sydngoose
Well-known member
I can't answer your sliding door question, although my Parker 2830 has one, which is a sweet accommodation.
To answer your fuel cell capacity question…
(2) 45 gallon fuel tanks seems VERY IN-adequate to me. Let's say you burn 1.8 mpg (have no clue what your fuel burn actually is… but it looks like a 2520 deep V, so this could serve as an average MPG. That gives you 162 mile range (with NO reserve capacity). You are severely limiting your vessel. There may come a day when you want to sell her for whatever reason… THAT will be your limiting factor for a buyer. You could have the absolute sweetest rig on the market, but 85% of the buyers will ignore your vessel due to limited fuel capacity. I would DOUBLE that if at all possible with space. I would look into engineering (2) or (3) tanks total with fuel valves for 180 gallons total. Also, your needs/ wants may change and YOU may want more range eventually..
For the foam, that is a very individual risk assessment to make. Here is why. Removing ALL the foam in the hull WILL make you lighter maybe a couple hundred pounds. If there was rot around your deck/ stringers, its' probably safe to assume your foam is saturated as well: at least a good portion of it. So, removing will lighten your load.
To replace it again when RE'constructing her:
It WOULD provide you positive floatation, and may keep your bow high enough to hold onto if turtled offshore. OR your lower units out of the water high enough for you and your crew to wrap around until help arrives.
My 2830 does NOT have flotation foam from the factory. I have buddy rebuilding a classic Potter hull sea craft from the stringers up. He elected NOT to refoam because of the potential down the line for leaks or water intrusion into the foam at some point, making the hull heavy and sluggish. I somewhat agree with your buddy: if you are using the "foam" to buy you time until help / rescue arrives, you are going to be in your life raft with one or two EPIRB's deployed…so, the foam may become a mute point.
Personally, for me, yeah I 'd ditch the foam…
Remember, PICTURES or it never happened….
To answer your fuel cell capacity question…
(2) 45 gallon fuel tanks seems VERY IN-adequate to me. Let's say you burn 1.8 mpg (have no clue what your fuel burn actually is… but it looks like a 2520 deep V, so this could serve as an average MPG. That gives you 162 mile range (with NO reserve capacity). You are severely limiting your vessel. There may come a day when you want to sell her for whatever reason… THAT will be your limiting factor for a buyer. You could have the absolute sweetest rig on the market, but 85% of the buyers will ignore your vessel due to limited fuel capacity. I would DOUBLE that if at all possible with space. I would look into engineering (2) or (3) tanks total with fuel valves for 180 gallons total. Also, your needs/ wants may change and YOU may want more range eventually..
For the foam, that is a very individual risk assessment to make. Here is why. Removing ALL the foam in the hull WILL make you lighter maybe a couple hundred pounds. If there was rot around your deck/ stringers, its' probably safe to assume your foam is saturated as well: at least a good portion of it. So, removing will lighten your load.
To replace it again when RE'constructing her:
It WOULD provide you positive floatation, and may keep your bow high enough to hold onto if turtled offshore. OR your lower units out of the water high enough for you and your crew to wrap around until help arrives.
My 2830 does NOT have flotation foam from the factory. I have buddy rebuilding a classic Potter hull sea craft from the stringers up. He elected NOT to refoam because of the potential down the line for leaks or water intrusion into the foam at some point, making the hull heavy and sluggish. I somewhat agree with your buddy: if you are using the "foam" to buy you time until help / rescue arrives, you are going to be in your life raft with one or two EPIRB's deployed…so, the foam may become a mute point.
Personally, for me, yeah I 'd ditch the foam…
Remember, PICTURES or it never happened….