New-to-me 2005 Parker 2530

[dcunniff]

The 2530's had starboard galley with sink, 2 burner alcohol stove, drawers to the left of the fridge. Older ones were 12V only, newer were 12V/120V. Port had a dinette, a cabinet on each side with cushion seating. Remove the dinette posts, lay the dinette on a lip on the cabinets to get a single berth with a filler cushion.

 

[GotChrist?]

GC, didn't realize you were so local. I'm in Ocean View and I launch out of Willoughby. Any tricks to launching on LC? I can access the base just fine, just never done so with the boat in tow. What's the procedure for the MWR ramp?

No tricks. It's straight forward.
1. Come in the side/main entrance of the marina next to the gravel parking lot and the old USO club.
2. Stop at the stop sign and register inside with the marina or if closed, used the form you'll find at the after hours station adjacent to the stop sign. You'll need trailer, and boat license numbers. While stopped, prep your boat for launching. Once prepped, pull forward and turn left to align with the ramp of choice. Keep in mind the center section are 2 ramps with a dock on each side. Some think of themselves as royalty and use the whole ramp. Most don't like the side ramps as they have large gravel on the ramp (closest one) and marina personnel use the far one for the rental boats.
3. Launch the boat and tied to the dock. Remove the truck to one of the line painted areas, 2 trucks per lane and pull all the way forward if the lane is empty. If lanes are full, park over on the adjacent building lot. You may see other trucks and trailers there.
4. When you're ready to depart the dock, hail "LC Port Control this is pleasure craft (boat name) on channel 12." Wait for response. Then, "Request permission to transit the harbor from Cove marina to the sea wall." They will either tell you to standby due to large ship entering (rare any more), or to be aware of USCG or transatlantic line ship entering/departing, or permission granted. Close the conversation with, "Roger/copy that. (Boat name) standing by on 12."
5. Proceed away from the ramp, staying opposite of the floating docks and somewhat near the stationary docks. No wake/6kts only! Once clear of the floating dock and allowing for incoming boat traffic, aim for a point just off the point nearest land which is port control and towards the far shore to the tip of land where an amphib is likely docked.
6. Once 30-50 yards off the far shore parallel it towards the sea wall, then angle to your port to enter the jetty area.
7. Once past the buoy line, you can power up and do what you want.

It will irk you to see others disregard the exit and entrance procedures, such as going along the ships. Harbor security usually catches them for a tongue lashing. Other times they much be on their phones or don't give a rat's @$$. Sadly, marina personnel aren't more on top of the game of asking people if they know the rules. Only way I learned was by asking.

Do not enter the coves to starboard, especially Desert Cove. That's SEAL area and security would love to use the automatic weapon mounted on the bow of their boat. Once past where the harbor security boat is, you can make a turn to port to enter the civilian marina area.

Base has marina fuel, plus a gas station a quarter mile from the marina at gate 1, and the main one down at gate 5 (I think that's the gate number).

 

[DanLovingood]

GC,

Thanks for the detailed info. I used to run out of Little Creek a lot when fishing the CBBT or Cape Henry areas, but haven't used it much since 9/11. Its good to know the current requirements - it is very convient to the CBBT. I mainly got tired of trailering through Norfolk, especially anywhere near rush hour - people on the interstate just don't have any repsect for someone pulling a boat. I realized I could leave home (Chuckatuck Creek in northern Suffolk) and get to Little Creek jetty in just aout the same amount of time required to trailer and launch - I'd much rather go for a boat ride than a stressful tow through Norfolk.

Cap'n Dan

 

[pelagic2530]

No tricks. It's straight forward.
1. Come in the side/main entrance of the marina next to the gravel parking lot and the old USO club.
2. Stop at the stop sign and register inside with the marina or if closed, used the form you'll find at the after hours station adjacent to the stop sign. You'll need trailer, and boat license numbers. While stopped, prep your boat for launching. Once prepped, pull forward and turn left to align with the ramp of choice. Keep in mind the center section are 2 ramps with a dock on each side. Some think of themselves as royalty and use the whole ramp. Most don't like the side ramps as they have large gravel on the ramp (closest one) and marina personnel use the far one for the rental boats.
3. Launch the boat and tied to the dock. Remove the truck to one of the line painted areas, 2 trucks per lane and pull all the way forward if the lane is empty. If lanes are full, park over on the adjacent building lot. You may see other trucks and trailers there.
4. When you're ready to depart the dock, hail "LC Port Control this is pleasure craft (boat name) on channel 12." Wait for response. Then, "Request permission to transit the harbor from Cove marina to the sea wall." They will either tell you to standby due to large ship entering (rare any more), or to be aware of USCG or transatlantic line ship entering/departing, or permission granted. Close the conversation with, "Roger/copy that. (Boat name) standing by on 12."
5. Proceed away from the ramp, staying opposite of the floating docks and somewhat near the stationary docks. No wake/6kts only! Once clear of the floating dock and allowing for incoming boat traffic, aim for a point just off the point nearest land which is port control and towards the far shore to the tip of land where an amphib is likely docked.
6. Once 30-50 yards off the far shore parallel it towards the sea wall, then angle to your port to enter the jetty area.
7. Once past the buoy line, you can power up and do what you want.

It will irk you to see others disregard the exit and entrance procedures, such as going along the ships. Harbor security usually catches them for a tongue lashing. Other times they much be on their phones or don't give a rat's @$$. Sadly, marina personnel aren't more on top of the game of asking people if they know the rules. Only way I learned was by asking.

Do not enter the coves to starboard, especially Desert Cove. That's SEAL area and security would love to use the automatic weapon mounted on the bow of their boat. Once past where the harbor security boat is, you can make a turn to port to enter the civilian marina area.

Base has marina fuel, plus a gas station a quarter mile from the marina at gate 1, and the main one down at gate 5 (I think that's the gate number).
View attachment 27891

GC, thanks for the detailed description! Really good info for the ramp. I'm very familiar with LC operations, as I worked on a ship homeported there for about 4 years and still work with a few of the ones left on base. You're right, other than the EPF catamarans and some tug/barge traffic from the CBBT project, traffic in the base has slowed down significantly since the salvage ships left and the LSDs are all broken down in a dry dock somewhere. Transatlantic Lines went belly up a few years ago and I don't think anyone is using that rail spur dock anymore.

Again, thanks for the intel, now all we need is water temperatures above 40 degrees and we'll be in business!

Truesdell, my apologies for the thread hijack.

 

[sailmaster]

I’m installing a diesel heater and an alcohol stove. Sall good

Alcohol has lots of good characteristics including being extinguished with water BUT it is also dangerous because the flame is difficult to see

 

[sailmaster]

I know most everyone knows what I'm going to say here, but it's worth a look in case even one person may not know, and can be saved the embarrassment of blowing up one of our beloved Parkers!
A lot of folks (me too!) use portable propane heaters on the boat in the winter, and everyone would agree you must use it safely. There are not many incidents where the small one-pound 'green Coleman-style' LP cylinders seals have malfunctioned, but there are a couple, and that's enough to let you that know you don't want to be one of them; yes they can leak...
Be especially careful where you store spare LP cylinders/containers, or where you store the heater itself, especially if you leave it on the boat with the propane cylinder still attached. (How old is the heater/stove? How old is the rubber gasket/seal on the heater/stove?). The best bet is to remove the heater from the boat when not being used. If not, at least store it somewhere 'outside' of the cabin/pilothouse/center-console area like in the cockpit in a ventilated storage box/locker or cooler. This is especially important with partially used cylinders. If removing the partially used cylinder from the device, you are relying upon it to seal itself back. Most of the time it will, but not always.
And yes Propane, aka LP, aka Liquified Petroleum, aka Liquified Gas, is 'heavier' than air, meaning if it leaks out of its container, and is not 'burned' off as it 'leaks', then it will settle to the lowest part of the boat; and once there, it will accumulate until it is either vented out, or it ignites/explodes. (The specific gravity of propane is 1.55 versus air at 1.00; that is 'heavy' !) so if it 'leaks' out of its container it will 'settle' to the lowest space in the boat. If something 'sparks' in the space where the propane gas is, the gas can ignite/ explode when it reaches the critical air/gas ration/density.
(Both propane and natural gas are odorless in their natural states. A chemical called Mercaptan (that smells bad, like rotten eggs) is added to both propane and natural gas so we can smell it when/if it leaks. Natural gas, being lighter than air, we (our noses) are more likely to be able to detect the gas, as our noses are more likely to be where the natural gas is. (There was a time when boaters used CNG/Compressed Natural Gas, as it was deemed safer because it was lighter than air, but it took a lot of very large and very strong cylinders to contain it; not a good thing for boats). So most boaters who wanted gas settled on propane.).. With propane, our noses are not as likely to be where leaking propane gas is, as in the bilges of our boats. But, since Mercaptan is VERY stinky, when propane gas leaks out of a container it will leave a 'Residue of Stink' on most everything it comes in contact with. So, if you smell the stink, do not turn on any electrical device, in fact it is recommended to evacuate the area.

We had a couple of CNG explosions
The stuff pooled in the overhead and was ignited by the lights
No real damage but there was some excitement

 

[sailmaster]

We had a couple of CNG explosions
The stuff pooled in the overhead and was ignited by the lights
No real damage but there was some excitement

They used to get their CNG cylinders in the mail

 

[sailmaster]

Greetings! I've been looking for this model for a while. So happy I found one at a not-silly price! This one is fairly bare bones, which is what I wanted. A clean slate!

I'm not really into fishing but, living on the Salish Sea, I will be doing a bit of crabbing. My boat will be used to support sailboat racing as a Race Committee boat used to manage, select/set courses, communicate with competors, start, finish, and score races. It will also be used as a family "picnic" boat with day trips to local islands. Next season my cousin-in-law and I will do a little run up into BC where he grew up. Visit the normal places like Desolation Sound and find some of his old secret haunts.

Photo: Waiting for Kingston/Edmonds ferry at sunset, en route to home.
View attachment 25545
Happy to be an owner!

 

[sailmaster]

 

[Andy]

We had a couple of CNG explosions
The stuff pooled in the overhead and was ignited by the lights
No real damage but there was some excitement

Hi sailmaster, CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is lighter than air, so as you pointed out, even Natural Gas can be dangerous when it leaks (if trapped over-head).... Where was the CNG leaking from; the CNG Cylinders, or the piping and/or onboard appliances?

 

[Andy]

They used to get their CNG cylinders in the mail

Most marine CNG cylinders were/are large, and very thick; they are not used much these days on boats, as you needed a lot of them to be of much use/to last very long. CNG is usually compressed to 3,000 - 3,600 PSI... (for comparison, the compressed air in a SCUBA tank is also around 3,000 PSI), so the tanks are strong, thick and heavy).... You can store multiples/ much-more energy/Btu's with Propane/LP than you can with CNG; (and, propane is stored at around 150 PSI)... A company I was with (for 31 years) had a small fleet of CNG-fueled trucks; it took mostly the entire bed of the truck just for the CNG cylinders, leaving no room in the trucks, to do what trucks are supposed to do! ☺
(Their newer CNG trucks have 'built-in' CNG storage).
PS, your friends may have gotten their CNG Cylinders in the mail, but only if they were new, and unused. But if they had CNG (or LP) in them, or every had CNG (or LP) in them, they are not allowed to be shipped or mailed.

 

[sailmaster]

Most marine CNG cylinders were/are large, and very thick; they are not used much these days on boats, as you needed a lot of them to be of much use/to last very long. CNG is usually compressed to 3,000 - 3,600 PSI... (for comparison, the compressed air in a SCUBA tank is also around 3,000 PSI), so the tanks are strong, thick and heavy).... You can store multiples/ much-more energy/Btu's with Propane/LP than you can with CNG; (and, propane is stored at around 150 PSI)... A company I was with (for 31 years) had a small fleet of CNG-fueled trucks; it took mostly the entire bed of the truck just for the CNG cylinders, leaving no room in the trucks, to do what trucks are supposed to do! ☺
(Their newer CNG trucks have 'built-in' CNG storage).
PS, your friends may have gotten their CNG Cylinders in the mail, but only if they were new, and unused. But if they had CNG (or LP) in them, or every had CNG (or LP) in them, they are not allowed to be shipped or mailed.

this was in the 1980s and the live a boards looked at CNG as a cheap way to get gas on their boats. All of the exterior lockers with overboard drains and solenoids etc were not thought to be needed and it did not smell as much as diesel when used for cooking and heat

 

[Andy]

this was in the 1980s and the live a boards looked at CNG as a cheap way to get gas on their boats. All of the exterior lockers with overboard drains and solenoids etc were not thought to be needed and it did not smell as much as diesel when used for cooking and heat

Hi sailmaster, I agree with you!, in that natural gas, Btu per Btu, is now/and was less expensive than propane/LP, but there were (in the 1970's/1980's/1990's/2000's/and now) still very few places to acquire CNG.... It's one of the three reasons LP/propane became the fuel-of-choice with boaters; those who wanted gas.
And I totally agree about NOT cooking with Diesel. Yes, the fumes from Diesel stoves/ovens stunk. We've also had alcohol stoves; LP/propane stove and oven, electric.... and although I LOVE the smell and sound of a Diesel-engine boat (our last two boats were Diesel), I sure don't want to cook with it, regardless of the convenience of drawing the fuel off the main Diesel fuel tanks... ☺