I have a small sail boat (26') used for coastal cruising. It
would probably never be beyond 25 miles from the shore
line (maximum) and normally no more than 1 to 3 miles.

At present... it has a 1/2 wave Shakespeare mounted about
5 feet above the water line on a stern rail. The previous owner
has indicated that this arrangement has worked for him... and
I am assuming the standing wave ratio and that sort of thing is
ok... or must be... if his radio checks/contacts have been
satisfactory.

My question is...

Would I be *much* better off... moving the antenna to the top
of the mast... which would be 30 feet higher than where it is now
situated... based on the aforementioned cruising criteria?

Cause... if the gain won't be that *significant*... I don't want to
go through the hassle of remounting everything. Kind of like...
"...if it ain't broke why am I trying to fix it?" (smile)

Tnx for your help...

73

Bill
Southern California