Radar System: YES or NO? - Do you really need a radar cruising the Med?

Skipper Felice

Skipper Felice

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My boat is equiped with an old radar system: Raytheon (Raymarine) 25 years old, Pathfinder Radar, stand alone.
It still works but display, range and sensitivity is for no use for me.

Do you really use or need a radar cruising the Mediterranian / France / Italy / Croatia?

My plan would be to take away the old radar system and replace with an Raymarine AIS transciver / AXIOM Lighthouse integration.

What is your opinion?
 
Sticky Fingers said:
Any plans whatsoever to be out at night? If so, I’d upgrade to a new Raymarine radar, note that new radar scanners only work with the newer MFDs.
Click to expand...
Yes ... Perhaps ... rare ocasions ... At night I guess I can live with position lights, +AIS (only ships with AIS).
But you are right: Night + fog, or bad weater / rain this could be difficult with AIS only.
 
I don't use radar often.
But ... having spent 4 hours crossing the channel and finding a fog bank for the final 15 minutes ... it has its uses.
I should probably add AIS capability at some point as well.
 
In the grand scheme of an electronics update a new radar isn't a big cost. AIS is useful but it doesn't replace radar. AIS relies on other boats transmitting, many don't. Radar doesn't rely on other boats doing anything. If it's poor visibility you'll be pleased to have radar. If you do fit it, use it in good visibility to get used to it and what the on screen returns look like.

I would not fit Raymarine, i would fit new Garmin MFD, radar and VHF. A Garmin MFD will initiate a call to a Garmin VHF from an AIS target, can be useful, but Garmin is better than Raymarine in many respects (donning fireproof suit), not least because they don't use vastly over priced proprietary cables.

If you have an older Raymarine autopilot it will work with a new Garmin the same is it will an Axiom, but a new Garmin autopilot will be a vastly better setup.

If you have older Raymarine/Raytheon displays, such as depth, speed, wind etc they will integrate with a Garmin MFD the same as they will an Axiom, using a Seatalk to Seatalk NG converter, but again, some new displays would be a good choice.
 
Answering the Q = No .
In 19 yrs I used it one day , an inversion around Bormes and fog . We needed to get away as rtn flights beckoned .
About lunch we reluctantly set off in a pea souper . Only to find once out of the actual bay 1/2 hr later we were in full Med sun / blue sky. This was on the Sunseeker .

The Itama didn’t have any Radar as no arch to mount . But 9 yrs experience by the time I upgraded I wasn’t fazed .
We never missed it and yes did cruise occasionally at night / dusk on nav lights alone when entering close in with everyone about .

Partly brings me round to the mk1 eye ball . We used them to look around and spot other vessels etc , pick up shore port entrances . As opposed to staring down at a screen .

Entrances are on the plotter as well remember as are shoals .

So repeat - No .

Bcz it’s your first season and you have already ( previous posts ) contemplating a battery update and €1000 s spend I would hold fire on this esp as it’s not necessary . Only gadet desirable if that .

Wait until it’s had your first lift or a couple of engine services ….thinking gearbox hassle , turbos , cooler hygiene and exhaust maintenance along with shaft seals and rudder stocks , anchor chain etc etc . You can’t do without these .
 
We do use our radar on some overnight passages in the Med. We also have AIS but as already said its only good if other vessels are using it (very few fishing boats seem to and they're mostly out at night). I've never done a radar course but worked the basics out on mine by running it in daylight hours to make sense of the returns. We have a B&G Halo 20+ system so pretty modern and straightforward to use (the basics atleast).
 
Well - thank you all for your valuable responses.
The last 5 years I always was cruising modern yachts with actual systems: Full AIS, Raymarine or Simrad GPS systems, VHF radio with DSC, Autopilot, Radar etc. all integrated.

My reality around the Med. and along the coast and some passages was: Planning with my eyes + brain, some INet charts or with the Chart Plotter on board or paper chart + pencil.
Sailing the boat in good visibility, +/- good weather, +/- wind and waves and with my eyes, brain + autopilot and GPS plotter.
AIS and radar was used as some "playstation" - never had any real need to use it.

As I see that many (smaller) boats have NO AIS transmitter, I see AIS as an optional and good information system as well as a good collision detector. Radar will be very usefull for bad visibility, fog, bad weather etc.

On our actual boat I have an old, standalone Raytheon Radar - working with basic functionality; I need to try to make a SW update to the latest SW level if I keep it. I have no AIS.
My VHF radio is quite good: old fashion SHIPMATE, but no DSC, no AIS, full standalone with 2 stations on fly and helm.
GPS chart plotter is an old Raymarine 120, SW and charts out of date - I could try to make a SW update to the latest versions.

I have no need for a 2, 3, 5 screen glass cockpit with latest technology, 3D visibility, AI and all IoT integrated and automatic ... I need good, reliable basic navigation technology and no playstation games for sailing my boat.

First thing I will do is a new VHF radio with DSC and GPS integration: I think a Standard Horizon will be best - and I keep the installed Shipmate VHF as backup.
 
Skipper Felice said:
Well - thank you all for your valuable responses.
The last 5 years I always was cruising modern yachts with actual systems: Full AIS, Raymarine or Simrad GPS systems, VHF radio with DSC, Autopilot, Radar etc. all integrated.

My reality around the Med. and along the coast and some passages was: Planning with my eyes + brain, some INet charts or with the Chart Plotter on board or paper chart + pencil.
Sailing the boat in good visibility, +/- good weather, +/- wind and waves and with my eyes, brain + autopilot and GPS plotter.
AIS and radar was used as some "playstation" - never had any real need to use it.

As I see that many (smaller) boats have NO AIS transmitter, I see AIS as an optional and good information system as well as a good collision detector. Radar will be very usefull for bad visibility, fog, bad weather etc.

On our actual boat I have an old, standalone Raytheon Radar - working with basic functionality; I need to try to make a SW update to the latest SW level if I keep it. I have no AIS.
My VHF radio is quite good: old fashion SHIPMATE, but no DSC, no AIS, full standalone with 2 stations on fly and helm.
GPS chart plotter is an old Raymarine 120, SW and charts out of date - I could try to make a SW update to the latest versions.

I have no need for a 2, 3, 5 screen glass cockpit with latest technology, 3D visibility, AI and all IoT integrated and automatic ... I need good, reliable basic navigation technology and no playstation games for sailing my boat.

First thing I will do is a new VHF radio with DSC and GPS integration: I think a Standard Horizon will be best - and I keep the installed Shipmate VHF as backup.
Click to expand...
Chances of updating a Raytheon radar "to the latest software" is zero, updating a C/E120 classic (if that's what you mean you have) will be similar.
 
In 15 years in the med, I used our radar once. And yes, that one time it was useful.
Otherwise, when the fog descended, I would have had to stop and wait for it to clear. Which it did a couple of hours later.
 
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