Radar Mount

[gardenshed]

Just kn8ckered my radar mount whilst racing this afternoon. It was at the first spreaders on the front of the mast. The pole up haul, up-hauled it. Oh dear.

What is the current thinking on replacing this:
a) get a new front-of-mast mount
b) get a strut for the back of the boat and mount it there
if b) what height should the strut be?

Wisdom awaited.............

 

[duncan]

height gives you range so unless it's a really low power unit the mast mounting gives you the bset solution

 

[homa]

Why not mount it on the stbd side of the mast just above the spreader ?

Some boats do this and it should be well protected from sails & halyards

 

[Swagman]

If you want to win when racing get the weight off the mast and learn to live with any range restriction a lower stern fitting might give.
We've always had ours pole mounted on the transom and can still pick up vessels 15 miles away. Thats good enough for me.
Pole height is subjective? Suggest you ensure the unit radiates above head height of anyone standing anywhere - so maybe 7 foot off deck?
Cheers
JOHN

 

[kengill]

For minimum windage you want to get one of those self leveling fitting you slide up the backstay when you want a radar but keep down a deck level when not using it. Improve sail dynamics and windage at the same time!

 

[Omatako]

I did a single handed west/east crossing of the Indian Ocean which I was told would be seriously bumpy and I wasn't disappointed. I had a Furuno 1622 (I think) two thirds of the way up my mast. The radar was brand new, first trip.
Every time the boat fell off a sizeable wave, the mast flicked forward and the drive belt that drives the scanner popped off the little drive gear and the radar stopped working. This happened 3 times in three weeks and going up the mast to fix in a lumpy sea with no-one belaying was a mission.
For this reason I recommend foresaking the little additional range that comes with height and mount the radar on a damped, gimbled mount on a shorter tower at the stern. Less chance of issues and better chance of fixing them if they do happen.

 

[pvb]

Just replace it...

If you were starting from scratch, I'd say fit a stern pole. But as you already have all the wiring sorted to the mast, it'd be much easier just to replace the mast mount.

I fitted radar for the first time a couple of years ago, and I used a ScanStrut stern pole system. Very substantial bit of kit, giving a secure mounting which looks good too. Mounting the scanner lower down on a pole has a small disadvantage in terms of ultimate range, but also has the advantage of reduced sea clutter. And, of course, it's a lot easier to access if something goes wrong.