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hi all - i am new to the forum, and new to this boat. I have just purchased a 2003 parker 2520xl with a 225 yamaha 4 stroke. this is my first parker, and my first experiance with a 4 stroke outboard. so far i like what i see, but love to get advice! so, couple question for you guys and gals out there.
1 - Kicker motor sizing for this girl - any suggestions? I am thinking a 15 hp high thrust. I would like to get 7-8 knots if possible, primary use - slow troll, real need - backup
2 - outrigger mounting. I am a lees outrigger fan, and dont know if i want to put in gunnel mounts or the junior mounts on the pilot house. I plan on pulling 2 pins plus teasers on the riggers. what have you guys done - pros and cons?
3 - rod storage in the pilot house. there are no rod holders in the cabin, and looking at the layout of things in the v-birth, this is not going to be an easy one. any suggestions on rod storage mounts. i want the ability to store 2 full trolling sets (6 - 20's and 6 50/80s) in the cabin neatly and safely. thoughts?
Great Boat, you will enjoy it. I have 2004 and have the same question about rod storage. I do not want to drill thru the hull. I tried velcoing rod racks but that did not work.
When operating you will find you must adjust for the wind. Also I had trouble backing down. I spoke with Parker and they advised trimming up the motor a bit. What a diff. it made.
hey cheerios and b-faithful, thanks for stopping by!
good tip about trimming up to aide backing down. i have noticed that it was a slug putting her in the slip, i have not played with a single engine in quite a while, and just figured i would have to get used to it! looking forward to putting some hours on her. and i am with you on the no holes through the hull - not an option. i need to really spend time on her thinking about it, but possibly epoxy and glass some holders to the hull. dont know, and would love to hear what some of you other folks do. is your 04 a 225? i think she is a bit underpowered, but adequate.
on the outriggers b-faithful, i think the wishbones would work, but wonder how bad they will be in the way moving from the cockpit to the bow, especially with them spread. your may-craft is a pretty looking thing!
this boat already has a lowrance 18c plotter/sounder and an icom vhf on it. who out there has this lowrance plotter sounder? is it a decent piece of gear? i also am looking at a fuel flow meter and management system. I see yamaha has one, but i have always used flowscans before - any thoughts?
so many things to think about and play with ... i love rigging boats!
Welcome Woody2 and congrats on the new boat ! Take a look here at this post with 17 pages of misc Parker photos that might help you out, click [red]here.[/red]
1 - Kicker Motor: I second the idea of the 15hp high thrust kicker, but due to the waterline length, you probably won't break 7mph, but you should have adequate power to keep the bow into the waves if the seas are up.
2 - Outrigger Mounting: As others opined, there's NO WAY I personally would want wishbones riggahs mounted off the side of my Parker cabin, so I went with roof-top mounts, like the Taco Sport Slam series, see below:
3 - Rod Storage in the Pilot House: On [red]page 1[/red] of that photo post linked to, "Parker" added rod holders to the inside of the helm cabin on his Parker. Note - he also has a great photo of his roof-top mount riggahs (pic #4). In pics #11 and 12 he also shows how the rods could be mounted. You can tie a self-tapping scew into the glass area where covered by the rub rail on the outside of the hull. I am not sure how he tied in and secured the top mounts, but hopefully he'll chime in.
Have fun with that boat ... she'll serve you well !
__________________ [red]MISS TEAK[/red], 25' Parker mod-V Sport Cabin "Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..." www.classicparker.com
I don't normally disagree with Reel-Rascals... But in this case, I'll make an exception.
The XL has a 16 degree deadrise, so a 9.9 high-thrust kicker should function well. Hopefully ESFishDoc will chime in as I believe he has a 9.9 on his boat.
As for outriggers... B-Faithful has my vote as well (sorry Dale).
When funds permit, I intend to install a set of Lee Jr Wishbones on the side of my p-house, and I'll be setting in them a pair of 18' polished (and double rigged) poles.
Forward access will not be an issue. The Parker 25 pilothouse has a very wide washboard and moving forward won't be an issue for you.
Here is a photo of a set of Lee Wishbones mounted on a Grady Sailfish. Please note that the amount of room on the Grady is less than the room available on your Parker. You should have no trouble at all.
That is the way I'm headed.
Good luck with your decision!
__________________ .
Capt. Kevin ~~~~~~~~~~><((((*>
The reason I also think that side mounts would work well with the Parker are the fact that 1. you do have such a wide walkway to the bow and 2. it would probably be easier to deploy the riggers from the cockpit of the boat. I do know that the Parker does have have lower hard top than my boat due to the step down cabin so Dale should be able to comment on whether or not he has to stand on the Gunwales to deploy his riggers or not. I would just think deploying the riggers from in the cockpit would be safer and easier than standing on the gunwale in rougher water.
Personally I will be going with top mounts on my boat but it has a narrower bow access due to its 8.5' beam and when my side curtains are up, the side of pilothouse is out of reach. I will have to sand on the gunwales to deploy if I cannot fit ones that can be deployed from under the hardtop on the boat.
... should be able to comment on whether or not he has to stand on the Gunwales to deploy his riggers or not.
I put my riggah mounts on the corners of the cabin top, astride the rocket launcher and I can deploy them without getting up onto the gunnel .. works slick for me.
My point of room and access is NOT when they're stored away and verticle ... but when fishing. We fish for school to medium tuna. If you use wishbone riggah types and you have your riggahs out, now they're what ... 45 degrees or less to the sky?
Now they WILL get in your way if you have to maneuver to the bow for whatever reason. And if you have a fish on ... both you and the rod have to go under or over the pole ... or you pass the rod. Not me ..., I can easily duck under the deployed riggahs and get to the bow with ease. IMHO you might want to at least consider access when deployed ... for your specific use. Besides, I'm a cheap DIY guy and I got the top mounts off of eBay for $60 + shipping.
And there's no need to worry about who agrees or disagrees with whom or about what, as this forum is designed for the sharing of thoughts and ideas .
__________________ [red]MISS TEAK[/red], 25' Parker mod-V Sport Cabin "Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..." www.classicparker.com
Woody 2, I also have the F225. Power is fine with me. I had a 20' GW with 200 HP. That was over powered.(for me). I cruise fine, and the 4 stroke is great for trolling. I would try her before getting into a kicker motor unless your looking for security.
I put zinks on my auto retrac trim tabs. Keep any eye on them. I found working the trim tabs cancels out most pounding.
The cabin is cooler when hot and warmer when cold.
Dale, Your thoughts and arguements are all very valid. Great to share ideas!
Few questions for you... Where your mounts difficult to install? Did they come with or did you add backing plates? What size poles are you using (18'ers)?
I am going to have to look at my boat this spring. I am looking at either the ones you displayed or these (I think I may have a backing from the arch under the extended hardtop) :
B-Faithful - 1/21/2006 8:29 PM
Where your mounts difficult to install? Did they come with or did you add backing plates? What size poles are you using (18'ers)?l
B-Faithful:
Easy, but I probably went overboard, as I overdrilled the holes through the roof about 1/8" "larger" than I needed. Then I heated up the wood core and soaked thinned epoxy into the exposed core. Once that kicked, I filled the hole up with thickened epoxy. Once cured, I re-drilled for the correct fastener diameter ... leaving about a 1/16" "ring" of epoxy protecting the core from water intrusion.
I also made backing plates out of some 1/4" 316L stainless steel that I got from work. That was hard as that SS was tough!
Last season I used regular duty 1.25" base 15' riggah poles and one bent when the release didn't let go on a tuna, which we lost. I am bidding on some Lee heavy duty 15' poles using the 1.5" base diameter, which does stiffen them up. My offshore friends are telling me that Lee poles are much more stiff (durable) than Taco's.
Edit: I don't like the 1st mounts you posted, as they'd have to be mounted right ON the corner, which would look funky to me. I like the other ones and almost went that route ... just watch out for the roof overhang!
__________________ [red]MISS TEAK[/red], 25' Parker mod-V Sport Cabin "Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..." www.classicparker.com
hey reel rascals - that picture thread is awesome! i guess i need to spend some more time looking around the site. I love the way "Parker" put those rod holders in. Shed some more light for us "parker" on your mounting of those guys in the cabin. i look at it as more excuses to spend bonding time with the new girl, scratching my head and thinking on how to lay her out. the point you made about the wishbones spread for fishing being in the way was my biggest concern. I have never fished with the overhead mounted (t top) style of riggers before, and have never really run down that thought lane. more pondering. I was leaning toward the gunnel mounts (the beefy ones) with 18 foot extra strength poles. i fished that setup on an albemarle 24 for years, never had issues, and it was easy to take down and get out of the way for trailering.
I wrote to robin parker about the kicker recommendation from her. Hey Efishdoc ... how does that 9.9 ht do for you? is it mounted straight on the gill bracket, or is it on a plate? i also see you are on the eastern shore of va ... i will be home ported on gwyns island in matthews county. we may meet up out there one of these days!
cheerios - i am glad you are happy with the power package. I have not run the woodster enough to make a full assessment. i tell you what though, that 170 gallon fuel tank is wonderful! i will bet you could get over 300 miles out of her.
this is going to be allot of fun, and i appreciate the input everyone!
Kicker Motor: I have the Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke high thrust...... at WOT it will push the boat at 6 mph. I keep mine in a locked forward position and use the main motor for steering. I would be surprised if a 15 hp would get you any more speed. I have never seen any regulars here post numbers with a 15 hp high thrust kicker so I can only speculate.
I've used the kicker less than I would have predicted. It does give me piece of mind.
Something to consider: the price of a kicker motor new will be about the cost of a 2nd steering station..... do you have a 2nd steering station? If I had to give up the kicker or the 2nd steering station I would give up the motor.
Outriggers: They will be going up before the offshore bite this year. I like the idea of top mount and I have plans on copying John Madison's settup....... I'm sure he will be posting here today..... get him to lead you to pictures of his.
Rod Storage: Let me know when you have it figured out so I can copy your ideas.
You mention a fuel monitoring system. I have a Navman 3100 and it seems to work well.
hey richard ... thanks for the input - there is a lot to talk about, my mind goes in circles, and i am driving my wife crazy! on the kicker thing, you answered one of my other questions and that was on steering. that was my thoughts too, lock her down and use the main as a rudder. peace of mind is exactly why i am interested as well. this is my first outboard, and quite frankly i am a bit nervous about it, and will feel better having another pusher on the gal. 6 mph will work, and i bet you are right, a 15 probably will not push her any faster. I lost an engine on an albermarle 27 (stright inboards) out at the cigar, and had to bring her back into rudee inlet (55 miles) i could only get 7.5 mph out of her for that long run, but we got her in by god! ... turned out to be a busted oil line caused by chafing and vibration (what a mess in the bildge!) what is your shaft length on the 9.9 is it 25? looking at the picture of your baby at the mexican lunch stop, it looks like you simply mounted it to the pre-formed mount on the gill bracket ... does that work ok for you?
no, i do not have a 2nd steering station, and that will definately be on the list for upgrade. the lady is really bare bones right now with the only equipment on her being the lowrance 18c, a radio and a windlass. the bummer is ... more money to spend ... the good thing ... i can do it how i want! the real beauty is she only has 90 hours on her, so it is practically brand new.
i will have to check out the navman fuel management system .... but i am leaning toward a flowscan (old habits die hard!).
thanks everyone for the input, ya'll sure know how to make a guy feel welcome!
Dale, I see your point about the wishbones blocking the path forward when deployed... It is something I hadn't considered beause I don't fish offshore, and rockfish don't run forward like the footballs do. So for my type of fishing, having the riggers blocking the path when deployed won't be an issue.
__________________ .
Capt. Kevin ~~~~~~~~~~><((((*>
I'll post some pics of the Outriggers I have on my Parker 2520DV tomorrow. They are Lee's and I actually copied the idea from Parker (Brad) here on THT.
They work very well. I also thought of the Wishbones and realized that they would get in the way a lot.
BTW, who makes a 15hp High Thrust engine?? I thought only the 9.9hp were the largest High Thrust gear cases.
__________________ . . . . . . BALLYHOO PIN RIGS For SALE HERE 10 pack:
new to me Parker 2520xl - rigging time 
! Take a look here at this post with 17 pages of misc Parker photos that might help you out, click 
!
But in this case, I'll make an exception.
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