If I can do this by switching to a 4-blade prop, and NOT using tabs, I would consider it a big win.

I'm typically loaded in the back, just because the ride there is 300% better than in the pilothouse, of course. but even without additional passengers, the boat behavior is similar, somewhat surprisingly.

In flat water - what a beast this boat is - loaded with people and full fuel, or just myself with a half-tank - she does ~48+mph at ~2mpg. Outstanding.







--

 

[Andy]

I would consider that, as lots of chain has other merits besides weight re-distribution in this case.

However, I feel there is room for improvement with a simple prop change, before I start loading up the bow.

I don't know if this is a common experience, I assume it is as I have confirmed it in 3 or 4 brand new 2320s I have been in with the F300 - anywhere below 4,000RPM in 3,000s they just sound like garbage. I can run all day long at 4,500 and it is pure joy, but go down to 3,800 RPM, barely on plane, and the thing sounds like the whole boat is going to rattle apart.

It is getting better, not worse, as the boat is being used and broken in, but I want to be able to slow down and go higher in the RPM band in moderate speeds; currently, I can best achieve it by dropping the tabs down. Trimmed down and tabs down all the way, I'm good plowing through the usual 2-3fters around here, low 4k RPM, ~25mph - on plane. If I can do this by switching to a 4-blade prop, and NOT using tabs, I would consider it a big win.

I'm typically loaded in the back, just because the ride there is 300% better than in the pilothouse, of course. but even without additional passengers, the boat behavior is similar, somewhat surprisingly.

In flat water - what a beast this boat is - loaded with people and full fuel, or just myself with a half-tank - she does ~48+mph at ~2mpg. Outstanding.

View attachment 29911
View attachment 29913
View attachment 29912

View attachment 29914
View attachment 29915
--

Hi Swatski, I don't know what you do for a 'living', but what ever it is, you have missed your 'calling', unless you are already are a professional photographer! I love your Parker pictures, especially when you fill them with smiling faces, enjoying your boat! Wow, thank you for posting these....By the way, your performance numbers are exceptional!

 

[chas650r]

I would consider that, as lots of chain has other merits besides weight re-distribution in this case.

However, I feel there is room for improvement with a simple prop change, before I start loading up the bow.

I don't know if this is a common experience, I assume it is as I have confirmed it in 3 or 4 brand new 2320s I have been in with the F300 - anywhere below 4,000RPM in 3,000s they just sound like garbage. I can run all day long at 4,500 and it is pure joy, but go down to 3,800 RPM, barely on plane, and the thing sounds like the whole boat is going to rattle apart.

It is getting better, not worse, as the boat is being used and broken in, but I want to be able to slow down and go higher in the RPM band in moderate speeds; currently, I can best achieve it by dropping the tabs down. Trimmed down and tabs down all the way, I'm good plowing through the usual 2-3fters around here, low 4k RPM, ~25mph - on plane. If I can do this by switching to a 4-blade prop, and NOT using tabs, I would consider it a big win.

I'm typically loaded in the back, just because the ride there is 300% better than in the pilothouse, of course. but even without additional passengers, the boat behavior is similar, somewhat surprisingly.

In flat water - what a beast this boat is - loaded with people and full fuel, or just myself with a half-tank - she does ~48+mph at ~2mpg. Outstanding.

View attachment 29911
View attachment 29913
View attachment 29912

View attachment 29914
View attachment 29915
--

IMO, you are on the right track. I have a 2520 xld with the same 300 and going to a power tech 4b 13" pitch tranformed the boat in the snotty west coast swell and wind chop. on the heavier 2520 the lack of bottom end power is very pronounced. I can now hold a steady 18 -20 mph at 4000-4200 , plow through the lumps and never touch the throttle . It would be nice if yamaha would publish a torque curve so we would not have to guess where the power starts but I can not find any info , seems like they dont want us to know how little low end there is.

 

[Swatski]

IMO, you are on the right track. I have a 2520 xld with the same 300 and going to a power tech 4b 13" pitch tranformed the boat in the snotty west coast swell and wind chop. on the heavier 2520 the lack of bottom end power is very pronounced. I can now hold a steady 18 -20 mph at 4000-4200 , plow through the lumps and never touch the throttle . It would be nice if yamaha would publish a torque curve so we would not have to guess where the power starts but I can not find any info , seems like they dont want us to know how little low end there is.

yeah, no torque curves anywhere, same with their MR-1, 1.8HO, and SVHO - they just don;t publish that.
We have had Yamaha jet boats for the last decade, before moving back to the coast last year, so I'm very familiar with their inboard 1.8 engines. Those are REALLY loud and sound terrible at low RPM, you would think they have marbles running loose on the inside, lol, yet - incredibly reliable engines. Run best when revved up to >6k, go figure. After 10 years of running those, single or twins, I'm still not crazy about cruising at 6,500RPM, lol, but it works really well.
With a jet, the engines can be run at any RPM regardless of speed, it is just so different with impellers - the engines never have to struggle to rev up; I can happily cruise at 45mph at 7k+ RPM, or go 12mph at the same RPM when wakesurfing with 3,000 lbs of water ballast filling the boat.

I will say, I love the sound of the F300, running over 4,000RPMs. The 1.8s never sound like it.

--

 

[chas650r]

yeah, no torque curves anywhere, same with their MR-1, 1.8HO, and SVHO - they just don;t publish that.
We have had Yamaha jet boats for the last decade, before moving back to the coast last year, so I'm very familiar with their inboard 1.8 engines. Those are REALLY loud and sound terrible at low RPM, you would think they have marbles running loose on the inside, lol, yet - incredibly reliable engines. Run best when revved up to >6k, go figure. After 10 years of running those, single or twins, I'm still not crazy about cruising at 6,500RPM, lol, but it works really well.
With a jet, the engines can be run at any RPM regardless of speed, it is just so different with impellers - the engines never have to struggle to rev up; I can happily cruise at 45mph at 7k+ RPM, or go 12mph at the same RPM when wakesurfing with 3,000 lbs of water ballast filling the boat.

I will say, I love the sound of the F300, running over 4,000RPMs. The 1.8s never sound like it.

--

do you ever get a droning or resonance between 4 &5k ?? at certain spots in that range mine can be bad resonance wise. It's never there above 5k and just gets happier and quieter . it may be my prop and load combo as the boat really pushes easier at the faster speeds, just can't go that fast often here. and a side note, i did lose a bit of fuel mileage w/ the lesser pitch but overall much more user friendly .

 

[Swatski]

do you ever get a droning or resonance between 4 &5k ?? at certain spots in that range mine can be bad resonance wise. It's never there above 5k and just gets happier and quieter . it may be my prop and load combo as the boat really pushes easier at the faster speeds, just can't go that fast often here. and a side note, i did lose a bit of fuel mileage w/ the lesser pitch but overall much more user friendly .

I get that at mid to high 3,000 RPM, depending on conditions and load, the boat starts planning around 3,600 or so and 3,800 is still rough. I get a lot of vibration, plus some weird noise from the front bilge, probably amplified by the boat's attitude coming up on plane.

I will probably shoot some short vids to document this. Mostly for myself, to compare different props, but might help others too, it took me some time to warm up to some of those Parker idiosyncrasies.

It is not just me, my autopilot installer, Aron, of Octopus Yachts, thought there was something wrong with the boat, lol, as he was trying to go low at planning speeds while calibrating the AP.
Even the guys I bought the boat from, NJ Outboards, told me they were so confused with some of the noises, they thought something was wrong when they first started carrying the brand, until they figured it was just the nature of the beast.
I thought it was pretty funny, as we did several test runs before pulling the trigger, and even then I was kind of worried I made a mistake. No longer! The more I use the boat, the more I fall in love. I already know it's a keeper, but at this point I wouldn't even know what to trade her for, even if I wanted to. She is kind of perfect.

Back to the RPM question, around 4,500 or so - it all just smooths out. 5,300-5,500 or so things seem to plateau, she sounds great and feels almost effortless; going higher in the RPM range up to WOT at 5,800-5,900 gives little speed increase.


--

 

[baker]

Vibrations? Noises?
Please post some videos if you can.

 

[Swatski]

Vibrations? Noises?
Please post some videos if you can.

Will do.

 

[chas650r]

I get that at mid to high 3,000 RPM, depending on conditions and load, the boat starts planning around 3,600 or so and 3,800 is still rough. I get a lot of vibration, plus some weird noise from the front bilge, probably amplified by the boat's attitude coming up on plane.

I will probably shoot some short vids to document this. Mostly for myself, to compare different props, but might help others too, it took me some time to warm up to some of those Parker idiosyncrasies.

It is not just me, my autopilot installer, Aron, of Octopus Yachts, thought there was something wrong with the boat, lol, as he was trying to go low at planning speeds while calibrating the AP.
Even the guys I bought the boat from, NJ Outboards, told me they were so confused with some of the noises, they thought something was wrong when they first started carrying the brand, until they figured it was just the nature of the beast.
I thought it was pretty funny, as we did several test runs before pulling the trigger, and even then I was kind of worried I made a mistake. No longer! The more I use the boat, the more I fall in love. I already know it's a keeper, but at this point I wouldn't even know what to trade her for, even if I wanted to. She is kind of perfect.

Back to the RPM question, around 4,500 or so - it all just smooths out. 5,300-5,500 or so things seem to plateau, she sounds great and feels almost effortless; going higher in the RPM range up to WOT at 5,800-5,900 gives little speed increase.
View attachment 29949

--

Thanks for the info. With mine the droning seems to be engine noise / vibration transmitted to the hull which turns into a drum and resonates pretty bad . A v6 is not inherently smooth engine and the loads on them in a boat amplify the problem.

 

[Swatski]

Thanks for the info. With mine the droning seems to be engine noise / vibration transmitted to the hull which turns into a drum and resonates pretty bad . A v6 is not inherently smooth engine and the loads on them in a boat amplify the problem.

Absolutely.
The good news is, there is a wide band in which the F300 harmonizes beautifully with the Parker, and for me the trick is to able to stay there as much as possible.

 

[Swatski]

Finally...!
My new wheel arrived. Ready to be tested. Hopefully this weekend.
Purchased from Ken of Prop Gods, first class service and advice, great communication.







--

 

[big_tuna]

how much $$$$ ?