Thanks for the help all, I am leading towards Furuno.

Jim, you hit the nail on the head with your statement. The wife and myself
will want to know 'radar' inside and out before the purchase and install.

I know what you mean, between the death grip on the wheel, one eye on the
GPS and the other squinting forward through the fog I really don't need
another screen to look at...

"Jim Woodward" wrote in message
om...
An heretical question -- are you really sure you want a radar?

I should say that I'm no Luddite -- when we finish with Fintry, she'll
have two radars, a 12kw, six foot Furuno and a small Koden backup, but
my wife and I are both experienced radar operators and our passages
are generally long enough so that our watchkeepers get some training
in the basics. But using radar on a relatively large, stable boat,
with autopilot, and often two operators in the wheelhouse is very
different from driving a small boat with one hand and eye and trying
to make sense of a lot of targets on a small screen with the other.

I would say fairly strongly that you can't operate a radar in Cape Cod
Bay and drive the boat at the same time. There are too many targets
-- boats, bouys, fishing floats with reflectors, a few ships, and so
forth. Each of them requires separate attention to figure out whether
it's a danger or not, and on a small radar, with only two electronic
bearing lines, that means you have to keep a mental picture of what
you've looked at and what you haven't.

So, unless you're perfectly comfortable with dividing the two jobs --
driving and radar operator -- and handing one off to someone else,
think twice about the radar. I'm based in Boston and learned to sail
down East, so I do understand how white your knuckles can get in fog,
but you can minimize risk by staying on the edge of the channels,
stopping and listening every few minutes, and watching carefully.

If you think you're going to go ahead with the radar, get someone to
take you out with a radar and actually use it for a few hours. Best
to do this on a clear day, so you can compare the radar picture to the
visual. This is the best way to understand that it doesn't tell you
much except that there's something there. I'd volunteer for this, but
Fintry's still in England and doesn't have an engine at the moment, so
you'd have to wait 'til next summer.

As for brands, go the Newport Boat Show (9/11-9/14) and play with the
major brands (Simrad, Raymarine, Furuno, Koden/Sitex, JRC). I would
discount most of the talk of quality differences as Ford versus Chevy
and pick the one that seems the most logical to you. The Koden on
Fintry was purchased by her former owner (the Royal Navy), so I didn't
choose it, but it works perfectly well. While we chose a Furuno for
our big radar for Fintry, we took a Raytheon around the world on
Swee****er, and I like the JRC in the mid range. Simrad is very
interesting and has a different user interface. I haven't looked at
the size you'll need.

Make sure your mount gets the beam above everyone on the boat all the
time -- there's enough microwave energy there to pay attention. This
means you'll probably need an arch, as it will weigh less than a pole.
Put your white running light up there, too, above the radar.

Jim Woodward
www.mvfintry.com

"Wheres the sun?" wrote in message
news:fiJ4b.322150$o%2.146075@sccrnsc02...
I own a 24' Chapparal Signature Series cruiser and enjoy weekend trips
from
Boston down the coast to Cape Cod.

A few weeks ago I found myself caught in the worst fog I have ever
encountered, right down to the water, I could barely make out my pulpit.
Thank god for my Garmin 232 GPS to make it home. My fingernails were dug
deeply into the steering wheel as we continously listened to the Harbor
Cruise ships' horns alerting us of their presence, we finally made it
back
in one piece.

Can someone recommend a decent radar system for my boat. I do not have
an
arch so installation tips would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance!