Stern Pole Radar Mounts on 36 MKII

[Greg Hughes]

I've just purchsed a used Catalina ('98) 36 MKII. I plan on installing a 2kw Raytheon and I'd like to mount it on a pole. I was hoping for some advice as to the best spot to mount the stern pole. My main concern is that there isn't much real estate on the stern of the boat due to the swim platform & catbird seats. Any suggestions, or better yet photos, would be greatly appreciated.Thanks,Greg

 

[Chris Hyland]

Mount in the backstay

Greg, When I was at Cay electronics they had a radar mount for the backstay of some boats. I don't know if they do for the split backstay on the C36 but you might ask.We have a new C36 and we opted to put the radar on the mast.Good luck,Chris

 

[Tom]

There happens to be a radar mount specifically for

split backstay that looks like it'll fit the newer MKII really nice. It will help solve the concern about real estate on the stern of the boat. It is called Radar on the Level. Take a look at http://www.radaronthelevel.com/ and look into the split backstay model it will be less expensive than the single backstay model. Practical Sailor did a review on a few of these a year or two ago. They seemed to like all of them...all have pro's and cons, nothing really negative.

 

[Trevor]

Radar on the Level available here...

in the CatalinaOwners.com chandlery. Do a search on "radar" on the chandlery page. I can't recommend this product either way since I haven't used it before, but it appears to be a slick solution...

 

[Tom Soko]

Check w/Garhauer

You might want to also check with Garhauer Marine. They make a really nice pole to go on the stern, and it has a manually adjustable leveler. The owner of Garhauer, Bill, also owns a 36. I'm sure they would customize anything you want, also.Good Luck.Julandra, C36#659

 

[Ernie April]

Check Questus Backstay mount...

Hi, Greg--I've used the Questus backstay mount on both a Hunter-34 and now a Cataline-42 - both with a Raytheon/Autohelm radar units. Installed both myself. Have been very pleased. IMHO, the backstay mount goes with the lines a bit better than a pole sticking straight up. My only suggestion is to mount the backstay pole in front of the stay, but swing the radar platform behind the stay. The resulting balance is better with far less stress on the stay. The less expensive Questus 400 unit works well for a split backstay.This is far, far easier than a mast mount. With the radar about 12 feet above WL, you have over 6 miles range - that's an hour's sail to a stationary object or about 20 minutes to get out of someone's way. Recall that distance to horizon is a square root of height, so going higher or onto the mast gets into diminishing returns.Downside, Questus is a bit pricy, but my backstay mount is doing very well after 10 years and two boats. Unless you absolutely never sail when the radar is on, I stongly recommend the self-leveling mount. The narrow vertical beam width of all marine radars means that without self-leveling he horizon will disappear when heeling more than about 18 degrees - and you will never know it. Sobering thought.Cheers-Ernie April(WindCatcher, C-42)