Parker 2830 Extended cabin updates:

[Captainsauls]

That rig is awesome!!!!!!!! can we see some up close pics of that siding door and how it is built?

THANKS!

 

[sydngoose]

Yes of course, so sorry for the delay- I've got the door taken apart right now, but will have it re-assembled in 3 days or so. I'll post pics then. Again, sorry for the delay

 

[sydngoose]

As promised, here are some closer pics of the sliding main cabin door. I've got some more finishing to do on it, but wanted to get some pics up:









Bottom sliding rail:

 

[sydngoose]

yesterday, for the 1st time, I had the opportunity to run the big girl in the river for a few hours…really her shake down per say.. She ran like a cupcake: so smooth, great acceleration, tracks nicely. She jumps on plane immediately at can stay on plane at 3600 rpm. Moderate cruise is 4000 making 24knots…best cruise is 4500 making 28 knots and Wide Open Throttle (WOT) is 5900 making 38knts.
The Garmin 4212 w/ G2Vision card for mapping is amazing: here's my downtown on the MFD w/ G2 card:



All electronics tested for the 1st time yesterday as well. Radar is really sweet. You'll see traditional sonar, chirp sonar, down vision and side vision, maps and radar presented while underway:



My wife was downtown when I was running by, so she called me and I docked at the Landing in Jacksonville, and she got to see our new Parker for the 1st time. She took some pics while I was docking, and they are pretty sweet.











Now, I did discover 1 problem: there is a fuel smell in the cabin. Also, I have three fuel cells: main middle tank is 70 gallons, and each tank on either side is 105 gallons. I know all fuel cells were empty. I attempted to fill the main (middle) fuel tank, and it would only take 9 gallons…so, I switched to the port tank and she only took 50 gallons… On the main tank, the fuel bulbed up over the fill port, (not the vent) when she wouldn't take any more fuel in that cell…and the port side tank overflowed out the vent when I got to 50 gallons.
I noticed I have at least 1 leaking sending unit gasket…the main tank: I can see the fuel leaking out there. I am going to clean all three fuel vents…from a couple month layup, maybe the vent tubes got clogged (we have mud dobbers here in Florida that build little mud nests in tiny places..common source of obstruction of fuel lines or pee holes from the motor).
So, two tasks to rule out the fuel smell in the cabin a.) replace main tank sending unit gasket and b.) use some air to blow all three vent lines clear to make sure there are no obstructions. I hope this is the fix to the fuel smell in the cabin.

Love this Parker, so does law enforcement: I was boarded twice yesterday: once by USCG for a safety check and once by FWC (Fish and wildlife commission)… both times they were just gaga googoo over the 2830 ( I was boarded twice within 10 minutes)… Ha…
Any other contributions on the fuel smell? Or do you think those two areas are the most reasonable sources??

 

[Megabyte]

Great photos. 8)

On the issue of the fuel smell, in addition to the gasket(s) on top of the tank(s), also take a good look at your fill and vent lines for signs of age cracking.

 

[sydngoose]

Great photos. 8)

On the issue of the fuel smell, in addition to the gasket(s) on top of the tank(s), also take a good look at your fill and vent lines for signs of age cracking.

MB: the fuel fill and vents are all new in April this year- all 3 sets. Also, the main belly fuel tank (70gal) is new 8/2014
But I will inspect all connections to verify their patency...
Really believe it's the fuel sending gasket. I'll replace and report back... Thanks pal!

 

[shawnee83]

Boat looks great. Love it! I just discovered a few weeks ago my fuel vent hose split where it makes the bend before it connects to the vent thru hull fitting. I wrapped it with electrical tape to get me thru a few more trips and I'm not likely to fill my tank past half way. I'm going to replace that and my fill hose when I bring it home in December to work on stuff. Figured they are 10 years old and I don't want to worry about a fuel leak. Might go ahead and replace all my fuel lines while I'm at it? Anyway, check those vent lines especially where they connect to the thru hulls if they are in the deck area. I think cleaning products like bleach when doing the deck may have attributed to the failure in my case?

 

[sydngoose]

Well i got into the fuel tanks this morning (there are three : middle 70 gallon and one in either side - 125 gallon each. The main middle fuell tank sending unit has six machine screws attaching it to the top of the tank. All six screws were loose. I was able to get two complete turns on each screw....its snug now... Was that enough to allow that much fuel to the displaced from the sending unit via a leak?? Gonna go for a cruise here shortly and see if the fuel still seeps from that sending unit.
All hoses and vents are great- all vents are patent. All other (2) sending units look perfect
What do you think ??

 

[Megabyte]

What do you think ??

I think you found the problem.

 

[shawnee83]

Hopefully that got it. I'm sure you will recheck tightness later. Maybe consider a dab of lock tight on those screws if you find loose again?

 

[Megabyte]

Be careful using thread locker.
Many of those screws are aluminum and if you use thread locker, you might wring the heads off removing them in the future.

 

[sydngoose]

Well I ran out of time to run the boat today- so this week I'll check the fuel system again. Now I can't contain my excitement for any longer. I've struggled w the livewell set up.
I went back and forth between on cockpit deck vs bracket mounted behind the transom. Until, I came across this bad boy: here's the livewell I bought and going to install it forward to the bilge compartment hatch and rear of the hinged fish box deck lid.









Just forward to the left most hatch in the image below:

 

[shawnee83]

That looks like it will fit nicely in that spot. Keeping the weight a little forward and off the stern is probably a good thing too.

 

[sydngoose]

That looks like it will fit nicely in that spot. Keeping the weight a little forward and off the stern is probably a good thing too.

For weight, yes it was a consideration as well. The live well is only 30 gallons and weighs 80 pounds empty: so, full I'll be adding 320 pounds total to the midline of the cockpit and about 5 feet forward to the transom. Also, the foot print literally fits exactly ONTOP of that area leaving 29 inches on either side for passage back and forth. Im going to redo the nonskid on the cockpit AND resolve the fuel issue before installing this live well…so, it may be a couple weeks out… standby for updates.

 

[Captainsauls]

As promised, here are some closer pics of the sliding main cabin door. I've got some more finishing to do on it, but wanted to get some pics up:









Bottom sliding rail:

I wish I could call and buy that from Parker!!! I'm going to have to try and find someone locally with the proper skill set to build that. A sliding door really should be standard on all these boats. A swinging door takes up a lot of deck space!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sydngoose]

Agreed- I was just discussing this on Saturday with another Downeast style boat owner at my marina- sliding doors are so much better at space utilization... Love it.

 

[shawnee83]

Agree also. I keep deck chairs by the cabin and although it's a little nit picky, a sliding door would be nice.

 

[grouperjim]

For your sending unit and screws use gasoline proof sealant on both.

As Kevin said, I think you found the issue.

Have you checked your radar performance in at sea? Parkers ride a little bow high. You can wedge the radome downward a few degrees to compensate if needed.

The Furuno and the other piece mounted on the dash block your view and ruin night vision as stated previously. You'll see where Parker put some plywood in the roof all the way fwd all the way across. The wood is to screw into to mount your overhead electronics which keeps the dash clear.

I am sure Garmin has fixed it by now but their early touch screen MFDs you could not dim them enough and if flush mounted in front of the helm you couldn't see squat when looking fwd at night. Had to put a towel over it to see out. Lol

 

[sydngoose]

For your sending unit and screws use gasoline proof sealant on both.

As Kevin said, I think you found the issue.

Have you checked your radar performance in at sea? Parkers ride a little bow high. You can wedge the radome downward a few degrees to compensate if needed.

The Furuno and the other piece mounted on the dash block your view and ruin night vision as stated previously. You'll see where Parker put some plywood in the roof all the way fwd all the way across. The wood is to screw into to mount your overhead electronics which keeps the dash clear.

I am sure Garmin has fixed it by now but their early touch screen MFDs you could not dim them enough and if flush mounted in front of the helm you couldn't see squat when looking fwd at night. Had to put a towel over it to see out. Lol

Thanks so much- this is all great information.
I got this today: impermeable to solvents



The Parker runs so true. With tabs, the bow does not rude high as others describe and i experienced w my previous Parker the 2120.

I've yet to take her out in the blue water. I'm going through all my systems one by one. Right now I'm concentrating on the fuel issue.
But in the river (St. John's River, Jacksonville, Fl) I'm on plane for 20-30 minute as fast I want to run. The radar worked flawlessly. So, your right, if I find a different experience offshore, I'll mount it w a 3-5 degree rake to compensate for the bow height.

I contemplated and there really was no other option for mounting all the electronics I wanted on this boat. Overhead would have been ergonomically challenging for me.
So, I'll see how it goes, the mountings can be modified.
I'm not sure about dimming the Garmin 5212. I'm certain you can .. Hope so anyway.

This big girl is still so new to me, and I've just begun the dialing in process. Thanks so much for your insight.

 

[sydngoose]

I've got the fuel issue resolved: I ended up removing the fuel sending unit: all 5 machine screws were loose (10-32 screw), so I removed, cleaned and replaced…except there was 1 screw that was stripped…so, I redrilled with larger screw: 12-24 and it worked great…snug as a bug in a rug. I used "gasoila" paste as a gasoline resistant solvent thread sealant.

Also, the two fittings feeding the distribution valves off the main center tank were leaking. I removed these and rebuilt them as well: also utilizing the Gasoila thread solvent. NO MORE FUEL ODOR! Hoorah!! Ill be adding redundant fuel hose clamps (2 on each fuel line) later today.



Picked up a new rode from International Rope in Jacksonville, Fl:

600 feet of 1/2 inch Superior heat set anchor rope spliced to 30 feet of 1/4 inch galvanized chain…$365 total: great deal. I am using a 22 pound claw anchor until I can acquire either a delta plow or CQR.




I need to source three placards: 1.) Oil discharge regulations 2.) Garbage discharge regulations 3.) replacement USCG capacity plate for a 2002 Parker 2830
Anybody know the best place to source these three items???
Thanks, fellas!