Radar - Hinged or fixed mast mount

[Roger Long]

I've pretty much settled on mast mount for my radar. I'm looking at two different mast mounts, the fixed Seaview and the hinge Walsh (shown below) for about $100 more.

Is the hinged unit worth the extra cost, complication, and lower reliability?

Usually it's calm in the fog but I have sailed watching the seas go out of sight less than a wave length away and I'm sure that, someday, I'll be doing it again. It would be nice to have radar coverage when that day comes.

OTOH, the constant flexing of the cables is apt to deprive me of radar someday and I'll be faced with pulling the stick and fishing new wires to fix it.

Opinions?

Incidentally, raising 30 pounds of radar on a 13,000 pound boat raises the center of gravity about 1/2" from what it would have been on a backstay or pole mount. This is roughly a 1.5% decrease in the wind pressure to heel the boat to any specific angle (Assuming a typical GM for a modestly stiff boat like mine). I can live with that.

 

[Ross]

My thought is that with a hinged mount it would be a one man job to lay the mast down. With a stepped pole mount probably a two man job.

 

[Maine Sail]

I've pretty much settled on mast mount for my radar. I'm looking at two different mast mounts, the fixed Seaview and the hinge Walsh (shown below) for about $100 more.

Is the hinged unit worth the extra cost, complication, and lower reliability?

Usually it's calm in the fog but I have sailed watching the seas go out of sight less than a wave length away and I'm sure that, someday, I'll be doing it again. It would be nice to have radar coverage when that day comes.

OTOH, the constant flexing of the cables is apt to deprive me of radar someday and I'll be faced with pulling the stick and fishing new wires to fix it.

Opinions?

Incidentally, raising 30 pounds of radar on a 13,000 pound boat raises the center of gravity about 1/2" from what it would have been on a backstay or pole mount. This is roughly a 1.5% decrease in the wind pressure to heel the boat to any specific angle (Assuming a typical GM for a modestly stiff boat like mine). I can live with that.

Fixed mount is all you need and with a GRM 18 it should be about 15.8 pounds + about 3 lbs for the mast mount and perhaps 10 oz worth of wire. This puts you at about 19-20 pounds give or take or roughly a .9 decrease to heel boat.

For the extra $100.00 your money would be much better spent upgrading to the HD radome or the GMR-18 HD rather than a gimballed mount. The HD dome is a very sharp unit with very clear returns..

 

[sailingdog]

Roger's going with a mast mount and is trying to decide between a self-leveling mount and a fixed mount. I'd second what Maine Sail said... get the HD version of the radar instead of the leveling mount.

My thought is that with a hinged mount it would be a one man job to lay the mast down. With a stepped pole mount probably a two man job.

 

[Roger Long]

For the extra $100.00 your money would be much better spent upgrading to the HD radome or the GMR-18 HD rather than a gimballed mount. The HD dome is a very sharp unit with very clear returns..

And then, of course, there are all the other safety item I could buy with that $100. It never ends. The HD is about $300 more with the current price at Hamilton on the regular unit. Sharper shore returns don't mean a lot to me since GPS reduces the navigation necessity of radar and GPS overlay makes recognizing what the blobs signify much, much easier.

Will the HD do something really significant for me on traffic targets in open water?

I have other opinions in hand that the swivel mount really makes a difference when sailing or rolling but you are the only one I know who has owned both. My boat does best at large heel angles so the feature might be more important than on a more modern design like yours. She just keeps going faster right up to 30 degrees and I have to drive her that way to make good progress to windward in a breeze.

Further thoughts iwould be appreciated as I'll probably be buying the set tomorrow.

 

[Maine Sail]

Will the HD do something really significant for me on traffic targets in open water?

I have other opinions in hand that the swivel mount really makes a difference when sailing or rolling but you are the only one I know who has owned both. My boat does best at large heel angles so the feature might be more important than on a more modern design like yours. She just keeps going faster right up to 30 degrees and I have to drive her that way to make good progress to windward in a breeze.

Further thoughts iwould be appreciated as I'll probably be buying the set tomorrow.

1) HD samples each target multiple times in each sweep meaning you get MUCH less false return signals. Regular radar samples each target once per sweep. The HD is the sharpest radar I've used.

2) Yes I have owned the following; self leveling (pole mount), fixed pole mount and fixed mast mount. The fixed mast mounts all out performed any of my stern poles including the Questus and inculding my current stern pole with an HD dome. There is no substitute for height but self leveling, IMHO as a previous owner of it, is more hype than performance.

When I converted to a Questus, using the same radome, at the same height, I noticed no discernable difference in performance when heeling. Belive me I tried becuase I watend to justify my money spent but I could not. If it worked I'd be here telling you it is a must have item. I love good products that perform at or better than advertised, and will support them until I'm blue in the face, but self leveling is not one I can stand behind. In the real world it's just not as useful as the marketing material makes it out to be. Wish it was. If it was I would upgrade my boat. I do plan to go back to a mast mount but until I am ready to re-paint my transom I'll have to suffer through with a stern pole..

Keep in mind when you add a self leveler to the mast the dome has to stick out further into the path of the sail, it's heavier and it's mechanical and mounted up high on the spar where you can't easly get to it..

Shop the internet for price deals I saw one the other day that only made the HD dome about $200.00 more. Either dome will work though..

 

[Roger Long]

There is no substitute for height but self leveling, IMHO as a previous owner of it, is more hype than performance.

Glad to hear it. I just took a closer look at the page where I saw the Waltz and the $337 is for the GUARD RING ONLY. I can't imagine what the whole unit costs, probably more than the radar dome. Forget it.

I'll probably toss and turn all night now thinking about the HD. I'm still trying to figure out whether the extra sharpness will help me track and identify big solid diesel powered targets well enough to be worth the extra money. The other stuff I'm not too concerned about.