Hello Shawn, On our last boat I had a self-levelling LMN-1 mast mount. It performed well and I liked it. I did not race the boat so not as concerned with possibility of halyards catching between the self-level support and mast although it did happen to me once. On an unrelated occasion I had to take the radar off when first purchased and send for repair and I must admit it involved an ingenious application of a net and second halyard at dock.
This boat we went with a fixed mid mast platform. Decision was based that after investigation concluding that the potential for drop in performance due to heel did not justify the significant price increase of the self-levelling option. Also, I do think that the self-levelling poses more of a tangle potential than the fixed platform. I did remove this radar as well when vertical and learned that a well placed lanyard on the mounting stud significantly improves safety and ease of handling. I do hear the functional benefits of a rear mounted pole mount however concerns over radiation, valid or not, another pole to manoeuvre around with lines made mast mount my choice. At the end of it I do belie that our boats are safer with radar than without when transiting so mast, backstay or pole mount is simply owner preference but a great choice. As a final point I have found that the radar confirms plotter information and having the two side by side is great. Additionally, I love the ability to receive AIS and see those targets on radar and plotter screen. The three of these devices working together in dense fog have made several passages achievable for me with family and or friends aboard. Enjoy, Blair ________________________________ From: Shawn Wright <[email protected]> Sent: December 14, 2020 5:49 PM To: Stus-List <[email protected]> Subject: Stus-List Radar mounting options Hello all, During the rendezvous, there was a brief discussion about radar and mounting options. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and experiences with radar, and which mounting location (mast, backstay, or on pole/arch aft of cockpit) you prefer, and why. Our 35 had a radome mounted on a pole just off centre from aft deck, supported by the pushpit rail. It had been removed when we bought her, and now with larger solar panels, I'm not sure this is a good location due to shading issues (although I might be able to resolve this with a re-designed arch, or push it far enough aft to prevent shading the panels. I've seen a few backstay mounts, but haven't looked closely at them. I imagine there will be some shading issues, but perhaps a bit less depending on how high the radome is mounted. Mast mounting seems fairly straightforward with the right bracket, and since I am planning to pull my mast soon for a re-wire and inspection, I will have a good opportunity to explore this option. My dock neighbour has his on a pole, and removes it for racing or when not needed, so this is one advantage of pole or backstay mounting - easy removal. I probably would leave it on for year round sailing, but would likely take it with us to our next boat unless the buyer specifically wants it. As far as brand, I went with a B&G Vulcan 9 package with wind, compass and DST, so this means I will need a Navico unit: 3G, 4G or Halo (Simrad, Lowrance or B&G). Although we've only had perhaps 5-6 days in the past two seasons where radar would have been useful, with a planned trip around Vancouver Island from June-August of 2021, we anticipate some foggy (or smoky) days in waters that will be a bit more challenging, and also new to us. Would love to hear your thoughts... Thanks -- Shawn Wright [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto
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