Radar mounting; I have a tower, that I stand in, and nothing above it...what do I do

[Prodigal Son]

I just got a 4kW radar unit from my cousin who bought a boat and can't use the radar.

It is an older unit with a radome. From what little I know, the radome is supposed to be above the heads of the crew...but my boat has a fold down tower...so there really isn't anything above the head of the man or two up there. Do I need to get something made to mount the radome to way up there? Any other tips, caveats, etc?

The thing was free, so worst case scenario I can't make it work...nothing lost...

[Ketchman]

I would google the instruction manual for that model of radar, it will tell you the correct way to mount it. Usually though you want it, especially with the older units, mounted well above the cabin, wheelhouse or head of the people on board for sure

[fishbard]

Sometimes on express type boats, the radar is mounted on the hardtop, you just turn it off when you are running the boat from above. Mostly you want the radar when the weather is bad and you aren't running from up there anyway. Of course there are some who run it anyway, figuring a little microwave radiation to the lower legs won't do that much harm. You do need to mount it securely, anything too flimsy will likely break in rough weather due to the radome's weight. You also typically mount it so that it is pointed down a bit with the boat at rest, since the bow comes up when you are underway. It is possible to do a folding mast, I saw a story in a recent issue of Soundings Magazine of a guy who had put that arrangement on a restored vintage Boston Whaler.

[Prodigal Son]

I've seen it on hardtops that you could stand on, and I figured that was the case (run it when you're below, not up top.)

I'll google up the owners manual. No rush, boat is still at the mechanic...