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Radar. Mast or pole mount
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Getting down to the short list after 5 years of boat fixing. Started having second thoughts about the radar mount. Boat came with a pole mount on the stern but I’m planning to mount a solar panel across the top of the davits and want to move as much as possible away from the stern to eliminate shading.
But I also have a sloop/cutter rig so the dome would have to go fairly high on the main mast to get over the staysail.
So any comments, voice of experience and +/- with either option?
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Thanks Tor,
I do agree that in general on the main mast is the preferred location but wondered if over the stock staysail would be a bit too high.  If I recall the top of the staysail stay is about 14′ from the top of the mast so about 40′ over the water. I guess the radar dome isn’t that heavy and I’m certainly not racing so maybe that part of it isn’t that much of an issue.
My other concern, the gap between the forestay and the staysail stay is a little tight so wonder if the jib would hang up or knock the dome off when I tack.
Less concerned about the halyards since I rerigged and went internal. Thanks again to John Stevens on S/V Sarah for his advise on that project.
SkipÂ
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I’m sure you’re right on that, Rich, that 20′ up is ample, assuming the bottom of the beam width remains well above people in the cockpit. But since I use my boat for voyaging, I regularly use the radar to scan farther out, particularly for monitoring ship traffic, with the perimeter alarm set at 6 n. mi. and the scanner farther. Rare that I need its full 16 mile maximum range, though.
Tor
Captain Tor Pinney
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My radar use is similar.  Rarely do I care what’s going on 16 miles out.  I usually jump from 1 mile to maybe 5-6 miles and sometimes 1/2 mile in close quarters.
So 20′ up the main mast would be a good spot just from the aspect of the radar performance but with a cutter rig that would have the staysail passing across the dome on every tack or gybe.  But as I think about it, even on a sloop rig or mounting the dome over the staysail stay I will have the jib doing the same thing so maybe it’s a moot point?
SkipÂ
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Hey Skip,
I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. Just seemed worth trying. If you lay the mast down near the ground I suppose you could lay out the sail alongside it, placing the tack the correct distance from the mast (based on where the deck fitting is in relation to the mast step), and then see how close the leech is a little below the staysail mast tang. If it appears that it would drag across a radome up there, perhaps a sacrificial patch on the staysail leech at that point would solve the problem. Or maybe the genoa would clear a radome just above the staysail tang. Those seem to be the possibilities on a sloop or cutter if you want to abandon the pole mount.
My radar is the cheapest Furuno they offered 8 years ago, Model 1623. I mainly bought it for the perimeter alarm, but also use it occasionally to clarify the lay of the land when making a landfall, or to sneak into a harbor at night.
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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I have been thinking about what might impact mounting the dome below top of the staysail.  One more thing that just occurred to me is the topping lift for the staysail boom.  Will that be in the way of the dome? Which brings up another question I have.
That boom is a pain in the butt.  Gets in the way of walking around the mast and sits so low that storing a dinghy on deck in front of the mast isn’t possible.  Thought about getting rid of the boom but have had some suggest that’s a bad idea because of the impact on the staysail.  First I don’t need the boom to make the sail self tacking so the only other concern I can think of is the sail shape.  So couldn’t that be addressed by having a staysail cut to set without the boom?  Any other issues I’m missing that the boom impacts?
Look at me, I’m drifting my own thread. ÂÂ
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Skip,
The small staystail I added to Silverheels’ rig is free-footed and sheeted, not self-tending. I didn’t realize yours is club-footed, so didn’t consider the topping lift. Maybe someone with a cutter-rigged 424 can answer your questions. My guess is you could dispense with the club foot and then sort out sail trim issues, if any. Your local sailmaker might also have a useful opinion.
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Mine is attached to a hanging gimbled platform on the backstay. Haven’t used it much at all as we make our way south through the Bahama’s. It’s about 3′ above the bimini. I can just reach it from the top of the pushpit rail.
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Those gimballed units look like they would have the best performance while
underway, trying to stay horizontal would give you the best radar picture.
Too far up the mast and healed over at 5 or 10 degrees or more gives you
occasional radar contact. A little farther down would be better IMHO. Mine
is located on the mizzen a foot above the spreaders. If I had a sloop or
cutter with a single backstay I would prefer to have the gimballed type.Jack Clarke
Xanadu IV
On Mar 30, 2015 10:50 PM, “Page Two via maillist”
wrote:Mine is attached to a hanging gimbled platform on the backstay. Haven’t
used it much at all as we make our way south through the Bahama’s. It’s
about 3′ above the bimini. I can just reach it from the top of the pushpit
rail.
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The 424 doesn’t heal much unless it blows. My experience is that when there’s fog, there is usually little wind. I’m sure there are exceptions to this but I’ve never encountered it. I’ve never had a problem with RADAR performance due to healing. Putting the radome up on the backstay would interfere with the SSB antenna however. I don’t think this would work. If I tried to transmit with that thing up there either I wouldn’t be able to tune the antenna or I’d fry the radome, or both.
Rich
Original Message
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Aha! The plot thickens. I have a tune-able backstay, too. We seem
to be zeroing in on a gimbaled mount on one of the masts as the
optimal solution.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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A little off subject for this thread, but …
One of the features on my Raymarine radar display that I often use is
MARPA. It was always a marginal target tracking feature in the days before
we all put AIS receivers on our boats, but I still use it to track those
vessels (e.g. fishing trawlers) that may not have a AIS transponder or
often turn them off. It is one feature that could definitely benefit from
a gimballed mount when under sail.Here is a link to a Youtube video I just published from videos I took on
our passage from the Azores to Portugal back in 2005.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaetoMKtG-0&feature=youtu.beThese encounters with crossing vessels took place in light air so the MARPA
feature was able to keep track of the targets, if not provide accurate CPA
and TCPA data. In rougher seas and/or stronger winds the MARPA feature was
completely useless.Regards,
John Stevenson
http://www.svsarah.com
Sarah’s BlogOn Tue, Mar 31, 2015 at 11:29 AM, Silverheels via maillist <
> wrote:Quote:Aha! The plot thickens. I have a tune-able backstay, too. We seem
to be zeroing in on a gimbaled mount on one of the masts as the
optimal solution.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Original Message
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