It’s 4 Reels! Parker 2320 – Pictures of new projects

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Here are some pics of the new and improved It’s 4 Reels!

Control center with new Raymarine Autopilot:

Furuno FCV585 and ICOM 504:

Custom Bench seat with microwave:

Re-upholstered bench seat in the tower:

Custom bracket for the ICOM Command Mic III and Autopilot Remote:

Bait Tank and outside views. Last count 31 rod holders:

Most recent work was completed by Mike from Reliable Marine (562-965-6330), including installing the autopilot, Command MIC III and custom bracket, replacement of the Seastar Hydraulic Steering Cylinder, new anchor light moved from the top of the cabin to the tower railing and a ton of miscellaneous stuff. He knows his electronics as well as the mechanical aspects of boats. I would highly recommend him and he is very reasonable with his pricing and does not mind it if you have your own equipment.

 

[Megabyte]

Impressive!

Love that bench seat and the storage area it creates. 8)
Does the AP remote on the tower have a tether?
I could see me dropping it as an offering to the sea gods... :shock:

 

[Bryan 2530]

Nice stuff!!! I like the idea of the tower with autopilot controls.

Is the Micro powered by an inverter??

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Impressive!

Love that bench seat and the storage area it creates. 8)
Does the AP remote on the tower have a tether?
I could see me dropping it as an offering to the sea gods... :shock:

Tether is included and I will be holding onto that thing with a tight grip.

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Nice stuff!!! I like the idea of the tower with autopilot controls.

Is the Micro powered by an inverter??

Running 3 batteries (2 Deep Cycle and an AGM) with an inverter and built in charger.

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Almost forgot to mention that there is a Raymarine C80 for the GPS and Radar and a JVC Stereo with USB (Flashdrive)/IPOD/MP3 playback capabilities. And for those days when the need to fish and watch one of my favorite teams play there is a bracket for a 15" LCD DVD unit:

 

[Megabyte]

Green Bay?

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Green Bay?

USC Trojans, New Years Day 2008:

http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=3298

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

Regarding the bench seat here is what we did:

That is the standard Parker Bench seat. What we did was remove the backrest and bend the brackets back. We then screwed in some wooden slats onto the bottom of the backrest so it would wedge in between the brackets to keep the backrest from sliding around. We also unscrewed the bench and did the same thing with the wooden slats and now we have storage.

 

[John_Madison CT]

Damn, that's like a small apartment !! Very nice indeed.

 

[tara11]

That all looks great, can I ask a dumb question, what does the auto pilot do, let you sleep while your boat takes you to Cat or Clemente, just trying to figure out the purpose of the autopilot thing, is it hooked into your radar and turns if you are heading twards a barge or shore or whatever, just trying to understand the reason ?

 

[Jawbreaker]

Autopilot keeps you on a heading or GPS track while you set lines, read your instruments at night, look out the window, etc.

It can help you avoid collisions in low/zero visibility, because you can get your head outside the cabin and you don't have to stay glued to your chart display/compass to stay on course. It is not a substitute for keeping an adequate watch.

 

[Megabyte]

An AP also steers the straightest course between two points over distance.
No weaving = better fuel economy.

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

That all looks great, can I ask a dumb question, what does the auto pilot do, let you sleep while your boat takes you to Cat or Clemente, just trying to figure out the purpose of the autopilot thing, is it hooked into your radar and turns if you are heading twards a barge or shore or whatever, just trying to understand the reason ?

Pretty much what Jawbreaker said are reasons to have an autopilot. Also, when I am running offshore I usually have 2 or 3 guys with me and it is a lot easier for newbies to keep course without having to hold onto the steering wheel. For someone who is not familiar with my boat it is hard to stay on course and very tiring as well. In addition having a wireless remote allows me to steer from the tower. Autopilots should not be used where there is a lot of boat traffic and there will always be at least 1 or 2 crew members keeping a watchful eye at all times.

 

[tara11]

That is cool, I had a complete different pic in my head, that would be nice when my son is driving, if i look away for 2 minutes, we are all of a sudden heading to Japan But he tries ! Cool, Thanks for explaining ! Your boat looks sweet !
Craig

 

[TheOtherLine]

For me, the benefit is the ability to create a "pattern" (figure 8 etc.,) and then have the boat follow the pattern while trolling by myself. While I don't have AP, I envision being able to tend to my lines while the boat steers itself. I think.

 

[Its4Reels!-Parker23]

For me, the benefit is the ability to create a "pattern" (figure 8 etc.,) and then have the boat follow the pattern while trolling by myself. While I don't have AP, I envision being able to tend to my lines while the boat steers itself. I think.

According to Raymarine the ST8002 or the SmartControler do not have the ability to create a pattern. I was kind of bummed out that it was not an available feature.

 

[drew]

I have the Simrad AP on my 2320 and it is great. I do alot of trolling and I would never own a boat again without an AP. It definitely spoiled me.

IDK about the Raymarine, but my Simrad is interfaced with the GPS. It also has a couple trolling patterns pre set in it.