Adding radar - on pole or arch?

[lustyd]

Just remember it doesn’t take much for shadows to get long and any shade at all can stop half a panel, possibly a whole panel. If you’re somewhere nice it’s not such an issue but in UK that can be a problem.
A good arch is a lovely thing though, so hopefully you can work it out

 

[johnalison]

What radar is it? Ours regularly sees pot markers a few hundred metres in front, so it’s not all about long range. That’s a newer set though which older ones may not manage.

I can’t tell you what set offhand but as you can see it’s Raymarine, and I changed it from an older one over twelve years ago. It came with an e7 display and I think calls itself digital. I’m not sure about pot markers, certainly not the lemonade-bottle types we get locally, but mooring buoys and middle-sized birds show up.

The specification and performance required will no doubt depend on the type of sailing undertaken. Obviously, some modern sets can given great range and tell you if a wasp is about to land on your boat, but for general offshore cruising decent collision avoidance and general view of the land is enough. Although I have Marpa, this has really been superseded by AIS.

 

[benjenbav]

On last boat I had a Garmin radome mounted at about the same height as OP proposes ~2-2.5m above deck and that worked well.

 

[lustyd]

To be fair it can be too good. We took avoiding action in fog for what turned out to be three birds in Chichester Harbour last year assuming they were three buoys

 

[Minerva]

To be fair it can be too good. We took avoiding action in fog for what turned out to be three birds in Chichester Harbour last year assuming they were three buoys

The RSPB would be proud!

 

[lustyd]

The RSPB would be proud!

Don’t tell them, but in good vis and when I know it’s a shite hawk (aka seagull) I’ll sometimes aim for them as revenge for lost pasties.

 

[Roberto]

I was going to put a pole up

A pole after some (very) bad weather

 

[benjenbav]

A pole after some (very) bad weather
View attachment 203643

Excellent on port. How do you move it when you tack onto starboard?

 

[johnalison]

A pole after some (very) bad weather
View attachment 203643

That's because it wasn't properly supported. Mine was originally set into a step in the sugar-scoop with a short bar to the pushpit. At one point the weld fractured, though without disastrous effect, and on my request two (adjustable) braces fix it to the pushpit, making it very solid.

 

[Tradewinds]

What you need is a mizzen mast like wot I have!

I know, I know.
Awaiting incoming as to how useless ketches are (but good for radar installs, yes?)

 

[Minerva]

What you need is a mizzen mast like wot I have!

I know, I know.
Awaiting incoming as to how useless ketches are (but good for radar installs, yes?)

I can see the conversation at home now;

Wife “So let me get this straight, you’ve gone out and bought a new boat…!?”
Me “yes! You see I got a really good deal on a radar and I was looking for best place to fit it and well, I thought the best place to put it was a new boat!”