Have posted these before, with no response. Re: radar. I don't like the idea of the radar on a post behind my head possibly nuking my brain, and don't want to drop the mast to wire so I'm considering a backstay mounted radar. Its seems to be high enough, most importantly forward enough to be over anyone in the cockpit. Any sailors out there have a backstay mount? Secondly I'm considering a Martec folding prop, but have had a few negative responses including... folding props are very hard on the cutlass bearing when they snap open, and they won't back the boat. Any responses by sailors who have either or both? Thanks
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Radar Mount
We finally put our radar on a post due mostly to the expense of the backstay version. Either one should work well. We are certainly pleased with ours. Remember that the radio energy is focused as a very narrow beam and will not hit you if you are under the sending unit. We had a Martec prop on our Schock 35 which after all these years we discovered after talking with Martec that it was the wrong pitch. It did a great job both forward and backing up was absolutely no problem except ours did not reach full RPM since it was pitched for a different transmission than the one we have. Hull speed was easily reached. Ours did clunk when opening and we did replace the original (1991) Cutless bearing, but I don't think wear was excessive. You can also send your Martec back to the factory for refurbishment for a fraction of the cost of a new one as the bushings and blade stops will eventually need to be worked on. We recently replaced the two blade Martec with a three blade Flex-o-fold primarily to get less vibration and to correct the pitch problem. This prop is very smooth and works perfectly. Much less vibration, but in fairness, our Martec was pretty beat up and I am sure was smoother when new. If you have a 3:1 tranny let me know.
We finally put our radar on a post due mostly to the expense of the backstay version. Either one should work well. We are certainly pleased with ours. Remember that the radio energy is focused as a very narrow beam and will not hit you if you are under the sending unit. We had a Martec prop on our Schock 35 which after all these years we discovered after talking with Martec that it was the wrong pitch. It did a great job both forward and backing up was absolutely no problem except ours did not reach full RPM since it was pitched for a different transmission than the one we have. Hull speed was easily reached. Ours did clunk when opening and we did replace the original (1991) Cutless bearing, but I don't think wear was excessive. You can also send your Martec back to the factory for refurbishment for a fraction of the cost of a new one as the bushings and blade stops will eventually need to be worked on. We recently replaced the two blade Martec with a three blade Flex-o-fold primarily to get less vibration and to correct the pitch problem. This prop is very smooth and works perfectly. Much less vibration, but in fairness, our Martec was pretty beat up and I am sure was smoother when new. If you have a 3:1 tranny let me know.
Radar Mounts and Martec Props
I have a geared Martec prop that backs just fine. Geared is nice since you don't have to concern yourself with shaft alignment. No problem as to cutless bearing. In fact, I have never heard of such a problem. I have had my radar scanner mounted on a pole twice, one a Edson, the other a custom S/S one like a Garhauer. Check the scanner specs for minimum distance from crew, you should be fine on a pole mount. The backstay mount doesn't seem that much higher than the pole. BTW, remember that most of the time, you'll have your radar on standby anyway. RD
I have a geared Martec prop that backs just fine. Geared is nice since you don't have to concern yourself with shaft alignment. No problem as to cutless bearing. In fact, I have never heard of such a problem. I have had my radar scanner mounted on a pole twice, one a Edson, the other a custom S/S one like a Garhauer. Check the scanner specs for minimum distance from crew, you should be fine on a pole mount. The backstay mount doesn't seem that much higher than the pole. BTW, remember that most of the time, you'll have your radar on standby anyway. RD
Back stay and gimbled
I had my radar / chart plotter combination mounted on the back stay and have not been sorry. It is also gimbled ( if that is the right word and spelling ) so it is alway even and given a true picture with horizon even when heeled. Has worked well for us for the last 5 years or so. Can't help you re the prop ... still going with the standard two blade fixed. John s/v Lady K
I had my radar / chart plotter combination mounted on the back stay and have not been sorry. It is also gimbled ( if that is the right word and spelling ) so it is alway even and given a true picture with horizon even when heeled. Has worked well for us for the last 5 years or so. Can't help you re the prop ... still going with the standard two blade fixed. John s/v Lady K
I switched back to mast mount
We had a Questus back stay mount on our Catalin 36 but went back to a mast mount due to distance loss. The Questus is by far the best quality of all the back stay mounts but it's to low to the water for my liking. I can hit targets at 24mn with the mast mount and could only hit them at 6 to 8nm with the Questus and yes I had the same radar brand one both boats. From someone who has had it both ways I say go mast even if you need to drop it... -Maine Sail http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising
We had a Questus back stay mount on our Catalin 36 but went back to a mast mount due to distance loss. The Questus is by far the best quality of all the back stay mounts but it's to low to the water for my liking. I can hit targets at 24mn with the mast mount and could only hit them at 6 to 8nm with the Questus and yes I had the same radar brand one both boats. From someone who has had it both ways I say go mast even if you need to drop it... -Maine Sail http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising
Martec
going back to fixed prop for the same reason as Tom. Mine backed up ok but make sure you give the prop enough time to stop before shifting to reverse.
going back to fixed prop for the same reason as Tom. Mine backed up ok but make sure you give the prop enough time to stop before shifting to reverse.
3 blade flex-o-fold
I had a Martec folding 2 blade prop on my Catalina 30.We were not satisifed with the powering performance in some seas and in reverse. We moved up to a Beneteau 35 a few years ago and went with a 3 blade folding flex-o-fold both the powering and sailing is great!
I had a Martec folding 2 blade prop on my Catalina 30.We were not satisifed with the powering performance in some seas and in reverse. We moved up to a Beneteau 35 a few years ago and went with a 3 blade folding flex-o-fold both the powering and sailing is great!
im confused about ricks comment on shaft alignment
i think one needs to worry about shaft alignment regardless of the prop. Shaft aligment has to do with the relatioship between motor and shaft. if its no right the shaft rubs on the shaft tube and wears a hole in it. thats a lot to concider. The shaft has to be straight to keep it from distorting under load. the props pushing several thousand pound of boat if its not straight the shaft can whip and shake the cutlass or stuffing box to a quick death! I would check alignment to ensure it is straight!
i think one needs to worry about shaft alignment regardless of the prop. Shaft aligment has to do with the relatioship between motor and shaft. if its no right the shaft rubs on the shaft tube and wears a hole in it. thats a lot to concider. The shaft has to be straight to keep it from distorting under load. the props pushing several thousand pound of boat if its not straight the shaft can whip and shake the cutlass or stuffing box to a quick death! I would check alignment to ensure it is straight!
Homemade backstay mount and FlexOFold prop
Backstay radar mount high enough to not nuke your brain. http://treilley.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album12 FlexOFold prop is excellent in forward and reverse. 2 years after my folding prop and the cutlass bearing is still good. The FlexOFold backed up better than my fixed 2 blade. It also drove the boat in forward better than the fixed. Drag while sailing is the best you can buy. Tim R.
Backstay radar mount high enough to not nuke your brain. http://treilley.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album12 FlexOFold prop is excellent in forward and reverse. 2 years after my folding prop and the cutlass bearing is still good. The FlexOFold backed up better than my fixed 2 blade. It also drove the boat in forward better than the fixed. Drag while sailing is the best you can buy. Tim R.
Radar Poles and Folding Props
We recently did a radar installation and elected to do a pole mount. I did not go for the backstay way as my C34 has a split backstay and I also have an adjuster on it. I do not have any personal experience with the backstay mount, but I would have a concern about having that much weight "sagging" on the backstay. My antenna is approximately ten feet above the cockpit deck so the transmitting energy is way above our heads unless one is standing on the pulpit, Titanic style. Incidentally, it is the same height as most backstay mounts but has the added advantage of allowing me to hang extra antennas on it (VHF/AIS/GPS). My old boat had a mast mount antenna about twenty feet off the deck. I thought that the disadvantages (weight aloft and the 150 genoa catching on it during tacks) out weighed the advantage of being able to see over the horizon. As it is, my current mount has slightly over the horizon capability for small boats and so far, I haven’t had any problem avoiding targets. I also have a three bladed Flex-o-Fold prop. It is wonderful. Prop walk isn’t much different than a fixed three bade. On mine, I need just a little more than idle throttle to keep the blades open which is something that you can easily get used to after a few days.
We recently did a radar installation and elected to do a pole mount. I did not go for the backstay way as my C34 has a split backstay and I also have an adjuster on it. I do not have any personal experience with the backstay mount, but I would have a concern about having that much weight "sagging" on the backstay. My antenna is approximately ten feet above the cockpit deck so the transmitting energy is way above our heads unless one is standing on the pulpit, Titanic style. Incidentally, it is the same height as most backstay mounts but has the added advantage of allowing me to hang extra antennas on it (VHF/AIS/GPS). My old boat had a mast mount antenna about twenty feet off the deck. I thought that the disadvantages (weight aloft and the 150 genoa catching on it during tacks) out weighed the advantage of being able to see over the horizon. As it is, my current mount has slightly over the horizon capability for small boats and so far, I haven’t had any problem avoiding targets. I also have a three bladed Flex-o-Fold prop. It is wonderful. Prop walk isn’t much different than a fixed three bade. On mine, I need just a little more than idle throttle to keep the blades open which is something that you can easily get used to after a few days.
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