Thinking about buying a radar.

[akintosyali]

I just realized that I am the only boat without a radar in the Marina.. I don't do much night cruising, but I also realize that I should get one just in case.

I want to get a used model – but on ebay, they are selling just radars or displays, the working used combos are $1500, and for $2000, I can get a brand new system. I am looking to spend max $750. What should I look for when I am shop for a radar? How can I tell if a display will be compatible with a dome?
What are your suggestions on used systems?

 

[REBrueckner]

Ask around locally and let others know you are looking for a working used radar system. Being able to sell an existing one to defray the cost of a new one might be all it takes to get somebody to make a move they hadn't necessarily planned....or maybe they know somebody who is upgrading....

Meantime, I think to be safe you'll need to match manufacturer displays and domes....I don't know for sure but I suspect the connections are not standard. You can always e-mail a manufacturer or retailer and ask if their model such and such dome will work with their model such and such display. And ask the retailer how much they'd charge to install that combination...that way you'll know and the retailer will figure they might get some buisness by responding to you query.

I bought a used FURUNO system from a sailboat in the adjacent marina a number of years ago...he was replacing all his electronics in preparation for a world wide two year cruise.....

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Look for a 2Kw 16 mile furuno... Had mine since 1990 and it still kicks booty. That one has a dome. Do not mount it so it shoots X rays at your crotch! ws

HI SCOTT!!!

 

[MikeP]

I went through this recently - trying to decide whether to replace the 1980 open-array Raytheon Radar that I removed in '09 or just leave us "radar-less."

I did a lot of research which included reading a lot of UK sites where the general feeling is that radar on a pleasure boat is a waste of money. But having gotten caught in two rainstorms during recent cruising where visibility dropped to a few boat-lengths, I finally decided to go with a Garmin 24HD dome.

There were two reasons for this: first, I decided on Garmin because I have Garmin chartplotters so the radar will interface directly. Second, I decided on a dome because I don't have any use for the additional range that an open array will provide and I talked to a fellow Hatt site person with a dome on his convertible and it can easily discern anything that I would ever need it to do at any range I would ever use.

The dome should arrive next week; I'll install it and report. I ordered a 10A Newmar converter at the same time so I won't have to string a new 12v 10Ga circuit 50 ft to the top of the mast. I'll just put the Newmar inside the mast connected to the standard 32V wiring and run the 12v from there to the radar - 4-5 feet.

 

[ThirdHatt]

I'll second YachtsmanBill on this one. Furuno makes the very best radars, PERIOD. Especially since you are buying used equipment, you do not want anything other than Furuno. Buy a complete system from someone, don't try to buy a display and antenna separately because you will be setting yourself up for problems. Get an open array if at all possible. I sold a 1942 MkIII Furuno radar last summer with a 3.5' open array for $500.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[rsmith]

We put a Decca 110 on in 1977 that worked great for 20 years. Altho along the way we had to put a magnetron and chrystals in it as they get weak. Its kinda like cataracs you start loosing the picture gradualy and dont realise it. I went with out for a couple years and put a 4kw garmin unit coupled to my 3010c chartplotter. I thought it would be a stopgap measure as I was looking at 6' open array Furuno units. I have to say the little Garmin works at least twice as good as the Decca ever did and the overlay on the chart helps seperate out navaids from targets and clutter. I can crank up the gain and pick out diving birds out to about 5mi when we are chasing tuna. I've had the garmin on the boat for about 5 years now and am pretty happy with it.

 

[bobk]

Magnetrons have a life expectancy and are not cheap. If you can power up the unit you are interested in buying, check the directions on how to see how many hours are on the unit. It's on a sub menue on Furunos. Seems to me the Furuno guys said expect about 2000 hours.

Bob

 

[lumina]

Hi All,

Two years ago we installed a Garmin 18 inch dome which integrated directly to our Garmin GPS.

I have been thinking about going to a 18 inch HD, if I do I will be selling the current one.

 

[True Grit]

I have an older unit that i replaced because it wasn't compatible with some new Raymarine units I purchased after they had said that it would be before I purchase the units. If you are interested I can give you the whole package at a reasonable price (6 ft open array 72 nm unit, cable and Ray display unit with original manuals). Pm me.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Magnetrons have a life expectancy and are not cheap. If you can power up the unit you are interested in buying, check the directions on how to see how many hours are on the unit. It's on a sub menue on Furunos. Seems to me the Furuno guys said expect about 2000 hours.

Bob

Thats another advantage to the Furuno units; theres an easy to use "standby" switch which saves the heck outa the tube. A few years ago, mine had a "sag" in one corner, and the tech that services these units for everyone around here said the tube was going... Turned it on last week after a 2 year rest and its fine... go figger. ws

 

[akintosyali]

here is what I found so far:

Raytheon SL70 with a 2kw Raydome Array. $500

Furuno 1622 2.2kw with dome for $600

Raymarine RL70 radar screen and 18' radar dome $800

3 yr old Furuno 24 NM range 1715 Radar with 7" LCD slim Monitor, 18" Dome Scanner $1000

I have a raymarine GPS but I dont have the need to connect them. So which one of this do you guys recommend?

 

[Boatnut]

here is what I found so far:

Raytheon SL70 with a 2kw Raydome Array. $500

Furuno 1622 2.2kw with dome for $600

Raymarine RL70 radar screen and 18' radar dome $800

3 yr old Furuno 24 NM range 1715 Radar with 7" LCD slim Monitor, 18" Dome Scanner $1000

I have a raymarine GPS but I dont have the need to connect them. So which one of this do you guys recommend?

I tend to favor the Furuno, but as you are looking at used units, you might be better off choosing the newest one.

 

[MikeP]

I concur - go with the newest one unless you know that it has more hours on it. Some folks have their radar on anytime they are running; others' only turn them on when the feel they need them. So it is quite possible that a 3 year old radar could have less operational hours than a 6 month old radar. Of course, very low hours could be true of a 10+ year old radar but now you have the lack of modern convenience/technology/interface issue to deal with.

Re convenience, I'm not really sure I want an integrated system though that's what I'm doing. I really wonder if a separate radar screen isn't better but I'll see. If I decide I prefer separate screens I'll buy a couple of older Garmin chartplotters and use them for radar alone.

 

[GJH]

We used to frequently charter 43 Mainship out in SF Bay and the Delta that had a Raymarine SL70 with 18 inch dome. Fog is a big issue out there. I thought the thing worked just great, very precise. We used it a lot.

The club that we chartered from used to do radar training on that boat; the test was to get out of Pillar Point marina in Half Moon Bay at night looking only at the radar and giving a separate helmsman steering directions. No "soft" places in that harbor.

I have a Furuno 4' 6kw open array on our boat now. Great for tracking storms, but for 90% of what we use radar for, likely not worth the extra $. On the other hand, having been in that 10% zone a few times...

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Aside from a little fog in Chicago, the other obstacle is night running with a 100 mph hot rod barrelling down at you and he "forgot to turn my nav lites on dude..." EXCELLENT!! Grab another brewski!
Id be leery of any LCDs if you need to use it in bright lite, BRIGHT FOG included... they can be hard to see. Make sure you practice a lot in clear weather so you end up knowing what you are looking at! Visibility this morning at TR is about 1 mile BTW. Fog horn at the harbor is blasting as we speak...
On another note... When I bought my Furuno, I also bought their chart plotter which used Navionics technology, circa 1990. There were several dead reckoning fixes that were a half mile outa position on the chart! Made in Italy BTW. I wouldnt get involved with a plotter again. Radar, GPS, and OF COURSE, a paper chart with a compass is all youll ever need. ws

 

[REBrueckner]

I'd ask the owner how many hours use is on each radar...my 1990 Furuno had a readout which kept a record .... I prefer Furuno as well because it seems 80% of the commercial lobster boats in Maine use them...but in Nova Scotia most were another brand...I've forgotten which one.

I'd also ask each owner why they are selling...and if you are on E-BAY, of course pick a seller with a good rating from other buys and sells. I'd also pick a larger display screen over a smaller, if you have the helm space, and color over black and white. If you are mounting the antenna on a roof, you'll want a dome; if mouting where no one can bang into the antenna, I opt for an open array for better target discrimination.

 

[rsmith]

I'm of the group that turns everything on and makes sure it works before I leave the dock. Sure there is a life limit on the magnatrons but I think it is offset by heating things up and drying them out. Plus the older units need to be tuned for optimum performance each time you use them. IMO anything less than 4kw will attenuate in heavy rain which means you need to have more punch to see targets in and behind the rain returns. Open aray will give better definition but KW is what you need to punch the signal out there.

 

[Trojan]

I have all Furuno on the fly bridge. I have all color monitors. I have Raytheon marine radar and Garmon gps in the lower helm. Which I seldom use. I love my color Furuno units. Both units are 24 inch domes. 24 mile range on the Furuno and 56 mile range on the Raytheon. Anything more than 6 miles ahead of me I don't worry about. I've never had a problem seeing things on the screen in any weather or sunlight. I would never have a screen without color. As for closed or open array. There is no difference in operation. Only the dollar cost to have a neat thingey turning around on top your boat. Although if you are a wet boat and a wave pounder the open array is more durable. But 3 times the cost. I have had some of my furuno units for over 10 years with zero problems. When I integrated all my furuno units together. There help desk did it all at no charge. Would not have anything else on board.
My second choice would be the new Garman units. Garmin is better at explanations on how to operate there units.

BILL

 

[rsmith]

one thing to remember when your installing a radar is to adjust the angle of the antenna to compensate for the running angle of the boat otherwise all you will see will be airplanes.