Got My Boat Tonight! Some New Owner Questions With Pics.

[Island Dreamer]

But was just dropped off in Oxnard tonight and while the delivery guy is backing it in, someone already asks if its for sale!
The boat made it from Houston with just one blown out tire that happened 30 minutes in to the journey. Uship was $1800 and a great experience. Tomorrow is heads to service center for outdrive service. Fuel pump was replaced in Texas for almost $1400! I did find a bunch of new Volvo filters, belts, and a new exhaust riser in storage.
I have some questions for you all.
1) Theres a heater under the passenger seat with two hoses feeding in to it. Is is heated salt water from the raw water cooling system or oil that is passing through it to heat it?
2) What type of buttons are these? I see on/off buttons on West Marine but a horn button is not an on off.
3) What kind of caulk would I use to seal the gap on the 2nd station?
4) Can a kicker bracket be mounted to this fiberglass swim step?
5) If I want an LED light inside, do I just replace the bulb or do I need a new fixture?
6) The Neutra Salt switch seems to inject a solution of some salt destroyer. Gimmick or nice bonus?
7)The holding tank is half full. I dont know how to empty it and dont know what switch label to look for. I do know that you have to be far out to see to empty it! The way they are plumbed, do I have the choice of a flush going straight to the ocean or will it always go to the holding tank first?
8)There are two gel batteries with a switch that has off/1/2. Do most of you have 2 batteries or three? Is there a gauge or alarm that can tell you when batteries are being depleted? My rover has a pop up with an alarm that knows when the battery is getting low.

 

[warthog5]

There are two gel batteries with a switch that has off/1/2. Do most of you have 2 batteries or three?

Your calling them "Gell" batteries......Post a pix.

2 batteries is a standard for a single engine....That way you can have a engine Start battery and a House battery...... 2 engines would get 2- Start batteries and 1 House battery. Start batteries are just that...Starting batteries....House batteries are Deep cycle's.

Problem is.... That switch does not conform that way....Which ever position you put that switch in....You get a Start battery and no dedicated House battery. And thus why I push the BEP cluster switches.

 

[Andy]

But was just dropped off in Oxnard tonight and while the delivery guy is backing it in, someone already asks if its for sale!
The boat made it from Houston with just one blown out tire that happened 30 minutes in to the journey. Uship was $1800 and a great experience. Tomorrow is heads to service center for outdrive service. Fuel pump was replaced in Texas for almost $1400! I did find a bunch of new Volvo filters, belts, and a new exhaust riser in storage.
I have some questions for you all.
1) Theres a heater under the passenger seat with two hoses feeding in to it. Is is heated salt water from the raw water cooling system or oil that is passing through it to heat it?
2) What type of buttons are these? I see on/off buttons on West Marine but a horn button is not an on off.
3) What kind of caulk would I use to seal the gap on the 2nd station?
4) Can a kicker bracket be mounted to this fiberglass swim step?
5) If I want an LED light inside, do I just replace the bulb or do I need a new fixture?
6) The Neutra Salt switch seems to inject a solution of some salt destroyer. Gimmick or nice bonus?
7)The holding tank is half full. I dont know how to empty it and dont know what switch label to look for. I do know that you have to be far out to see to empty it! The way they are plumbed, do I have the choice of a flush going straight to the ocean or will it always go to the holding tank first?
8)There are two gel batteries with a switch that has off/1/2. Do most of you have 2 batteries or three? Is there a gauge or alarm that can tell you when batteries are being depleted? My rover has a pop up with an alarm that knows when the battery is getting low.

Congrats on the new-to-you Parker!
#1 Are you sure your engine is only sea-water cooled? My guess is the engine has a heat-exchanger, and a closed cooling system with coolant/anti-freeze. If so, then those hoses to the heater under the seat has a 'radiator' where the coolant runs to, then back to the engine. My past boats had systems like that for heaters, and water heaters.
#4 Yes a kicker-bracket could be mounted to the fiberglass swim step, as long as (IMHO) you never mount an engine to the kicker ☺!
#7 There is likely a pump-out /screw-out fitting on the gunnel where you can insert a dock-side pump-out hose, and pump-out the contents of the holding tank. If there is a "Y-Valve" in the head-plumbing then there is the ability to discharge the waste overboard. (I have not seen a Parker with a "Y-valve" set installed). The head on our Parker has been used only once; then flushed a dozen times with chemicals and fresh water, and now is NOT used. The hoses and poly-tanks are vapor/odor permeable, and if you use the head for anything other than 'water' you will have a 'head-odor' in the boat forever. On the Parkers I have seen, the head is plumbed where it is always first pumped to the holding tank. Then it has the ability to pump 'the contents' overboard when 3+ (Is it 5 miles now?) miles offshore. I personally don't believe in that practice; I recommend using the pump-out at a marina.

 

[dcunniff]

1) Theres a heater under the passenger seat with two hoses feeding in to it. Is is heated salt water from the raw water cooling system or oil that is passing through it to heat it? You should have a heat exchanger on the engine, it uses some of water leaving the exchanger that would go to the exhaust manifolds for discharge.
2) What type of buttons are these? I see on/off buttons on West Marine but a horn button is not an on off. I did not see your buttons, just the Neutra Salt one. The horn should be a black rubber button you push for the horn. The horn if it should work should be loud and if not they do not last long. Should be to the right of the steering wheel typically.
3) What kind of caulk would I use to seal the gap on the 2nd station? I would suggest Life Caulk, white.
4) Can a kicker bracket be mounted to this fiberglass swim step? Personally, I would not suggest it. It is a swim platform. That platform back then was about $1,000.
5) If I want an LED light inside, do I just replace the bulb or do I need a new fixture? New fixture. And what is that wire running by it on the ceiling, is it really 120 volt??
6) The Neutra Salt switch seems to inject a solution of some salt destroyer. Gimmick or nice bonus? No gimmick. Needs suction to work, should be a tee in the line to the raw water pump that connects to the solution reservoir maybe mounted on the inside of the transom. When you are done for the day, about 45 seconds before you shut off the engine hold the button down and the suction will pull solution through your pump, through your heat exchanger, your manifolds and risers and out the outdrive. Then shut your engine off.
7)The holding tank is half full. I dont know how to empty it and dont know what switch label to look for. I do know that you have to be far out to see to empty it! The way they are plumbed, do I have the choice of a flush going straight to the ocean or will it always go to the holding tank first? Not a great picture but normally for back then you had a Y-Valve in one of the storage lockers to go from the head direct through the hull for sea pumpout. The other way head discharge goes to the holding tank. There was no macerator pump though one could be added. Once in the holding tank, it has to be suctioned out. Should be on the starboard side of the walkaround around the cabin. You can unscrew the inspection cover and hand pump it out into a bucket, use a shop vacuum, etc., do not leave it there and add head holding tank treatment by pumping it through the head.
8)There are two gel batteries with a switch that has off/1/2. Do most of you have 2 batteries or three? Is there a gauge or alarm that can tell you when batteries are being depleted? My rover has a pop up with an alarm that knows when the battery is getting low. You should have it where there is an off, battery 1, battery 2, or both switch position. Use your voltmeter on the dash to check voltage. You can add alarms. One of my depth sounders has a voltage read out.

 

[Island Dreamer]

I really appreciate you taking the time to write the answers to those questions. The boat has been in the shop ever since it was delivered. I haven’t spent more than 10 minutes on it looking around. All the Bellows and hydraulic hoses and hydraulic lift arms are being replaced right now and I’ve already had the fuel pump replaced. I think that is it and now I can start playing around with some of the items mentioned above