Travels of SV Far Niente

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Radar Pole


This was another big project. I couldn't find a commercially made pole that I liked, so I decided to build my own. At the annapolis show I saw a very nice base that has a ball socket, so i didn't need to worry about welding on a precisely angled base plate. Also, it would enable me to lay the pole down to service the electronics. I added an antenna array on the top, incorporated a Questus mount for the radar dome, put an outboard engine lift on the side and a flood light to illuminate the aft transom at night. It works great!

Solar Panels



In an effort to keep the house batteries charged up while at amchor, I've added two, 130W, solar panels on top of the bimini. They are rated at 8 amps each. So far I've seen 12 to 13 amps. I can now keep the refrigerator, freezer, stereo, fans etc. running all day without depleting the batteries (as long as the sun shines!). I'm considering adding a wind generator and perhaps a radar arch.