Manufacturer for TomCat Radar Arch
- Thread starter Mike...
- Start date
I've no direct knowledge - but somebody posted here a while back, that Tanner was the manufacturer for the TomCat arch.
http://www.tannermfg.com/arches.html
However, you might consider having one locally made. Any decent fabricator could do it, and you could have it made exactly to your specifications.
And...I'll bet shipping to you from Tanner, would not be cheap.
http://www.tannermfg.com/arches.html
However, you might consider having one locally made. Any decent fabricator could do it, and you could have it made exactly to your specifications.
And...I'll bet shipping to you from Tanner, would not be cheap.
Unless you find used exactly what you want, I would have a unit custom built in your locality. Almost every waterfront community has a good marine aluminum/SS fabricator. Do a google search on Marine metal/stainless steel/ fabricators Virginia and you will find a number of people who can do the job. There are several things to remember--what else do you want to put on the arch? What will you do about the 360 degree light? What down angle do you want on the radar mount. What height do you want under the arch--and conversely how tall will the boat be on the trailer (including the radar dome)--and what problems can this bring on. Also how do you want to run the wiring? Do you need back up plates on the inside? Be sure that you can easilly run the Radar cable to the platform, and figure how you will run it in the boat. Consider all of the other cables (GPS antenna--not in the radar beam). VHF antenna?
Weather satellite? Sirius or XM? ETC.
Weather satellite? Sirius or XM? ETC.
We used Bolton Stainless Inc. to make the arch for our CD 25.
They have pictures of our boat on their website
www.boltonstainless.com
At that time they had a great price and built a nice arch for us. I believe the coach roof for the CD 25 and tom cat are the same.
Eric
They have pictures of our boat on their website
www.boltonstainless.com
At that time they had a great price and built a nice arch for us. I believe the coach roof for the CD 25 and tom cat are the same.
Eric
Hello Dr. Bob.thataway":35bzr5y6 said:
I am so glad you chimed in here. I never occurred to me to think about the resulting trailer height. Do you recall the total height of your TomCat on your Float-On Trailer? Mine is out for service, so I can't run out and measure it. I seem to remember it as roughly 10 ft? Virginia max is 13.5 ft.
If I recall correctly, your TomCat does not have a radar arch, correct? If you carry one, where do you stow your dinghy?
My TomCat did not come with the 360 degree light. I am hoping to add one though.
Regardless of whether I need them or not, I should insist on backup plates, shouldn't I?
And, you bring up a good point about wire runs. I'll have to think about that.
Finally, how on earth would I go about calculating the proper down angle for the radar? Something else that never occurred to me.
Thanks for the reply!
---
mike
wannaboat":h5y3uo2p said:
Mike,
No, the arch was not tall enough to slide a dinghy under it. That's one reason I decided to go with a 16-18" tower mount for the radar that will go at the front of the house roof. It will be hinged at the base so it can be tilted forward for a lower height for towing and storage.
matt_unique
New member
I too would be careful about the radar arch.
Napoleon measures 13' even from road to the top of my fixed GPS receiver. The max on freeways is 13'6" so at 65mph it gets your attention! I have to be careful on side roads not only for bridges but also for low hanging branches and such. I would not want one inch higher.
I have my radar sitting on top of a Seaview radar mount (I also have the Light Bar option where I place my GPS receiver). My dinghy stows perfectly on the roof between the all around light and the back of the radar mount. (My dinghy is the Mercury roll-up 6'7" and with just a little deflation it fits perfectly). A few puffs from my lungs and she is ready to splash.
I mounted my radar with a 2 degree wedge. The vertical sweep from most radomes is right around 25 degrees (12.5 down and 12.5 up) so the wedge really is not necessary...but logically I liked the idea of leveling the center a bit when underway. I think another Tomcat owner measured the down angle and it came to 4 point something degrees when he was underway - I don't recall the power setting. To give you another example, when I am going under a bridge my radar is showing a straight line across my screen right until I go under it and I also pick up aircraft when going near Logan Airport.
Napoleon measures 13' even from road to the top of my fixed GPS receiver. The max on freeways is 13'6" so at 65mph it gets your attention! I have to be careful on side roads not only for bridges but also for low hanging branches and such. I would not want one inch higher.
I have my radar sitting on top of a Seaview radar mount (I also have the Light Bar option where I place my GPS receiver). My dinghy stows perfectly on the roof between the all around light and the back of the radar mount. (My dinghy is the Mercury roll-up 6'7" and with just a little deflation it fits perfectly). A few puffs from my lungs and she is ready to splash.
I mounted my radar with a 2 degree wedge. The vertical sweep from most radomes is right around 25 degrees (12.5 down and 12.5 up) so the wedge really is not necessary...but logically I liked the idea of leveling the center a bit when underway. I think another Tomcat owner measured the down angle and it came to 4 point something degrees when he was underway - I don't recall the power setting. To give you another example, when I am going under a bridge my radar is showing a straight line across my screen right until I go under it and I also pick up aircraft when going near Logan Airport.
Matt , I thought you would get a ticket in Boston for driving only 65 MPH and impeding traffic !
We have a Tanner Short Arch here for a Tomcat and the boat to go with it . The are not attached to each other though and as they say on T.V. some parts sold separately.
Mark Tanner does a good job and has the patterns for both the short and tall arches .
Marc
We have a Tanner Short Arch here for a Tomcat and the boat to go with it . The are not attached to each other though and as they say on T.V. some parts sold separately.
Mark Tanner does a good job and has the patterns for both the short and tall arches .
Marc
peterbrownell
New member
We had a tall radar arch installed on our 2009 Tomcat. You should be able to check the photos I posted here. Marc Grove at Wefings Marine purchased and installed it for us. I did it purposely so we could fit a dingy underneath it.
Best - Peter & Linda
Best - Peter & Linda
Captains Cat
New member
Consider the shorter tower. Leaves a lot of room on the top for other stuff if you put it forward as we did. I sent you a PM and asked where you are but got no response. There are fabricators near us.
Charlie
Charlie
This has been a great discussion! After considering all the replies, I have come to realize that I don't need a radar arch after all.
Again, thanks to all. So as to not hijack my own thread, I think I'll start another regarding radar mounts and all the stuff I need to mount up top and see where it leads.
---
mike
Captain Matt that must be because of the radar mount, yes? Either that, or your trailer is taller than mine (Float-On).matt_unique":30udiyae said:
Charlie, I like the radar mount idea as you and Matt mentioned. As you saw above, Matt went with a 2-degree down-angle. What about you?Captains Cat":30udiyae said:
Again, thanks to all. So as to not hijack my own thread, I think I'll start another regarding radar mounts and all the stuff I need to mount up top and see where it leads.
---
mike
Captains Cat
New member
Mike, I didn't use a wedge but bought a mount that had it built in. About 4degrees as I recall. You can get arms for the mounts that will hold antennas, lights, gps's, etc.
Charlie
Charlie
Mark, I recently put a tall radar arch on a 2009 Tomcat. There is a 7.5" drop from the area near the outside where the feet would be mounted. With that in mind, I ordered one made 22" in height. That allows about 14.5" for a dinghy. I also had the rocket launchers mounted on the sides. The wiring was routed through the tubing into the head with a drip loop in case of any water penetration.
I used a local SS fabricator in Juneau and you should be somewhere around $800 to $1,000.
That put the boat at approximately 12' 8" to the top of the radar.
I used a local SS fabricator in Juneau and you should be somewhere around $800 to $1,000.
That put the boat at approximately 12' 8" to the top of the radar.
Captains Cat
New member
C-Roamer":2hjbuza4 said:
Ah yes, but, with the trailer, it'll wipe the radar off over most highway bridges... :shock:
Charlie
I do not have a wedge on my mount (water closet PVC mount). A lot of the time when I really need the radar, I am at slow speed, and no bow rise. 2 to 5 degrees is the usual amount of a wedge if you want to use one for a Tom Cat. I have put the dinghy over both the AC and Radar.
I am surprised that your boat does not have a 360 degree light--what do you do for an anchor light, or white steaming light? (Lights, if you have separate forward and aft white lights).
Yes, I try and back up any hardware I put on the top, either with back up plates or fender washers.
I did measure my boat for some one in the past, but it is kept most of the time on the lift. On the Float on Trailer it is somewhere about 12 feet high. My RV is 13 feet--and antennas above that--so I occasionally get some "ting ting's" as I drive under bridges. (I had the same problem--slower speed--when I had a boat with 63 foot mast, plust 3 foot antenna, and 65 foot bridges on the ICW.
I am surprised that your boat does not have a 360 degree light--what do you do for an anchor light, or white steaming light? (Lights, if you have separate forward and aft white lights).
Yes, I try and back up any hardware I put on the top, either with back up plates or fender washers.
I did measure my boat for some one in the past, but it is kept most of the time on the lift. On the Float on Trailer it is somewhere about 12 feet high. My RV is 13 feet--and antennas above that--so I occasionally get some "ting ting's" as I drive under bridges. (I had the same problem--slower speed--when I had a boat with 63 foot mast, plust 3 foot antenna, and 65 foot bridges on the ICW.