Is the radar an obsolete equipment?

[ggeorgiev]

Hello everyone,

My child dream is half way in - did purchase a Sefarer 34 last summer, put some work to restore it, and hopefully next summer it will be on the water. One question I can not firmly decide is if it's worth to keep the radar (JRC 1800) or to remove it. Aesthetically the boat will be better without, and I am not sure what advantage it adds.

A GPS knows every rock, the AIS will know every ship, except small ones, and as a friend put it, I have better chance of winning the lottery than hitting a small vessel. So what the radar is for? And it's power hungry.

Opinions welcome!
Thanks, George

[Simi 60]

You don't need it until you do and then you'll be glad you had it.
Doesn't use power while its off.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by ggeorgiev

........

A GPS knows every rock, the AIS will know every ship, except small ones, and as a friend put it, I have better chance of winning the lottery than hitting a small vessel. So what the radar is for? And it's power hungry.

Opinions welcome!
Thanks, George

From someone who has hit a small boat offshore but never won more than $10 on the lottery, those are way arrogant statements.
Places where we actually use radar.
When we see another vessel, often a fishing boat, driving in some indescernable path.
Fog, goes without saying.
Measuring distance off objects or boats, often while anchoring.
Poor night conditions.

[KeelMe]

1. No radar is not obsolete. But it's not as necessary as people seem to think.

2. If your radar works and you want it, keep using it. If it works and you don't want it, sell it; it still has some value.

3. Don't ever depend on GPS to tell you where a rock is or is not.

It's true your radar is old and power hungry. If you sail in areas that often have fog you might come to accept it as it is or you may choose to upgrade it. If your a fair weather sailer and rarely experience fog you could get rid of it and likely never miss it.

You should sail with it for a while and decide for yourself if it's something you want.

I have one because I enjoy playing with the technology but I hardly find it necessary.

[Mike OReilly]

If the radar is working I’d definitely keep it. You are mistaken to believe "GPS knows every rock, the AIS will know every ship.” A chart plotter (which is what I assume you mean by a GPS) shows an approximation of reality. Radar shows actual reality. AIS is fine, but once again, it is an approximation of what is actually out there.

In around Montreal there is a lot of big and small traffic. I think the odds of getting hit by a small boat are likely higher than a collision with a commercial class vessel. And I bet you deal with a fair bit of fog at times, let alone heavy rainy weather. Radar would be a handy thing in those circumstances, as well as any night travel.

I don’t think radar is essential, but I wouldn’t dump a working one just for aesthetics (how does a radar dome diminish the aesthetics anyway?). And while tools like GPS/chart plotters & AIS are great, they are not directly comparable to radar.

[dkenny64]

I'd keep the radar.


not all boat transmit AIS!! I've seen many fishing trawlers around Oriental, NC without transmitting AIS..


like some one else said..don't count on GPS to tell you where all the rocks are.


I've seen many cases where the GPS map puts on on ground..while we're traveling down the ICW


just my thoughts.


-dkenny64
we lost are radar head.. replacing it is still on the list..

[J.Kitchens]

Radar is far from obsolete and far from necessary. Radar is one of those things that once you have really used it you will always want to have it.

[Annie in WA]

We cruise long distance. Radar is essential to us as the fishing boats don’t have AIS. We don’t transmit AiS either and there are a lot of us out there.

Also, we have used radar to get into anchorages at night. During night passages we use radar to see where other boats AND THE SHORE are. We use it to see squalls and thunderstorms and avoid them. We take it off standby about every 15 milnutes. during a passage. You don’t have to transmit all the time, keep it on standby.

If you don’t have long passages, squalls, or night passages, maybe isn’t necessary. But how do you know what you are going to do with your boat?

Cheeck out David Burch’s book on radar. Great info on how useful it is.

[kenbo]

I must be really old school, I mean really old school. Radar is mission critical. If I had to chose, I would chose radar over AIS and a chartplotter any day. As Mike said, radar reflects the real world. The real world includes many things like squall lines and vessels without AIS.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by kenbo

Radar is mission critical.

Really?
Countless boaties travel the globe without it and have done for centuries

[KeelMe]

Originally Posted by Annie in WA

We cruise long distance. Radar is essential to us as the fishing boats don’t have AIS. We don’t transmit AiS either and there are a lot of us out there.

Also, we have used radar to get into anchorages at night. During night passages we use radar to see where other boats AND THE SHORE are. We use it to see squalls and thunderstorms and avoid them. We take it off standby about every 15 milnutes. during a passage. You don’t have to transmit all the time, keep it on standby.

If you don’t have long passages, squalls, or night passages, maybe isn’t necessary. But how do you know what you are going to do with your boat?

Cheeck out David Burch’s book on radar. Great info on how useful it is.

Someone's a bit too reliant on their electronics. Makes me wonder what you would do if your radar broke or your batteries died.

[J.Kitchens]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Really?
Countless boaties travel the globe without it and have done for centuries

As I said...

Originally Posted by J.Kitchens

Radar is one of those things that once you have really used it you will always want to have it.

[KeelMe]

Radar is like crack. Once you try it you have to have it. It's not good for you but you use it anyway. If you lose it you'll pawn your mothers television to get another.

[Navicula]

I need radar ...I travel over night ...I need to know whats out there, boats, markers, even debri........my digital radar displays weather really clear and I can and have actually gone around weather or headed for the smaller part of the weather where its broken up.....its really cool and I would always want it...

sure it uses power, but so does the auto pilot.... and at night I replace that power with a wind generator or I will run my genny for a bit a few times over the night, and if I am motoring because of no wind then I am well covered for the power issue..

I have to be covered out there...

[KeelMe]

Originally Posted by Navicula

I need radar No you don't....I travel over night So do I and I don't need it....I need to know whats out there, boats, markers, even debriI can find this information with my eyes.........my digital radar displays weather really clear and I can and have actually gone around weather or headed for the smaller part of the weather where its broken upI use my eyes for this too but sailing thru a small storm can be fun and refreshing when it's hot......its really cool Can't argue with that. and I would always want itYep, your an addict....

Addiction has it's consequences.