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"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote:

Hi,

Considering buying a radar, so I have a few questions:

1. On a sailboat, where do you put the display? I rarely steer from behind the
wheel, mainly by sitting on one of the gunwales beside the wheel, or sometimes
by Otto while hiding from the rain under the dodger (hence the name... ).

We have it mounted on an arm the binnacle opposite the autopilot
controls so that it can be swung around a bit to be visible from the
side of the cockpit. So if it is pretty calm and the autopilot is
doing the steering we can sit off on the side and still see it. Our
cockpit is under a bimini and is pretty dry as we have a dodger and
curtains all around.

http://photomail.photoworks.com/shar...jy3jXDgjbDznKP
has a picture at #24 (if the link works)

2. Realistically, how far do you set the max range? I'm seeing that unless I
mount the antenna up the mast, I'm not gonna get more than maybe 10 miles range
no matter what unit I buy. Then again, if I see a freighter steaming at 30
knots, 10 miles away, I still have 20 minutes to do something. Is a 20-mile
range worth getting?

In the ICW and rivers etc, we have it on whatever range gives us the
most coverage - in a canal it may be on 1/4 mile, and on a river maybe
1.5 miles depending on how wide a river it is. Mostly near the coast
when offshore we have it at 3 miles depending on how far offshore we
are and what the visibility conditions are. We rarely use the higher
ranges because then we don't see stuff close to us.

3. Do you trust yours enough to use it instead of a "watch" (ie watch the radar
screen instead of where you're going)? Trying to decide if getting a radar will
increase my cruising time significantly (ie more confidence in running at night)

We do not run at night unless we are offshore - never in the ICW. We
do not single hand, and almost all the time two of us are in the
cockpit looking around. Usually Bob has the wheel and I'm looking out
for boats overtaking or crab pots or I've got the binoculars or I'm
taking a photo.

Actually, we normally check stuff with our eyes and then see if it
shows up on the radar.

On occasions where we are standing watches and when I'm standing the
watch and Bob is below, I bounce around in the cockpit like a ping
pong ball - partly to keep awake. I do look at the radar, but I am
OFTEN seeing things before the radar does - actually on one recent
clear passage I kept mistaking stars for ship running lights - of
course they don't show up on the radar at all.

4. I see a "guard zone alarm" but no "constant-bearing alarm". Why not? wouldn't
a constant-bearing alarm be far more useful (and not that hard to implement)?

5. I'm looking at the Furuno 1623 or 1712, or the JRC 1000. I have a Furuno
GP-31 GPS and I'm impressed by the quality (also, probably 90% of commercial
boats around here have Furuno radars). Any comments?

We have a Si-Tex but I don't think it is made anymore.

6. Is it worth while to mount the antenna up the mast, or should I use a
"dedicated" mast at the transom?

We have ours on an arch. Even there, we sometimes have blind spots
when heeled a bit.

grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html