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T

TCinVA

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Hello forum members, I am currently a Boston Whaler owner. I have a 18' 1985 Guardian which is a commercial/government version of an Outrage 18. I want to move to a cuddy walkaround type boat and always have liked Parkers. As luck would have it, there is one for sale near me, a 1989 23 walkaround. It is in nice shape, but the floor is soft in the middle. The plywood under the glass floor is wet and mushy around the access hatch over the tank and around the bilge access but all the stringers appear sealed and sound from a casual inspection. Should I run away or should I negotiate the price? Good trailer and 1996 150 Yamaha. I have overpowered my whaler with a 250, so I thought I could swap motors to sell the whaler since it has a 150 max and the Parker has a 250 max. Thoughts or sugestions would be appreciated! :D
 
First off... welcome aboard!

If the rest of the boat is sound, and a motor swap is possible, that soft floor is a relatively simple fix.
Some of the early boats did not have the underfloor sealed with epoxy which allowed the wood to get wet and rot.
Not sure about an 89, but if you can see the underside and it looks red, yours is sealed.
Or, the more probable cause... you might have gotten some water intrusion around a hatch that was not well sealed.

Whatever the case, if you look in the Projects forum area here, you can find examples of people who have successfully done this exact repair.
If you don't have the time, the tools, or the skill, any reputable glass shop in your area could easily fix that floor.
Once repaired by a pro, you would never know a repair had been made.

Good luck!
 
After I posted this, I decided to call Parker to see if they had any insight or if they do repairs. Amazingly, a human being answered and put me through to one of their engineers who answered many questions on a used boat they had no stake in - nice company! Anyway, he said since the floor is nailed to the stringers, if the floor has been wet for more than a couple of years, water probably intruded into the stringers through the nail holes. I spoke to the owner again and he said it has been soft for years but it never affected its use so he just kept running it. I decided to pass on this boat, I promised myself and my wife no more projects- my whaler was a "great deal" that turned into a multi-year project before I could use it. I do love that boat model and when the right one comes along I hope to get one.
 
FWIW my '92 was only coated (on the underneath of the floor) in poly resin, not epoxy. In fact, I'd even bet the newer ones are glassed using poly resins too, as I don't think Parker has converted to vinyl-based resins. No boat I know is made with epoxy ...
 
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