Radar mount

[moctrams]

Getting boat ready for the Bahamas and was wondering if anyone has added a pole mounted radar on the stern of their CD.

[Ken Cave]

I have a Questus pole that is mounted on the backstay. I don't know if they are still in business, but their phone number is
781 639 1900, and they are located in Marblehead, MA.
My unit also includes the self leveling device for the dome.

Defender also sells units that just might fit your need, though they are expensive (just like any boat item!!)

In their latest catalog, they have one unit for about $1200.00. If interested, be sure to get one that mounts aft of the
backstay, with the dome positioned over the stern of the boat. That way, you can be sure that your sails will not get
tangled up in the unit.

Hope this helps

Ken Cave
Dragon Tale
CD 28

[VegaIII]

I had a Edson pole mount on the stern of Vega III my CD 27 for 10 years. The pole was mounted on the stern deck portside and attached secondarily to the stern pulpit rail. (See pix attached). The upside of this arrangement is that it is easy to implement. There is no fooling around with cables running up the mast, no added load on the mast, no need to remove the radar transmit/receive unit in the winter.

The downside is that the antenna is no more than 10 feet off the water. This limits the usable range of the radar to about 6 miles. Also, because the mount isn't gimbled if you are heeled over at more than a few degrees, the effective range of the radar is further diminished. I actually never found either of these things to be an issue, as I mostly used the radar when in the fog or while motoring or sailing at night along the coast, in which case I was going slowly and the boat was relatively upright. Six miles effective range doesn't give you much time to get out of the way of a ship travelling at 25 or 30 kts. but it was enough. I was very happy with the arrangement and it served me well on multiple trips up and down the Northeast coast.

After 30 years, Vega III now resides on Lake Champlain. No need for radar. I removed the radar and mast this past spring. However, if I were still sailing out of Boston, I think I would abandon the radar entirely and go with AIS and a small chartplotter which is cheaper, easier to use and interpret, and provides the information you need to avoid the "big boys". It won't help avoid smaller boats and hazards but small boat radars in rough seas are not very reliable anyway. There is no electronic substitute for vigilance and care in transiting through hazardous areas.

[Dalton]

I have a Waltz Radar Leveling System and it works very well, and its up behind the backstay.

Dalton