Now, thrown off when we made several quick and sharp doughnut turns - yes - but I can say with certainty that the 2820 was a smooth ride. Notorious for "mis-hearing" half of the conversations I have in my life (e.g., shouting at friends across a crowded restaurant table, "What camel?" in a now-famous discussion that I would soon find was about the actress Neve Campbell), I was able to ask Forthun questions and actually hear his answers without straining or constantly saying, "Huh?" In addition, the vibration was minimal I left all the gear I'd brought with me on the edge of one of the seats and didn't need to worry about it being shaken off. The 2820 is a lady of few words - a totally acceptable noise level, about 70 dB with the pilothouse door locked shut. Swift, Dry The boat has two Yamaha engine options - twin F225s or F250s our test model was powered by the latter, and we were on plane within 8 seconds. For safety, drains leading to the bilge are placed throughout the boat, not just in the cockpit. Plus, there's always the enclosed forward space, which - let's face it - is where most stuff ends up on boats. As discussed, your dealer can rig the boat pretty much any way you need, but the 2820 we were on had storage for four rods beneath the gunwale, an aluminum six-rod rocket launcher, a 42-gallon livewell and a plenty of under-seat storage for tackle and other gear. You almost want to ask, "Would you like a boat with your cockpit?" While for comfort's sake, I wouldn't take the maximum 16 persons the boat is capable of carrying, I would say you could easily fish an entire day with three friends and stay pretty well out of one another's way. Fish-Friendly Stepping out from the pilothouse is like entering another world. Trim tabs come standard electronics, of course, are added later and you can choose just about anything you want, although Sundance recommends Furuno NavNet. There's a well-lit forward sleeping/storage area, with a filler cushion that, when in place, hides an optional electric toilet. I also didn't feel like I had to reach or stretch over anything to access the controls the four single seats were comfortable, the power-assisted steering felt sleek and the all-around windows provided perfect visibility. Forthun and I really weren't tripping over each other or even nudging shoulders when we traded places at the helm. Despite being an all-business sportfisher, I was pleased to find that the helm station and cabin were pretty comfortable size-wise it was fine, with about 6 feet, 4 inches of head room. "We don't have to do anything special - the boat's already reinforced." That said, the vessel we were on did have something special, which Sundance had added since her journey from the 200,000-square-foot factory: a full tower with a bench and nice shade from the sun - perfect for spotting kelp beds and catch. But Parker is working with Sundance to build even more rigging into the boat. Because they're born on the East Coast, the boats naturally lack some of the rigging and features that are givens for West Coast sportfishing. In fact, "Parkers are easy to rig," said Bob Forthun of San Diego-based Sundance Marine, who took a break from selling boats to take us out for a spin on Mission Bay. Rigged and Ready The 2820 is a production boat, but she can be outfitted to accommodate just about any fishing tastes or needs. Don't let her fancy name fool you she invites you to grab your tackle and come as you are - she'll do the rest. We wanted to know more about these zippy little numbers, so on a gorgeous morning in San Diego, I hopped aboard one of the newest models, the Parker 2820 XL Sport Cabin. The company's been around since the late-1960s and specializes in creating "just-the-facts-ma'am" sportfishers, ranging mostly from 18 to 28 feet. Among the 130-or-so North Carolina boat builders is Parker Marine Enterprises. Let's be honest: It probably wouldn't even qualify as a scary movie, because the flared look is attractive and sturdy, the spacious boats cut efficiently through chop, they're often custom- or handcrafted and they're a welcome addition to what's available in the way of sportfishers on the West Coast. The number of North Carolina-built sportfishers defecting to the West Coast seems to be growing at a healthy pace it's almost as if we're in the middle of a "B" flick called "Invasion of the Flared Bows," which - now that I've written it - would only be funny to people who know about boats (and possibly not even to them). The 2820 is a production boat, but she can be outfitted to accommodate just about any fishing tastes or needs.
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