Rain-X Works! Parker 2520 XLD Pilothouse; Staying Dry Inside. 

Hi Trooper, thank you for watching! Rain on the boat roof is a peaceful sound, especially when anchored at night sleeping!

@@andrewfyakim525 Definitely

Hi Clay, It was custom done by J&J canvas from Vanceboro, NC. They came to the boat at my house off Pungo Creek, did the measurements, then returned to do the installation. It was very well-done, and very sturdy with all 1" stainless steel... thank you for watching and commenting... Andy

Hi Hacked F, thank you for watching and commenting! The short answer is 'yes' it will feel different running inside a PH, but for me it is a preferred difference. My last 3 boats had pilothouses or inside control stations; I prefer to be out of the wind, spray and sun... And contrary to many things I've read on some of the blogs, it is NOT hot inside the PH; it is in fact much cooler, being out of the sun. Even in hot eastern NC, I run with the window cracked, not wide open..... Inside the PH, I have perfect visibility during the day; in fact I'd say better overall visibility than most CC's, as there is no wind or spray blowing in my face and eyes, or getting my sun-glasses or reading glasses wet. (I need reading glasses to see small print in the charts, GPS etc). My wife and guests like the option of being in a protected pilothouse, especially in storms, and on cold winter days I heat the PH with a tiny heater. It is also quieter inside, especially with the door closed..... I often run on friends open boats and center consoles; running at speed the wind dries my eyes and the rain can be painful. And it's hard squeezing 3 people behind the CC wind screen ☺.... Now the negative part; It is harder to see at night through the glass. Even with the electronics dimmed and with some of them 'off' there is still glare on the glass. I don't run much at night anymore, (I did the previous 40+ years), but when I do run at night, it is at slow speed, with the front window/windshields open, and with all non-essential lights off.... My flood light is mounted far forward, above the anchor; very little glare. My last boat had overhead mounted flood lights and the reflection off the rails and white fiberglass made the light nearly useless for anything but docking.... Thank you for watching, Andy

Hi Larry, thank you for watching and thank you for commenting. I can't go into much detail, but I have been having some 'issues' this year that have lessoned my time out on the boat the past few months. Right now I'm trying to arrange to get the boat off the lift and onto the trailer to take it to get some engine maintenance done that I can't do myself while it's on the lift (timing belt. VST filter. Water pump and housing, etc)... I have every hope/intention of getting the boat to the ocean via either Ocracoke Inlet and/or Beaufort Inlet as soon as this maintenance is completed. One of many things on my 'bucket list' is to catch some Mahi Mahi/Dolphin! ☺

I understand hope you’re feeling well and the family 🛥️🌞🐠🙏

Hi Captain OOTR, Thank you for watching. I do not yet have an autopilot on my present boat. I did have a Simrad / Navico Autopilot on my previous boat for about 8 years, and I cannot recommend Simrad. It was one of the worst, problematic pieces of equipment I ever owned. I would say Simrad had poor customer service, but then that would imply they had ANY customer service, and they do not! I've been boating and owning boats since the 1960's/70's and Simrad/Navico is the worst company I've dealt with..... I've run other boats up and down the ICW (40', 45,' 53' boats) with Benmar and Raymarine autopilots and they were very good; easy to use and easy to maintain. Right now I'm looking at Raymarine and Garmin autopilots for my Parker. (I've had nothing but great experience with all my Garmin equipment over the years) And I'm hoping to find more recommendations about them from other RU-vidrs, maybe on ClassicParker.com .... I'm sorry I'm not more help with this; please post videos on what you decide to go with. I very-much respect your opinion... My Best, Andy

I meant to add; I'll also be looking at SiTex autopilots. I have no experience with them, (I'll be doing some research) but I have extensive experience with Si-Tex equipment on some of my other boats since the 1970's; I have always experienced exceptional service from SiTex. I've never had a piece of their equipment malfunction; the great service has been the ability to get to talk with a human being when I've had questions....

@@andrewfyakim525 what do you think about Raymarine they have an autopilot that looks really easy to install

@@OutOnTheReef I like the Raymarine and have read mostly positive reports about it. (there will always be some negative reports, but the majority of what I've seen have been very good). The electrical plug-and-play harnesses look simple.... I have installed 5 autopilots (one for me, and 4 for friends) over the years, and from what I have seen, the Raymarine looks well designed for easy installation. I saw a RU-vid video (Tula's Endless Summer) back when they had a trawler, and they installed the SiTex autopilot; at the time the SiTex looked like a good idea, but that was years ago, and with electronics, improvements come fast. I have more research to do, but I don't think you could go wrong with the Raymarine, SiTex or Garmin... in the end, the $$ may be the deciding factor, as these seem easy to install, and have good ratings... My Best, Andy

@@andrewfyakim525 thanks Andrew👍

Hi Paul, Thank you for watching the video... The radar has been fantastic. I can even see flocks of birds to help with fishing. And as you can see in the video, it will track storms and rain, and even 'cuts through' the rain and displays the land, navigation marks and boats on the 'other side' of, and inside the rain storm... The radar is displayed on the Garmin 1040 XS (as is the sonar/depth sounder). The Radar itself is the Garmin HD (High Definition). The specs are CE 0191 Marine Radar Scanner, M/N GMA -18 HD. FCC ID, IPH- GMR 18. IC1792-A-GM18 CMI 201Lo 715... it is the smaller dome; 18", but has been all that I need.... My Best, Andy

@@andrewfyakim525 Thank You Andy

Hi Naughty Pants, thank you for watching! And thank you for the kind comments...

@@andrewfyakim525 I really like the Parkers, I like what you did with that long Bimini top. Im actually looking for a Parker 2530 they're had to find.

@@TSemasFl Totally agree! The 2530 is one of the hardest Parkers to find. If a newer one had been available when we got this one 4 years ago, we would have gotten the 2530.... With that said, right now there is a Parker 2530 at Radcliff Marine in Belhaven NC. It's been sitting out front for a couple months, as if it's for sale. (but no For Sale sign on it)... It's in pretty good shape, but the 'deal-killer' for me is that it has an I/O.

@@andrewfyakim525 Well now you have the 2520 for a while and you accessorized it to your needs. Would you still rather have the 2530, or is the 2520 working out better for you? With the trade off in rear cockpit space vs more indoor pilot house space? Interested in what you think. You sound like a normal outdoor guy, no different than I. Just curious on how you feel about the two?

@@TSemasFl I would still prefer the 2530, (or even a 2830!) as I'd like to have more inside living-space. But, I don't miss going 10 mph! ☺

Hi ghhost, I'm just now seeing your comment; RU-vid is supposed to notify me, but they don't. I'll re-phrase your question to "what kind of fish are AVAILABLE to catch in the Pungo River" because I don't catch all that my expert buddies catch. Spanish Macs, trout, Stripers, Flounder, bass, skates, crabs, Tarpon, catfish, croakers, mullets, and many more that I can't recall this moment!

Hi RBLX, I'm sorry I am just now seeing your question. I'm having trouble getting 'notified'.... The best I can tell, a new 2520 XLD base price for 2021 is around $160,000. I posted this video on 'Classic Parker' of one of the 2520's at a boat show. It shows the 'regular price around $186K, and 'boat show special' of around $167K.... www.classicparker.com/threads/parker-2520-xld-at-2021-boat-show.20421/

To much for what the boat is worth

Wribg

Hi Dwayne Dwayne, Hey, you are not a smart ass! Thank you for watching, and thank you for the kind comments.