1990 25' Pilot House - Pre Purchase Questions (we got it)

[aalbert]

Looking at a 1990 25' , that the owner says is a 255 Commercial version ... I don't know if this translates into a real model number or not, but the HIN did begin with that prefix.

Anyway, a few questions.
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1) At the time of build, were the commercial hulls just no frills version of the Sport version, etc? This boat lacks a port side seat/bench, and within the cabin it all opens straight up into the cuddy. What are the other typical differences.

2) On the gunwale tops, there is no backing material (wood, composite, or otherwise) under the fiberglass - is this typical?

3) This boat has 2 diesel size batteries in the pilot house (starboard side) - was this typical?

4) The deck was replaced at one time in recent history, but the job was executed poorly.. will need to redo; as well as deal with soft spots in the cabin. Is deck failure typical of this generation of Parker? Once the deck is pulled, have the stringers typically been found to be strong?

5) Owner has indicated that there are 3, 70 gallon tanks, but most specs I see indicated that these shipped with a single 126 gallon tank.. is this a byproduct of the commercial build?

6) With this model/era of boat what are the common areas that folks need to address?

7) It has a dual Armstrong bracket, with twin Yamaha 150s... Is this bracket strong enough for a single 300 4-Stroke (when that time comes in its life)?

8) The rear bait wells (in the transom compartment) have lids made of starboard -- was this typical (looks cheap), or something that was done after the fact.

9) From my market research it appears that this era boat, in average condition, should be valued at approx $18-$21k w/trailer - is that accurate?

10) Any other comments or suggestions?

 

[aalbert]

OK..... No responses .... Hoping a little bit of porn helps wake up the responses.

Wart, cool to see you here ... Followed your posts on ClassicMako (for my Mako 224).

 

[MV Tall Tails]

I have a 1989 2520MV that I have owned for approximately 14 years. I don't know all the answers to your questions but I will try. First of all I LOVE my boat. It is a giant pickup truck, built like a tank, multi-purpose for all that I do (Scuba, fish, cruise, hang out), and will run in 13" of water to get to my dock at lower tides.

I have never heard of a commercial version, but that doesn't mean it did not exist. Mine is an enclosed cabin with the door (used to be teak but I replaced with newer starboard door - wasn't direct fit). I have a notched transom with a single 225 (200 when I got it)

Mine has the passenger bench, against the back wall, with storage underneath. There is a wall behind the helm, separating the bunk on that side. The bench is good to have but storage underneath is a bit odd and only one adult fits on it.

My gunwale tops have plywood backing, but I believe they are glassed over. I cant imagine no backing material as there would be no structural support.

Both my group 24 batteries are located in one of the rear seats.

The bottom of the decks in that era boat were not glassed. Although it would be nice if they were, 25 years is impressive either way. Stringer rot is absolutely possible. My outer deck is starting to show some soft spots so deck and fuel tank replacement is in my future - next year or year after. It is an expensive job if you have someone do it. Messy and time consuming if DIY.

I have a single large tank - 110-130 gallons - not sure as I never have filled from empty and it is really fuel efficient with a single optimax.

Major problem areas on this era would be deck, stringers and fuel tank IMHO.

I have come to realize that my boat is worth very little (to someone else), especially without a motor. So if the boat you are purchasing has little to no life left in the motors it is not worth a lot at all. Again just my opinion. A new 300hp OB is huge money. I would do the math of the new motor plus install and compare to what a newer boat and motor would be. I paid $20k for my boat 14 years ago and the motor was 2 years old with 200 hours.

Again... I love my boat. It is worth everything I have invested in it - to me. I would love a newer one just as much and maybe a little more since I would not have to do the decks soon, but the math for me says to keep mine. I reevaluated this two years ago when replacing my motor but I got the deal of a lifetime on a brand new 2004 225 optimax that was sitting on a crate since being taken off a brand new boat. If not for that I would have probably bought a newer package.

Best of luck Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

 

[Megabyte]

Subscribing so I can answer later with photos.
Stand by...

 

[Megabyte]

One thing that would answer many of your questions ahead of time...

With your HIN in hand, call the factory and see if they can give you any information, or as-builts on that boat.
Many of your questions can be answered directly by the factory, and they have always been helpful when our members have called.

252-728-5621

 

[aalbert]

Cool... I will see about getting the HIN from the owner (we reviewed the title to confirm the year, etc., but didn't write down the HIN at the time).

 

[aalbert]

Boat has been purchased... As it stands one motor seems to be fine, just needs a new water pump.... The second motor was overheated, and will need a new powerhead/motor swap... Fortunately here in S. Florida, motors are fairly plentiful.

Anyway in a twist of irony / good sign of things to come, the Tow Boat US that came from Blackbeard Marine Towing was a 1986 Parker 2520... Very nice guy - if you are in Tavernier, give a shout out to him.

Will start another thread with the rebuild and updating info... but for now here is a towing image, and a a pic on the trailer, getting ready to go back up to Miami.

 

[Megabyte]

Interesting that the tow boat has a crows nest, and is an 86. 8)

Good luck with the motor.
Teething pains with a new boat can stress some folks, but it appears that you understand that.

Good luck!

 

[largefowl]

I've got a 90 model 2520 I'm doing MOH on. I'm not familiar with commercial model, but yours looks just like mine (except I've got transom mount engine) Gunwales kinda flimsy on mine. I added two additional supports (like the factory ones) on each side and that stiffened up the gunwales nicely. the glass on the gunwales is over 1/4" thick, so plenty of beef there, just a bit flimsy.

I also added a layer of glass on the inboard sides of the boat...you've probably got lots of checking and paint cracking there. hoping the extra layer of glass and 2 extra gunwale supports will reduce flex a good bit.

tank in my boat was 126 gallons, and I've added an aux 55 gal tank in cabin/port side.

Deck was pretty rotten/soft when I got the boat and totally replaced it. amazingly, very little rot to the stringers, I guess because it looked like the original deck was bedded with resin when they sat the deck down. the worst rot was where aft cabin meets deck--that is screwed at the bottom of PH to a bulkhead flange and invites water infiltration I glassed the cabin and got rid of the mechanical fastners there, hopefully avoiding future water intrusion.
stringers on this boat are "boy dogs". you've got three sets of stringers, with one set running all the way to the transom. I had to do very little repair to stringers, and that's been the easiest part of the project!

at any rate, sorry about the tardy reply. hope yours is going well.