Is a 24" radar dome too big for a 22' Cruiser?

pcg

I know that sounds like a newbie question, but a newbie I am. I have no experience with radar or any boat bigger than a 16' outboard. I'm in the middle of restoring and building out my '99 C-Dory 22 Cruiser, which has been stripped down to nothing but fiberglass. I have a very long list of things to buy and am waiting for items to show up on sale. West Marine has a great sale on Garmin Fantom radars right now. I appreciate the benefits of a 24" dome over the 18", and the cost differential is not that big compared to the entire cost of the restoration. I'll be using this boat on extended trips in the Salish Sea and up the BC coast where fog is common. I just don't want to create a Frankenstein boat and the 24" dome seems pretty big for that small of a boat. Does anyone have a C-Dory cruiser with a 24" radar dome? Any structural issues with mounting?

clayhubler · Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 12:54 am Post subject:

Paul,

Sorry I don't have any advice on the radome.

But I just noticed that you updated your photo album (2 months ago...) and it sure brings back memories from time spent working on my boat. I know that you've spent a lot of time on here researching and planning out the build. Looks like you have a really good place to work the boat over, which is good. I'm sure it will be worth the effort in the end and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

Really glad that the site administrators were able to salvage this forum and all the info that is stored on here.

thataway · Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 3:53 am Post subject:

I am glad you recognize the importance of radar, and that "bigger is better. No the 24" is not too big. That size is what Have put on most of my boats.
One airline pilot put a 6' scanner on his C Dory 25. It looked like a helicopter but he was happy with it...Hard to go forward when it was running.

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 5:29 am Post subject:

The radome on my CD25 is the first generation Garmin GMR41 24" and I don't think it looks too big up there. Garmin came out with the 18" a short time later and I thought for a while that the smaller unit would've been a better fit but I have since changed my mind and prefer the 24".

Like the late great Dusty Lampman told me when a couple folks teased me about it at a gathering, "The bigger the array, the better the definition." I'm going with that!

If you are mounting the radome down low the 24" will be perfect on your CD22. If on a pedestal or an arch it might stand out more than you like. But mine looks just fine on a pedestal and my CD25 is only 10" wider than your CD22.

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 5:46 am Post subject:

The reason folks were teasing me is because we all used to make jokes about the old Furuno monster on C-Lou. After he replaced it with a new smaller unit they dubbed me as the guy with the biggest radome.

The original C-Lou megadome:

A wannabe artist's redition of it (B~C I think was the culprit):

pcg · Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 11:27 am Post subject:

pcg · Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 11:28 am Post subject:

24" it is then. Thank you all for your help!

pcg · Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 11:32 am Post subject:

clayhubler · Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:28 pm Post subject:

Paul, thanks for the praise. I tried to do a good job of documenting it for that reason. It was an attempt to pay it forward, as I received lots of advice on this forum about the repairs.