"Lionheart" has just received her third Raymarine 2KW radome because
Raymarine couldn't save the corroded guts of numbers 1 and 2. It seems to
happen every year. The dome is NOT sealed, but has only 4 screws holding
the top to the bottom with a sort-of rubber seal between the flimsy halves
that are easily flexed. I don't think this is leaking, though. I think
the radome's little rubber tit drain vents the pressurized air inside the
dome out as it sits in the hot SC sunshine, then sucks in a big gulp of
99.9% humidity sea air as the sun sets. During the night, the colder dome
and POT METAL zinc chassis inside it condense the humidity into water that
corrodes the hell out of it all night until the sun rises in the morning.
As the POT METAL zinc chassis doesn't get sunlight, it is colder all
morning and the water condensation on it actually increases as the water on
the now-heating dome vaporizes into 100% humidity inside the dome in the
morning. The water never drains out of this box as the bottom of it is
FLAT, not pitched towards the little rubber tit drain. Opening the dome
finds FRESH water sitting in the bottom, and condensing on all interior
parts. I tasted it and there's no salt taste. It has rained in Charleston
VERY infrequently of late. This much water couldn't have survived the long
periods of fair weather.

I'd like to hear from other Raymarine owners of 2KW and 4KW radomes that
have opened them after many months of on-mast service to see what they've
found inside. Our magnetrons have RUSTED. The unprotected pot metal
chassis is all corroded. If you remove the aluminum (more galvanic
action?) cover from the receiver cavity and its rubber seal, the INSIDE of
the pot metal chassis looks like a zinc that's been in the river....all
white corrosion and pitted. This is because this pot metal box ISN'T
sealed because it's open to the high humidity inside the dome where the
power and data connectors are sticking through....wide open.....

Take the dome off yours and let me know what you find. This swapping out
radomes every year is stupid!

Hello to all I remember. The Gulfstreamer Race from Daytona Beach to
Charleston was great, even though we all got becalmed 90 miles S of
Charleston for hours and hours in DEAD CALM and dropped out to motor home.
The big Amel Sharki ketch saw over 13 knots on the GPS all night before
that. We all had a ball!