Stern poles: ugly, functional, or both?

[JPA Cate]

Our boat came with a "radar arch" with radar, solar panels, sound speakers, and GPS & VHF antenna mounted. We moved the radar to just above the first spreaders when the old Furuno died. And we have since upgraded our solar power system, which includes just a little bit more shade (the two new panels are physically different than the four old ones). I like having more shade in the cockpit, and I prefer easy access out of the cockpit, too, so an enclosure doesn't work well for me. We've never had a bimini, I just move to where I can find shade. The ugliness of such excresenses on our cruising boats become invisible over time, as one can become deaf to the sound of one's wind generator, the sound of cold beer happening. [Before refrigeration, we would cool bottled beverages by hanging them in a terry cloth "caddy" with a hanging handle that was made from a hand towel, and trim, and hang it in the shade of the hull, after dunking it in the sea and let evaporation cool it. Would hold one wine bottle, and need at least 3 dunkings, or two beer bottles, 2 dunkings.]

Jammer, when you're looking at boats, they may come either way, or be blessedly clean. Anything you to to a boat to cruisify it, will slow it down to some extent, and after a while, you forget about the loss of performance, just gloat when you re-launch after a bottom job, and she slides through the water at your preferred motoring speed, at noticeably less engine RPM. I'd suggest living with your choice for at least a year before changing anything, and that will let you give thought to how to do it. I bet some of the CF members would take pics of their poles or arches so that you could see how they fit in with the boat. If you decide on the Pacific Seacraft 37, sailboat data have one pictured, with a pole, and that is probably more suitable for a pinched stern, whether or not it's a canoe stern. I think the arches look better on wider stern boats. Incidentally, the narrow entry, wide stern concept is much less likely to hobby horse: it was a revelation to me!, however, wakes can give you stern slap, although there are ways to modify that.

Ann

[Jimmymak]

Turn it into a strippers pole, sit back and enjoy the show 😎👍

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Our boat came with a "radar arch" with radar, solar panels, sound speakers, and GPS & VHF antenna mounted. We moved the radar to just above the first spreaders when the old Furuno died. And we have since upgraded our solar power system, which includes just a little bit more shade (the two new panels are physically different than the four old ones). I like having more shade in the cockpit, and I prefer easy access out of the cockpit, too, so an enclosure doesn't work well for me. We've never had a bimini, I just move to where I can find shade. The ugliness of such excresenses on our cruising boats become invisible over time, as one can become deaf to the sound of one's wind generator, the sound of cold beer happening. [Before refrigeration, we would cool bottled beverages by hanging them in a terry cloth "caddy" with a hanging handle that was made from a hand towel, and trim, and hang it in the shade of the hull, after dunking it in the sea and let evaporation cool it. Would hold one wine bottle, and need at least 3 dunkings, or two beer bottles, 2 dunkings.]

Jammer, when you're looking at boats, they may come either way, or be blessedly clean. Anything you to to a boat to cruisify it, will slow it down to some extent, and after a while, you forget about the loss of performance, just gloat when you re-launch after a bottom job, and she slides through the water at your preferred motoring speed, at noticeably less engine RPM. I'd suggest living with your choice for at least a year before changing anything, and that will let you give thought to how to do it. I bet some of the CF members would take pics of their poles or arches so that you could see how they fit in with the boat. If you decide on the Pacific Seacraft 37, sailboat data have one pictured, with a pole, and that is probably more suitable for a pinched stern, whether or not it's a canoe stern. I think the arches look better on wider stern boats. Incidentally, the narrow entry, wide stern concept is much less likely to hobby horse: it was a revelation to me!, however, wakes can give you stern slap, although there are ways to modify that.

Ann

Quite right!
Ultimately the issue of cluttering boils down to poor design for cruising. Boats come with AC, king size bunks, three toilets, bells and whistless but no deasent place for the unavoidable cruising gear you pretty much must have.

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Montanan

One can use the mainsheet, a winch and the boom to lift and rotate the outboard to the rail holder.

That's cool.

Re the topic, I think outboards are uglier than poles