Do I need or can i justify Radar

[akprb]

Short handed? I use one feature ALL the time as I find myself sailing solo often and that is the guard zone. This allows me to relax a bit on passages day and night, especially night.

Just brought our boat down from New England last month kind of like the travels you describe. Used it all the time.

So if it doesn't break the bank my vote is yes. Do not do it if it puts you off for one more year and can you cruise without absolutely.

We have a raymarine sys integrated with chartplotter, amazing toy and feeds through to iPad for repeater below. Boy this stuff has come a long way!

[Hank Kivett]

Yes i have a good price for it ..total system less than $1800 but it seems most are split on the value of it and it's use...my delay going has nothing to do with the radar but with medical at this time...

[a64pilot]

I had a 740S with the GMR 18" HD Radar and loved it, very good system for the money in my opinion, also used the sounder function, it's a great bottom machine for finding dive sites and or just fishing, just have to buy a transducer.
You didn't say what kind of plotter you now have, I loved the 740S, it was very intuitive, great maps if you bought the blue charts, radar was a bonus. Great for weather tracking and the chart overlay worked well too.
Get the "S" if you can, that has the built in bottom machine.

I now have a B&G 4G Radar and Zeus touch, I miss the simplicity and ease of use of the Garmin.

[Mainstay]

I am planning to install radar on my boat for only one reason: tracking thunderstorms! I've been caught in a few in the Bahamas because I could not track them and it's not a situation I ever want to be in again. All the other functions and uses of the radar will be added benefits. I am specifically looking at Furuno's wireless radar - planning to install the antenna (around $1300) and then run it on two iDevices. I will not leave home without it!

[FULLCIRCLE331]

I you can afford it get it and use it every time you sail. I sail Long Island Sound and it can be very crowded. To list just a few instances where radar was very useful.
Sailing at night into a full Moon radar spot an object straight ahead. it was a small fishing boat that I could not see until about 100 feet away.
Spotted a heavy thunder storm coming in 16 kn away just made it in before all hell let loose, hail, 50 knot wind and heave rain, I was glad to be on shore.
Cruising Long Island Sound was able to avoid thunder storm cells coming off shore, made the trip much more comfortable than it could have been.
I always have the radar on and set a 1/4 kn guard zone, it warns me of objects coming up under the head sail and power boats coming up astern specially when under power when i cannot hear them. This is very useful.

I have a 10 year old Raymarine unit. I was charting in Puget Sound on a boat with a newer Raymarine unit that couid tag targets and predict collision possibilities, very useful with all the ferry trafic.

Good Luck

[davewtsnape]

I have heard that if you have radar and know how to use it then you are expected to use it. Should you be unlucky enough to have a prang in the fog questions would be asked as to why, if you have radar.
This is hearsay, but I can see the logic.

[GPSocal]

Hank,

Radar is like a life jacket - you don't need it until you need it.

[Rough Magic]

Radar is another tool in the kit, and I find it very useful. Night sailing, fog, and just plain old 'what-is-that-guy-doing' peace of mind. I sail in the biggest port in the US, ships come and go all weather and times of day. It's a nice security blanket.

That said, I sailed many years without it, but wouldn't go out in fog. Now I feel okay with fog, but still very careful.

[Hank Kivett]

Thanks guys...all this is very helpful and i do appreciate all of it and am taking it all in..if i was to get the radar i was planing on mounting it on the stern along with my motor hoist for my dinghy which should get it about 15 feet off the water as opposed to a mast mount....any problems there.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by davewtsnape

I have heard that if you have radar and know how to use it then you are expected to use it. Should you be unlucky enough to have a prang in the fog questions would be asked as to why, if you have radar.
This is hearsay, but I can see the logic.

This is absolutely true. Both marine authorities, and the civil courts, in the unfortunate situation that an 'incident' occurs, they would both consider the equipment you have and whether you utilized that equipment. It comes down to 'keeping an appropriate lookout'. If a piece of equipment is not used prior to the incident because it's faulty, then it won't make a difference. Unless of course you have had the euipment for a lengthy period of time and didn't bother to fix it and it was reasonable to do so.

So, yes. If you have it installed, you are expected to use it to help 'keep a look out'.

[rosatte]

We have 4g broadband B.G radar wouldn.t leave home without it great for nite sailing or just heaving to at nite to sleep u set up a security circle around u and anything comes in radar sounds alarm..

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by Hank Kivett

Thanks guys...all this is very helpful and i do appreciate all of it and am taking it all in..if i was to get the radar i was planing on mounting it on the stern along with my motor hoist for my dinghy which should get it about 15 feet off the water as opposed to a mast mount....any problems there.

idealy you want the radar to go as high up as possible, but 15ft should be plenty. you want it to be at a height where your own boat blocks the least angle (mast, backstay etc)
not mounting it on the mast is actualy preferable as it reduces the blind angle, if on the mast you want it to be in front of the mast, so the blind angle is behind and not in front.
range formula is R(nm)=2.22(sqrtH1+sqrtH2) ((sqrt=squareroot;H1&H2 in meter))
boatus on the topic: Where To Mount A Radome For Best Performance - BoatUS Magazine

[belizesailor]

OP is in Florida. I used to live in Florida, and when people would ask about RADAR my favorite response was "I live in Florida, I dont need no stinikin' RADAR!

Then on a trip from Tarpon Springs to the Dry Tortugas, visibility started to diminish...what is this? FOG? Yep, thick fog all along Florida's West Coast. Even had some in the Dry Tortugas! I bet Dr. Mudd was still residing there last time that happened.

Return trip was just as bad. Literally could barely see the bow sometimes.

Installed RADAR immediately thereafter and have had it ever since.

[waterman46]

A reliable radar and *learning to use it*, is very valuable on the west coast. In your area and if you only sail daytime and never have low visibility due to fog or rain then you don't need radar.

In a dense fog navigating into a small harbor entrance and avoiding other boats, the radar is able to locate you within a few feet relative to breakwaters, buoys and other boats whereas GPS is somewhat less accurate. AIS accuracy would be limited by GPS accuracy I believe, right? And many small boats don't have AIS or might not have it turned on. With AIS you are depending on the other guy's equipment as much as your own, but with radar you are self contained.

Using radar I was able to navigate into the harbor at Mazatlán in a fog so dense I could not visibly see the breakwaters on either side of the entrance, which is quite narrow. No way would I trust only GPS to keep me off the beach.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Using radar I was able to navigate into the harbor at Mazatlán in a fog so dense I could not visibly see the breakwaters on either side of the entrance, which is quite narrow. No way would I trust only GPS to keep me off the beach.

Here lies radars seductive trap... Should you really be entering a tiny port in these conditions? That's not to say the things are handy, and even downright useful at times, but they can also encourage more risky behaviour.