New Boat Owner questions.

[Hannibal]

Hi all - made an introduction post up above and this will likely be my first of many "new boat owner" questions. This is my first boat and aside from a little time on boats each summer running around with friends - my knowledge is pretty limited. So any and all help would be appreciated.

Looking to upgrade/add a couple features to my boat (1991 Parker 2110 WA). Perhaps someone could point in the right direction or make suggestions.

1) Looking to replace the two helm chairs. The ones that came with the boat are hard plastic and while both white, don't match. Looking to replace with padded chairs with arm rests for a more comfortable ride. Any place recommended to look?

2) My biggest concern is the lack of seating beyond the helm chairs. I have a 2 year old son who loves being on the water so I need someway to ride him around. There are two little backless seats on the sides of the motor and this certainly won't cut it. Can you get bench seats that lay across the tail end of the boat from end to end just infront of the engine? I am almost envisioning a pontoon style seat that lays across the back. Maybe house a cooler or storage space underneath? It would need to be removeable (maybe strapped or bolted down) for straight up fishing outings. Not seeing much on the couple sites I've visited. Any direction would be appreciated.

3) In the cuddy cabin - it has seats/cushions around the intererior of the hull with a "walking space" in the middle. Is there any way of filling this space with a collapseable/removeable frame? My buddies boat had something similar but it was more where the space was filled via hinges off the seats. The intent is to turn that cabin into one being laying/bed space for an overnight trip. Is there a reasonable way to accomplish this?

4) Anyone have any concerns with this type of boat that I should look into? The motor is "new" (Evinrude Bombardier 225 with less than 60 hours) and the gel coat is in good shape. Bottom needs some painting simply for asthetic purposes and I plan to give it a good detail job here within the next couple weeks.

5) Interior cleaning - eveything is pretty much the molded plastic/fiberglass (with new skid floor). I was thinking softscrub and water to clean it up? Maybe some other products for the gauges, etc. Anything recommended?

6) Exterior cleaning - Is there a good cleaning product to use prior to a marine wax to take off any grime/discoloration?

7) Any other good resource sites for this boat or boating in general?

I am sure I will have a millon more questions but these were the ones at the forefront of my brain.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

Will

 

[GaryM]

Will, welcome to the club. You made a great choice buying a Parker. I’ll let the gurus answer questions 1 thru 6. As for question 7, you’re doing the right thing by taking the boater safety course, which I saw in your intro post. Next step, I would purchase the book “Chapman Piloting: Seamanship & Small Boat Handling”, which many consider to be the Bible of boating skills. Here’s a link to it on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting- ... 466&sr=1-1

As for other sites, there is also thehulltruth.com (THT). THT has more members, which has its pros and cons. IMO, here you’ll find people who are passionate about their Parkers and enjoy helping people. On THT you will find everything under the sun, from the very smart and helpful to… well let’s just say the not so smart or helpful. Hey, it’s the Internet.

Enjoy the boat and I’m sure you’ll get more answers to your other questions when people get off of work.

Gary

 

[Mike2043]

Congrats on the new boat. Good choice. I also have a 2110 and love it.

As for you questions,

1) check the classified section. There were a couple for sale for a reasonable price. I wanted them but the wife wouldn't have been happy.

3) My cabin has a center cushions that covers about half of the center walkway. Under that center cushion is a port-a-poti.

4) Concerns-- None for me. I have been caught is some rough seas and never felt un-safe.

6) Exterior cleaning-- I used 3m cleaning wax on mine when I got it. That took out all the years of grime.

If you need any pics of mine to help you out let me know. I'll be happy to take and post.

 

[Hannibal]

Please post some pics. If nothing else, it will give
me some ideas. Thanks.

 

[Brent]

2) My biggest concern is the lack of seating beyond the helm chairs. I have a 2 year old son who loves being on the water so I need someway to ride him around. There are two little backless seats on the sides of the motor and this certainly won't cut it. Can you get bench seats that lay across the tail end of the boat from end to end just infront of the engine? I am almost envisioning a pontoon style seat that lays across the back. Maybe house a cooler or storage space underneath? It would need to be removeable (maybe strapped or bolted down) for straight up fishing outings. Not seeing much on the couple sites I've visited. Any direction would be appreciated.


Maybe a bean bag chair