Radar Mounted on the Spreader?????

[Snore]

Need a little help understanding the logic to this.

Why would an installer mount the radar on the spreader?

The downsides are obvious- Mounted on the starboard side, it gives a large "blind spot" to port as the widest part of the mast is along the transmit zone. If on a deep port broad reach, one has to over-trim the sail to avoid laying it on the radar antenna. (boat is a cat with no backstay, so the spreaders are swept back)

Is there any advantage to the spreader mount? The vessel did not have a big 150 or 171 head sail. If it did, one could argue the sail will tack easier, but at the cost of speed off the wind.

Thanks

[Privilege]

It seems that if the jib is laying on the spreader-mounted radar, then it would still have issues even if the radar wasn't there.

The radar is mounted on the starboard side spreader with the mast reducing vision to the port side...the theory being that anyone on your port side is supposed to give way to you anyway. I can't see a problem with it mounted on the front of the mast as long as it doesn't catch the jib or interfere with a storm-sail halyard if you have one. If the jib touches it when it's mounted on the front of the mast, you don't ever want to get caught in irons with the sail flogging on it.

[Snore]

Bump

Any other thoughts??

[flyingboat]

Originally Posted by Snore

Need a little help understanding the logic to this.

Why would an installer mount the radar on the spreader?

The downsides are obvious- Mounted on the starboard side, it gives a large "blind spot" to port as the widest part of the mast is along the transmit zone. If on a deep port broad reach, one has to over-trim the sail to avoid laying it on the radar antenna. (boat is a cat with no backstay, so the spreaders are swept back)

Is there any advantage to the spreader mount? The vessel did not have a big 150 or 171 head sail. If it did, one could argue the sail will tack easier, but at the cost of speed off the wind.

Thanks

I've seen it done so a sail on the inner forestay can be fully hoisted without fouling the radar. In this case the alternative was a shorter luff and a long length of halyard.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by flyingboat

I've seen it done so a sail on the inner forestay can be fully hoisted without fouling the radar. In this case the alternative was a shorter luff and a long length of halyard.

That kind of makes sense.

Was my trim off? On a deep broad reach it felt like the main “wanted” to lay on the antenna.

If that is the case, then aren’t you reading performance on one point of sail for performance on another?

Or am I wrong? I am running that boat again this weekend and will play with it some more.