You didn't mention how large the vessel is or whether she is power or
sail. I assume she is power the pilot house is on the order of seven
feet above deck.

If you are able to keep the antenna at least two feet from the pilot
house, you shouldn't experience too much signal loss. The proximity of
the pilot house is likely to cause some directivity in the antenna's
radiation pattern, but with two-thirds of the antenna above the pilot
house, it will probably be ok. I have seen cases where the antenna is
insulated to just above the height where it is supported so the antenna
actually starts seven feet above the deck. It is only 16 feet long in
that case but the entire 16 feet would radiate efficiently. Most auto
tuners should handle that on all but the lowest frequencies, and there
are workarounds available.

Your alternatives to the above are to mount the antenna farther from the
pilot house (e.g., at the stern), giving up the support attachment, or
mounting it atop the pilot house (ugh) and guying it. Of course,
depending upon your frequencies of interest, a much shorter whip could
be the solution, maybe obviating the need for guys.

On a calm day, you should be able to do some experimentation before
actually installing the antenna.

Good luck,

Chuck

bradleyj wrote:
I am going to be installing a 23' whip antenna for a new SSB radio
installation on my boat. My vessel is all-aluminum construction with a
center pilot house. How would you suggest mounting this antenna on this
vessel? I understand that it is important to keep the whip from coming
too close to any metal. This is an obvious problem, since this boat is
all aluminum. Any suggestions or references would be appreciated.