Inexpensive radar pole mount

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Sailor Doug

Aluminum pipe would work well and it available in schedule 40 in. Try to find a aluminum fabricator and see if they have any short pieces

When an aluminum bracket cracked on my outboard engine mount I went to a marine shop, where they quoted $200 to fabricate a new one. So then I went to a local aluminum boatbuilder called metalcraft marine. I spoke with a scary looking man in filthy coveralls who reached into a dumpster and pulled out just the piece I needed....gratis.

[glenn.225]

Originally Posted by hamburking

I spoke with a scary looking man in filthy coveralls

I think he welded up my spreader a couple of years ago.

[Alberg 34]

I too am fabricating a pole for radar 2" stainless welded to my davit so only 6ft above the davits exposed. Any one had luck with installing a wind instrument on a pole as well instead of the mast

[Hank Kivett]

When I had my pole fabed i also had them make previsions to add a wind gen on top if at some later date i wanted too.

[osprey877]

Bottom 8 feet of a stiff fibreglass windsurfer mast. No corrosion issues and every sailor has an old one in their basement. I bolted the wsrfr mast step to the transom and braced at the raiil and it is strong and light and easily removable from the mast step base uf I decude to go racing,

[jongleur]

Here's mine mocked up so far.
The pipe will be 8 feet long. I
made it short to check the angles.
Still pondering how to fasten to
the deck and get the angles right
and seal the bolts and wires through
the deck.

Available ones seem to be in the
$900 range. So far, I've spent
about $70 for the flanges and
aluminum and an hour of fabricating
time.

Top plate is off-center so the radome
will be centered.

I'll try to remember to post when
it's up and working.

[sully75]

I just bought a rectangular aluminum boom at Bacon Sails. I'm going to bolt that to the stern, put a miter in it and get it welded so at the end it's vertical. Saves having to make a mount for a round pole. Not bad for $75.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Harlequin]

Originally Posted by Hank Kivett

Where were all of u a three months ago...I have just finished having one made and installed. I had made a 2" 316 stainless steel with all the support bracing and the mounting plate to include motor hoist for OB...It was 8' long also had platform for tv anti all for less than $1000...

Interesting - I'm thinking of going the same route.

Any pics, Hank...?

[NSboatman]

Did this 3 years ago when we were in a pinch and out of money... Spent it all on the radar!

Sailorchic's method is close to what we did, but instead of pvc pipe, I used an 8' section of 2" pre-painted steel fence post from home despot. To this we bonded regular sched 80 pvc pipe flanges top and bottom. using pl premium. Made a suitable wedge to account for the deck camber, painted it all white with a can of tremclad spray, and set it up with u bolts to the pushpit. I also got a couple of shorter lengths of 3/4" fence pipe- also pre painted, and squashed the ends back about 4" by putting it between a pair of 2x4's and driving over it with the rental car😬. Then you can form these flattened ends around the vertical post and drill and bolt for diagonal braces back to the pushpit.

It took an afternoon, about 6 beers, one can of paint, half a tube of pl, a rental car, and about $120. Not including the beers.

We then sailed 2600 nm in some occasionally gnarly stuff, left it up for a full Canadian winter in the water, then sailed another 300 miles the next summer before taking it down- only because we installed an arch for davits and solar panels.

Pre-painted fence posts hold up really well!!

Ymmv...👍


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[jongleur]

Originally Posted by jongleur

Here's mine mocked up so far.
The pipe will be 8 feet long. I
made it short to check the angles.
Still pondering how to fasten to
the deck and get the angles right
and seal the bolts and wires through
the deck.

Available ones seem to be in the
$900 range. So far, I've spent
about $70 for the flanges and
aluminum and an hour of fabricating
time.

Top plate is off-center so the radome
will be centered.

I'll try to remember to post when
it's up and working.

Okay, here it is set up. I haven't
run the wires yet, but the pole is
in and seems fine. It's 7 feet, as
8 feet seemed a bit excessive lever
arm.

I'm still under $200, what with
sikaflex and such.

[UNCIVILIZED]

An easy DIY job in; aluminum, wood, or composite. And if you go the metal route, there's nothing that says that it has to be round. Plus, the bracket needn't be fancy (read, a welded up job) neither.
You can build a bracket which simply bolts on, & or, is glued on (or both). Even using U-bolts on a round tube, or trailer clamp type bolts on a square pole.

Although me, I'm in favor of a DIY, swiveling/leveling mount. Be it self leveling, or one where you set the radar at an average of your angle of heel. Via the mount being on a pivot bolt, with a set of remote lines led to it for adjustment, from the cockpit.

As to the bracket for the radar, it needn't be welded. Which cuts a lot of the cost out of things. You simply cut the pieces to size in your shop, or cockpit. Bend them to shape, & bolt or rivet them together. With or without epoxy.

Plus, any & all of the above mentioned materials can be used in combination. And wood or composite is as easy, or easier to work with than is aluminum.
Also, you can use Door Skins, & a Hot Glue Gun to make a mockup/patterns for the real thing. Or, use pre-fab composite plate glued or bolted together, in order to build the mount (out of). Including using pre-glassed 3mm - 6mm plywood panels... with or without some Trick, geometrically shaped lightening holes.
FYI, 3mm aluminum angle makes great gusset material for bolting things together.

Too, for a KISS mount for the tube. Simply cut a hole in your deck slightly bigger than the pole. Make a GRP sleeve for the pole, long enough to go from just above the deck, to the bottom of your boat's inner hull. And then glass it into place.
After which (or before), you put a small riser (epoxy or other) into the bottom of the sleeve, that's angled downhill towards the transom. And add a small drain tube from the sleeve, out of the back of the boat.

From there, simply use a few knees, bolted to the tube, to attach it to the deck. Or, a custom; composite, aluminum, or wooden bracket/flange if you like.

Ah, & the other option, is to make up a similar sleeve for the pole. And then using "shim blocks", to get things vertical & plumb, when you bolt the sleeve to your transom. Decorating it to look "shiny" (pretty) as you see fit.
Also, you can just bolt it to the transom with some supporting blocks, & then angle the mount in order to get the radar itself level.
Plus, of course, you can simply bond (glass) the mount to the boat's transom if you like. Using some pretty, clear coated carbon fiber for the last layer or three.

Not a tough job. And one with lots of options & solutions, so as to make it look FAR better than any stock mount. As well as being; lighter, cheaper, & stronger.

PS: IIRC, Bruce Schwab had a Trick, custom, semi foil-shaped, carbon fiber one on Ocean Planet. And it was plenty tall. Which is easy to do, particularly if you put a couple of stays on it.