Well written, Chuck. I appreciate thus thread since this type of project is on my radar of things to do. (Pun intended)
Regards, Brian 1980 Landfall 38SL (hull # 068) West Palm Beach, FL On Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 10:10 AM <[email protected]> wrote: > Shawn, > > I worked at Edson for many years and we sold both mast and pole mounted > solutions for radar. As such, I would get lots of feedback regarding the > benefits and down sides of fixed vs. tilt arrangements along with the > location. I’ve also got an ancient Raytheon 1200 series radar and dome on > Half Magic (Landfall 35) on an equally ancient fixed mast mount. > > So to start, there’s always the issue of sail damage while tacking with a > mast mount. Even if you put a “guard” around the radome, you’ll always get > some contact when tacking. Should your sail be one of those black jobs or > a nifty molded sail that costs upwards of a college tuition, I would > generally pass on mounting the dome on a mast. The other aspect of lofting > the dome 25’ above the deck is the loss of radar “vision” when maneuvering > through a crowded harbor in the fog. If the red nun that you’ve tracked on > the screen disappears at 50 yards distance because your radar looks “over” > the object, that can be a bit problematic. Fortunately for us, Half > Magic’s dome is mounted at the spreader (only one set on the boat) and > that’s only about 15’ above the deck. If I upgrade the radar I’m thinking > I will probably install the dome on a pole that can serve double duty as a > lifting hoist for the dinghy outboard. We ain’t getting any younger! > > The pole too has some limitations, specifically with the mast creating a > blind spot on the screen. I don’t know if I spend enough time sailing in > low visibility situations to justify a self levelling system. Most of the > time when I need radar (fog, nightime), I’m not heeled over and more times > than not, motoring. In part that is because my radar sucks so much power > (an old CRT display mounted at the Nav Station) that I can run down the > batteries very easily if I use the radar for hours on end. The issue of > work hardening the wires on a self levelling gimbled unit is quite valid. > Copper wire doesn’t like to be bent repeatedly and replacing cables every > few years doesn’t sound attractive to me. Several folks have had issue > with disassembly of back stay mounts every time they unstep the mast. > > I guess there’s issues with every solution, you just need to prioritize > what you think would be better on Calypso. > > Good luck! > > Chuck Gilchrest > > S/V Half Magic > > 83 Landfall 35 > > Padanaram, MA > > > > *From:* Shawn Wright <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Monday, December 14, 2020 4:50 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] > > S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 > > https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto > Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with > the costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use > PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks > - Stu
Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with the costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks - Stu
