Personal preference
Hey Princess, You are going through the same mental gymnastics that I've been going through all spring. For me, it came down to finances and what I felt was going to be the easiest install. I think it comes down to your personal preference and what your plans are. I have a friend that works at Barker's Island Marina and they unstep masts all the time with domes on the mast and on the backstay and it's just one more thing to worry about and can be a drag to mess with the radome. So it depends on whether you unstep the mast frequently or not. A pole mount on the stern is accessible if you need to do any work, it also allows for future mounting of a lifting davit, solar panels, gps antennea, light, etc. Our plan is to sail the North Shore up into Canada and someday head out the Great Lakes, probably through the Trent-Severn waterway where we'll need to drop the mast and I'd like to keep from disturbing the electronis as much as possible. There really is no wrong way to do it, but I chose to build the tower with the option to level the dome out because as you know, Lake Superior (especially out in the open water) can be quite foggy, so I wanted to give myself every advantage I could against the ships and fishermen. Good luck with your descision. BTW, are you in the water yet?
