Radar arch/A frame

[Flamair]

Hi all.

Just bought an Avon 4.6m RIB with 60hp Yam. Really fancy an arch over the back for VHF aerial and nav lights etc. Had a look online, but struggling to find anything that isnt silly money.

Just wondering if there are any suppliers folk can recommend? Dont mind spending a bit, but £600+ seems a bit steep... Or am I being a tight Yorkshire git?

TIA.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Flamair

Hi all.

Just bought an Avon 4.6m RIB with 60hp Yam. Really fancy an arch over the back for VHF aerial and nav lights etc. Had a look online, but struggling to find anything that isnt silly money.

Just wondering if there are any suppliers folk can recommend? Dont mind spending a bit, but £600+ seems a bit steep... Or am I being a tight Yorkshire git?

TIA.

Depending on size/material/design, £600 doesn’t actually sound silly for a new one. And that’s from tight Yorkshire git to another [emoji6]

[Flamair]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Depending on size/material/design, £600 doesn’t actually sound silly for a new one. And that’s from tight Yorkshire git to another [emoji6]

Cheers for that. I'm guessing the odds of finding a good second hand one are slim to nil..

May have to bite the bullet...[emoji16]

[Peter_C]

Might try asking a local fabricator. Someone who builds roll cages and the like. Here in the USA there are companies that build wakeboard towers, and others like Atlantic Towers that build to spec, and ship.

Am interested myself in building one, and have saved a ton of photos for ideas. They are not very hard to make if you have a TIG/MIG-spool welder, tubing bender with the correct size die(s), and a tubing notcher makes it easier.

[Iankristy]

Originally Posted by Flamair

Cheers for that. I'm guessing the odds of finding a good second hand one are slim to nil..

May have to bite the bullet...[emoji16]

You do see them coming up from time to time. Join every Boat/ Parts fb page you can find [emoji4]

[Pete7]

Prices have rocketed lately and now £2000-6000 for a yacht depending on spec.

You might have to get creative. Does a 4.6m rib need a full arch? How about just a pole for lights and VHF?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...7-0712d70b764e

[Pete7]

We found this one in a boat yard in Cowes covered in paint and grease. Think it was advertised on Ribnet actually.

Then and now pics.

Pete

[Hightower]

I had two single posts off the back of my old RIB, mounted everything off those and even had cleats for tieing off the stern, was jolly handy for leaning against whilst having a wee. I would imaging that one would do the trick on a smaller RIB.

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Prices have rocketed lately and now £2000-6000 for a yacht depending on spec.

You might have to get creative. Does a 4.6m rib need a full arch? How about just a pole for lights and VHF?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...7-0712d70b764e

Hello Pete! I think it was you that convinced me to have two posts. Why be like the rest when you can be different

[Flamair]

Thanks all for the comments, really appreciate them.

Think i will go for a pole rather than arch. Cheaper and lighter.

Any good places you'd recommend to source such a thing?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Flamair

Thanks all for the comments, really appreciate them.

Think i will go for a pole rather than arch. Cheaper and lighter.

Any good places you'd recommend to source such a thing?

You could look up some metal works in your area and look through their scrap bins at the weekend, don't forget to have a word with them before you take anything

Some SS U bolts and saddles could be a cheap way to fix it to your transom but I would recommend a bracket welded to the end in which to bolt it. Get some flags welded mid way up for Nav lights if needed and a profiled top in which to mount your all round white light and VHF aerial.

I've enclosed some photo's of one of mine. You can see I added a hoop for tying the elephants trunk off to.

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by Flamair

Hi all.

Just bought an Avon 4.6m RIB with 60hp Yam. Really fancy an arch over the back for VHF aerial and nav lights etc. Had a look online, but struggling to find anything that isnt silly money.

Just wondering if there are any suppliers folk can recommend? Dont mind spending a bit, but £600+ seems a bit steep... Or am I being a tight Yorkshire git?

TIA.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...+arch&_sacat=0
Have you searched radar arch on ebay ,there iscompany in chard somerset with several varients ,you need to give him a ring to get height and size tweaked
there is also j wolfe metalworker ,also trades as float your boat !

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Flamair

Thanks all for the comments, really appreciate them.

Think i will go for a pole rather than arch. Cheaper and lighter.

Any good places you'd recommend to source such a thing?

The first one I did perhaps 3 decades ago, was a simple 5ft aluminium pole about 2" in diameter which I had a friend weld a flat plate on top and a second plate on the side at the bottom to bolt on to the transom. Painted in black hammerite. Cheap and simple.

If you want to go even cheaper, Argos or The Range curtain pole, just paint it well. Cheaper still? broom handle and some varnish would look nice and be different, just tell everyone is a special African hardwood


Pete

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Cheaper still? broom handle and some varnish would look nice and be different...

I went through the Corryvreckan riding shotgun on a plastic skiff that had a brush shaft as an antenna pole. The Skipper was of the tartan persuasion and hadn't even wasted the price of the varnish. Amazon wood? B&Q possibly...

BTW, nice to see all you old-timers back! Matt, yourself, Hightower, etc. There really should be a "Founder's Lounge" here