Radar arch

[chamac]

Hi All
Does anyone know where I could buy a ready made radar arch or is it better to have one made from scratch. Not much info inline about these.

 

[mdrifter]

We had ours made to order and it still looks good although owned by another...At least 3 of our acquaintances have them now - 1 for Radar, 2 for solar panels and we'd go for another but it's not on the priority list. Really has to be purpose made for your preferences, e.g. you may want to use arch as bimini support as well as radar...

 

[tangofour]

I made up a radar arch from a combination of bespoke and off-the-shelf parts. The off-the-shelf bit was a 3 piece arch designed for the back end of a RIB. Made from 38mm and 35mm s/s. Very professional, nice tight bends, fully adjustable in width. An added advantage was that it came with hingeable base mounting bars allowing access to all the electronics by folding it down into the cockpit or getting out of the way if I go up a canal. When the unit was turned around and fitted sloped forward as opposed to swept back as it was intended it matched the rake of my backstays perfectly. The OTS assembly was extended in height by adding 4 legs and mounting plates to the original mounting 'bars'.

A word of warning, before spending any money on fabricating / purchasing make sure you know exactly where the arch will be mounted and crucially how you will get to the back of the mounting points to fit adequate load spreader pads, hold and tighten the nuts and retrieve the inevitable dropped spanner. This part tripled the amount of time it took to complete my installation.

 

[chamac]

Thanks folks for the replys and the tips. It looks like I will have to get the TIG welder out.