Am I the only one that thinks the cabin door is a hazard?

[Cheapie408]

I mount 2 coolers with cushions on either side of the cabin door in the cockpit which doesn't allow the door to open all the way. Tried using cords to keep it open but then it takes up so much space.

Today I decided to remove the doors and I'm really digging it. I'm getting some drop curtains made and will just roll them up when not in use and use Velcro to hold it in place to close. Anyone else did this?

 

[A-K]

good idea on the door.

A buddy of mine removes his while out at sea. Then puts it back on in port. This is on a 29’ Defiance. It’s a safety thing due to one flipping in mission bay years back and the crew getting trapped inside for a bit. They all survived but now they all remove the pilot doors.

 

[pelagic2530]

Next step: sawzalling that whole aft bulkhead out! Open back 2120, can't say I've ever seen one of those.

Unless you need the security of the closed/locked pilothouse, or the protection from extreme elements, I've always liked having the house be open to the deck. Makes the whole boat feel a lot bigger, in my opinion.

 

[Cheapie408]

What they should have done is sliding doors. Horrible design for this type/size boat IMO. I saw an open back 2021 for sale recently, I can't say I love the looks but I love the practicality.

I'm almost ready for a 22ft sea arima

 

[tomc585]

My 21' sea ranger is open back and always wished it was closed until reading A-K's post

 

[Mpellet]

I’ll go counter on this. I like my door and would not ever remove it.....

 

[Swatski]

I’ll go counter on this. I like my door and would not ever remove it.....

100% on this.
That closed cabin was the primary reason we actually went with Parker.
I love the door - it latches securely in my model, and we love the open v-berth; those were deciding factors between a Parker and a Steiger - for us.

 

[Andy]

I’ll go counter on this. I like my door and would not ever remove it.....

Dittos.... The solid, locking door is one of the reasons we got this boat. There's less noise inside with the door closed. During hurricanes and even strong summer storms, the pilothouse stays safe and dry (especially after I installed door-dogs). I have expensive items in the pilothouse and in the cuddy cabin, and I like having a way to lock them up. (Yes I know a persistent thief can get in most anywhere; that's where insurance would kick in). And, although I have never closed the door to the cuddy cabin, I still like having that option...

 

[A-K]

For clarity. I feel perfectly fine leaving my door on and closed while running, although I typically have it open.
I was just explaining what some others do with boats very similar to ours.

 

[got_em_on]

One of the reasons we got this boat is the cabin and cabin door. No plastic eisenglass, canvas to flap around, roll up, snaps, velcro, zippers to break, leak and eventually have to replace the entire thing which is not a small cost. Stay perfectly dry inside when running if its snotty and when you get in -wash down and lock the door. Not messing around with the eisenglass -snaps, zippers etc.

So much simpler

 

[Andy]

One of the reasons we got this boat is the cabin and cabin door. No plastic eisenglass, canvas to flap around, roll up, snaps, velcro, zippers to break, leak and eventually have to replace the entire thing which is not a small cost. Stay perfectly dry inside when running if its snotty and when you get in -wash down and lock the door. Not messing around with the eisenglass -snaps, zippers etc.

So much simpler

Those are more good points. I had 'iesingglass' (I don't know how to spell it ☺) on two of our previous boats. It required a lot of maintenance, and yet was still hard to see out of (I understand the newer versions on 'isinglass' are much better in that respect), and didn't provide any security. I prefer the security of real glass windows, a hard-top, and an enclosed pilothouse; and with a lockable door, with the option to be latched open when we want more air-flow and/or quicker access in-and-out....
Not that it matters, but this snip from YachtWorld says "Isinglass", with a capitol "I"... so must be a 'brand name' ?....

 

[pelagic2530]

One of the reasons we got this boat is the cabin and cabin door. No plastic eisenglass, canvas to flap around, roll up, snaps, velcro, zippers to break, leak and eventually have to replace the entire thing which is not a small cost. Stay perfectly dry inside when running if its snotty and when you get in -wash down and lock the door. Not messing around with the eisenglass -snaps, zippers etc.

So much simpler

To each their own! For what it's worth, I run with my rear curtains up/off almost all the time. Even when it's REAL snotty, good amounts of water coming off the pilothouse roof, it's never wet inside the pilothouse. Only way I could think of that happening is with driving rain or a very stiff tailwind, and in that very rare case rolling the curtains down isn't a hassle. Mine have been pretty low-maintenance, it's just three rectangles of canvas/clear plastic with two straight zippers and some snaps. The boat's a '95; the canvas has been replaced once, and it's due for another. 13 years to a set of canvas, I'll take that all day long for the ability to open up the whole boat to the cockpit.

 

[Phil]

I like security and shelter of the door especially if you are staying over night.

On the subject of capsizing, Parkers have positive flotation so it will not sink. There are foam filled compartments port & starboard in the pilot house and the stern. So don’t panic if you turn turtle. Let the water equalize and use the time to get in your survival gear and get your portable VHF.

On my 2320 I have cut a large hatch in the middle of the pilot house deck to store my survival raft and gear. If I turn turtle this compartment would hold the biggest air pocket. So I can literally stand on the PH ceiling with my head in the compartment. This would allow me to regain my composure and gather the emergency gear I need. I have survival suits and wet suits and snorkeling gear.( I cut this hatch more than 12 years ago and have ran on plane in some very snotty seas. The deck and compartment is still rock solid.)

 

[Andy]

To each their own! For what it's worth, I run with my rear curtains up/off almost all the time. Even when it's REAL snotty, good amounts of water coming off the pilothouse roof, it's never wet inside the pilothouse. Only way I could think of that happening is with driving rain or a very stiff tailwind, and in that very rare case rolling the curtains down isn't a hassle. Mine have been pretty low-maintenance, it's just three rectangles of canvas/clear plastic with two straight zippers and some snaps. The boat's a '95; the canvas has been replaced once, and it's due for another. 13 years to a set of canvas, I'll take that all day long for the ability to open up the whole boat to the cockpit.

Totally agree!.. Everyone has different likes/dislikes. It's not a matter of right/wrong, just different opinions... In one of your earlier statements you mentioned that the open back makes the boat seem much larger, and I can see where that would be so.
Edit/addition:
I do a lot of winter-time boating; I'm on the water year-round. Being 'afloat' is one of the three big joys/pleasures in my life. The enclosed pilothouse makes it easy for me to be warm and comfortable, even in the worst weather...

 

[A-K]

On the subject of capsizing.

I do not use auto inflation life jackets. Only the manual type that requires you to pull the cord to inflate it.
If you turtle, auto inflation life jacket can drown you in a pilot house. It will inflate and pin you to the roof (now the deck because the boat has capsized).

 

[Swatski]

I like security and shelter of the door especially if you are staying over night.

On the subject of capsizing, Parkers have positive flotation so it will not sink. There are foam filled compartments port & starboard in the pilot house and the stern. So don’t panic if you turn turtle. Let the water equalize and use the time to get in your survival gear and get your portable VHF.

On my 2320 I have cut a large hatch in the middle of the pilot house deck to store my survival raft and gear. If I turn turtle this compartment would hold the biggest air pocket. So I can literally stand on the PH ceiling with my head in the compartment. This would allow me to regain my composure and gather the emergency gear I need. I have survival suits and wet suits and snorkeling gear.( I cut this hatch more than 12 years ago and have ran on plane in some very snotty seas. The deck and compartment is still rock solid.)

I would LOVE to know more about this project. The "front bilge" in my new 2320 fascinates me!
Why is it there?
Is it meant to just amplify sound of pounding waves? lol

Seriously, I want to cut into it, just haven't seen many people doing it. It seems like a PERFECT storage compartment.
I already scoped it on the inside with a borescope which only enhanced my curiosity: it is empty.
Good thing I have almost no free time on my hands, nowadays, or I would be cutting into it already!!

--

 

[baker]

I would LOVE to know more about this project. The "front bilge" in my new 2320 fascinates me!
Why is it there?
Is it meant to just amplify sound of pounding waves? lol

Seriously, I want to cut into it, just haven't seen many people doing it. It seems like a PERFECT storage compartment.
I already scoped it on the inside with a borescope which only enhanced my curiosity: it is empty.
Good thing I have almost no free time on my hands, nowadays, or I would be cutting into it already!!

--

For me the "front bilge" baffles me! I have discussed this topic previously and so have others many times. On our 2520 SE, there are no floor hatches in the cabin or pilot house, which means there are no bilge pumps. When water enters the anchor locker, it flows to the bilge. Now, since (at least on ours) when the boat is wet slip it is slightly bow down, which means that any water in the bilge will flow forward. This is not a good arrangement, obviously. This has just reminded me that I have been meaning to experiment with running a water house in the bilge to see if and or when the water will eventually flow to the aft bilge, if at all. With no access, these areas are dirty and likely full of mold in turn is a recipe for mold growth on the interior carpet (another topic). So, if I can not get access to below deck bilge areas to clean, keeping the carpet mold free is a continuous battle. I figured that Parker only provided floor hatches when they installed an electric head unit in the cabin, because they needed access to mount it to the floor, route the plumbing, power, and have access to the dirty holding tank. If the buyer didn't order the electric head option, then no hatches were cut into the floors and therefore no bilge pump was installed in the center bilge as a result. I have not seen a Parker with a forward bilge pump yet. Does anyone have one, or installed one? Thanks to Andy for making a nice video of this arrangement. When I have the time, I will be cutting the floors of the cabin and pilot house to install hatches. I think the center bilge may be prewired for a bilge pump already but not sure if the wires actually go to the bilge compartment, I scoped it but didn't see anything. I will post my progress with this project as I go.

 

[Phil]

I just took some measurements of the front bilge. Useable space is L 51” - W 24” - H 16”. So about 339 quarts. There is a V running down the center that connects anchor drain to the front bilge to the aft bilge. So you have to build a floor above it. Originally I used ¾ inch plywood coated with epoxy but it failed in 2 years because I did not fiberglassed it. So I tried some ¾ pressure treated treads at Home Depot and it is still looking good after 10+ years. You could use ¾” Starboard but it is heavy and you need to round over the edges so it doesn’t damage the fiberglass after years of constant pounding.

As for the hatch, after swearing my ass off every time I work on the ridiculously tight rear bilge, I decided to make the front bilge hatch as big as possible. Plus my liferaft weighs 70lbs so I do not want to wrestle it out of a tight hatch in an emergency. I cut the hatch with a jigsaw and sealed it with epoxy. I made a lip around the cutout to support the hatch out of ¾ Starboard and thru-bolted it under the deck. I used a piano hinge and installed it forward so it allows me to lift the raft and swing it to the cockpit.

I put a plastic tray under the inspection plate for misc stuff like flippers and homemade boarding ladder. I cut the locking tabs off the pie plate so I can open it without a screwdriver and without opening the hatch. Then I put a non-skid mat over the hatch to prevent debris falling to the bilge.

For an easier install and more finished look, you could get an off-the-shelf hatch but it’s going to be pricey and probably not flush to the deck.

 

[Phil]

I have not seen a Parker with a forward bilge pump yet. Does anyone have one, or installed one?

My 99 2320 have a forward bilge pump factory installed.

 

[Cheapie408]

Completed my cockpit mods today. The drop curtain works well and this small 21 footer fishes 4 people comfortably now.