Radar V AIS Transponder

[bikofour]

Confusion Reigns - up to now was convinced that Radar was not for me!!!! - used up to much power v benefit calculation. A Class B AIS transponder and I was good to go!!!!! Or so I thought????????, have been reading a number of articles recently which maintained that Radar can provide an additional SAFET TOOL in so far as it provides a way to manage the many SQUALLS one is likely to bump into when sailing in the latitudes between 30 Deg. - 10 Deg.
NEED HELP from my sailing buddies !!!!!! all opinions welcomed- really puzzled??????

[steve_h]

I haven't used AIS so can't comment but can see the advantages.
However have used radar and when the fog comes down it really
is worth the money! Picked up rain showers in time to put wet weather gear on
but no experience of squalls.

[Auzzee]

Radar is never blinded by the sun, fog, or the darkness of night, when you are trying to find a safe inlet. AIS has a single purpose, radar has many. There are only a few times in decades of sailing when I have really needed radar. Generally those times have had the potential to produce severe results.

Modern digital radar is not the power hungry beast of last century...but if you add an extra, low cost battery, one of last century's power hungry beasts can be had for very little.

[haiqu]

As Auzzee says, radar is useful under specific circumstances. With proper planning I can't say that I see a need for it personally, its main use would seem to be for those who are running a commercial operation to a schedule.

A Class B AIS transponder, a radar reflector and good weather awareness will suffice for the vast majority of private sailing.

[steve_h]

Don't forget that not all boats have AIS transponders which is where the radar wins every time. Also good with pilotage in fog.

[haiqu]

I admit that I can see a use for radar in the UK where there is a higher density of boats (and fog!)

[Oldsquizzy]

Both have there uses. What we have found is we use both. Personal choice. Because we wander around where there are many islands and many pleasure boats we can check how n.many are where foom a distance and pick a secluded anchorage. At night anchored the radar on watch mode lets you know if some other pleasure boat that has a hand held GPS as its full nav station drifts your way. Like I said personal choice and nothing beats using you eyes and head, but ice cream with out hundreds and thousands sucks. All the different bits help even if only for a false feeling of security.

[Auzzee]

"But I'm a sailor, not a systems operator, and my way of keeping watch by actually looking at the sea and sky is frowned upon by most. Reality is not for everyone".

It's always good to welcome sailors here to Cruiser Log. I assure you the pages of CL are populated by sailors who would never frown on keeping a physical watch.

Radar is a good tool, and just as a depth sounder is a better bet than a lead line, radar gives people sight where it is otherwise unavailable. Nonetheless, nothing can replace seamanship as the first line of awareness whilst out there on the briny.

As for AIS, there are increasingly more ports in the world which now refuse to allow any boats, (both pleasure and commercial), from entering their waterways unless they have AIS with both transmit and receive functions.

I well remember sailing without electronics, and I have almost forgotton just how much of a pain in the backside it was to have to shoot celestial bodies to determine one's position on the globe. (Equally I remember the freedom I felt when I traded a bronze sextant for a Davis MK25 which weighed almost nothing by comparisson).

I quite like to have a depth sounder, a GPS, HF and VHF, a satphone, EPIRB and all the other trappings, including AIS and radar. They don't make me a better sailor, but they certainly make me more aware of the environment in which I choose to insert myself.

Welcome again, Analog, and I hope we hear more from you.

[Istioploos]

I agree that all these electronics are aid and make a cruiser's life easier and maybe safer. But there are just aids and no substitute to seamanship. A true cruiser should be able to live without them when they fail as all electronics eventually does.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by Istioploos

I agree that all these electronics are aid and make a cruiser's life easier and maybe safer. But there are just aids and no substitute to seamanship. A true cruiser should be able to live without them when they fail as all electronics eventually does.

Very very true but radar can save you from smacking into flotsum of size in the fog that the finest seaman would not be able to avoid. I've only recently started using radar and it has made sailing in congested foggy areas a walk in the park. Radar is cheap insurance