How much work is it to add radar on a small sailboat? Is there much wiring,
does the radar need much power, and about how much can this be done for?

How much work is it to add radar on a small sailboat? Is there much wiring,
does the radar need much power, and about how much can this be done for?

It depends of course. You can get an adequate radar for less than $2K,
and they typically draw 10 to 15 amps when actually operating, much
less in standby mode. Look on the manufacturers web site for the
detailed specs.

Professional installation can easily run another $2K, much less if you
can do the work yourself. I self installed a relatively complex Furuno
system on my trawler last year with about 15 hours of work and a $300
mast bracket. It does require some experience working with mechanical
and electrical components however, and if you get into trouble, will
probably do bad things to your warranty.

I am more confused. I looked this up on one of those web sites ;;
Defender. It seems like they sell the radar in parts. The big thing goes
up on the mast and then the wiring and then the screen.

Can you get a package? A cheap package? I don't need much, just a warning
against big ships.



"Mys Terry" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 23:55:34 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

How much work is it to add radar on a small sailboat? Is there much
wiring,
does the radar need much power, and about how much can this be done for?



Took me about a day. The wiring is pretty simple and basic. How much power
it
needs depends on the unit and how it is used. I have only the alternator
in an
outboard motor for charging batteries, and I have no problem keeping up.

I think my total outlay for the RADAR and the mounting hardware was around
$3000. I did have to fabricate a few custom bits, but that was part of my
labor,
not money.

It's not a big job by any means. And with the new smaller radars the power draw and costs aren't bad either.

Check prices he boatfix.com

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I am more confused. I looked this up on one of those web sites ;;
Defender. It seems like they sell the radar in parts. The big thing goes
up on the mast and then the wiring and then the screen.

Can you get a package? A cheap package? I don't need much, just a warning
against big ships.

Maybe you should consider whether you need a radar or not. Using one
properly is an art that is more difficult than naming the various parts.
Why do you need one?

Gaz

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:25:53 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

I am more confused. I looked this up on one of those web sites ;;
Defender. It seems like they sell the radar in parts. The big thing goes
up on the mast and then the wiring and then the screen.

Can you get a package? A cheap package? I don't need much, just a warning
against big ships.

The smaller radars (like the JRC 1500) come as a complete package.
There is one pre-made cable from the scanner to the display, and you
have to supply power to the display. The biggest difficulty is
physically mounting the scanner and display (and finding a route for
the cable between them).

The 2KW units with LCD displays, like the JRC 1500, will draw under 2
amps. CRT displays will draw somewhat more.



--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

You can also bump into small ships, like fishingboats with no lights
at night and no helmsman on the bridge, all crew working below and
letting the ship steer itself to the next waypoint.
For big ships (300 tonnes) AIS would do, costs you way less (300
euro's). But this doesn't mean you'll be 100 % safe...
Did I mention fishingboats?

Fair winds,
Len.

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:25:53 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

I don't need much, just a warning against big ships.

Mys Terry wrote in
:

10 to 15 amps???? Where did you come up with that figure?



He's got the 48KW model....(c;

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 10:39:00 -0500, Larry wrote:

He's got the 48KW model....(c;

Not really, only 4 KW if memory serves. I do have the Navnet model
however with the integrated chart plotter, compass heading sensor, ARP
board and high brightness 10 inch monitor. I've never measured the
exact draw but I do know that it will start to run down an 8D battery
at a fairly fast rate if I forget to turn it off.

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:55:06 GMT, Mys Terry
wrote:

So, are you now saying you bought a 4kw Radar with integrated chart plotter,
compass heading, ARP board and high brightness 10 inch monitor for "less than
$2k?

Such a deal, right?

As you suspect, mine was a bit more.