Modify CB radar tower and mast light

[Salish Serenity]

I was wondering if anyone has ever "chopped down" the size of the radar tower/mast light on a Ranger 31 CB or Cutwater 30 CB? I need to reduce the size to just below the height of the radio antenna. This modification would eliminate the need to raise and lower the tower every time we go in and out of our covered slip. We moor our boat in Gig Harbor.

 

[bill46]

We have 4 bridges a foot too low for our 2014 31CB
Thought about shortening, but would require removing all wires and mast.
Planned 4” off bottom, to touch Bimini, and 8” off top, but not sure what to do with cross arm braces.
I added foot long chains to front guy wires to allow laying mast Back about 20 degrees.
This lowers about a foot. Enough most of the time, much easier than laying all the way down.
Not sure about newer mast.
Bill

 

[Salish Serenity]

We have 4 bridges a foot too low for our 2014 31CB
Thought about shortening, but would require removing all wires and mast.
Planned 4” off bottom, to touch Bimini, and 8” off top, but not sure what to do with cross arm braces.
I added foot long chains to front guy wires to allow laying mast Back about 20 degrees.
This lowers about a foot. Enough most of the time, much easier than laying all the way down.
Not sure about newer mast.
Bill

I need to find someone who has actually done this in the south Puget Sound area. Thanks for your input.

 

[SkookumR29]

We also are investigating the options for modifying our mast on R29 Classic which we keep in covered moorage at the Des Moines Marina. There is a sticker on our mast with manufacturer's contact info on it'; they are a Canadian company. I am going to contact them to see if they can either shorten my existing mast, or custom build one about a foot shorter. We plan to have our RT there for the next five to ten years, so amortizing the expense against the number of times I'll have to scramble to the fore-deck to raise and lower may pan out. One objective will be to keep the radar dome as high as possible. If I have them modify existing, I'll wait until the off-season, as it will likely take a bit of time.

 

[Bill&LinsTug]

Hi there,

I was wondering if you ever did this modification? We just closed on our 31 Ranger Tug (so excited!) and are pondering whether or not we could modify the height of the mast.

We have a covered slip here and when the tide is up this will likely be an annoyance to let it down. I'm just wondering if it's possible. I don't think we need the TV Sat bowl so I'd like to clean it up.

cheers!
Lin

 

[HawaiianFish]

I’m am looking at a single stainless tube similar to the style that mounts the C30 Sedan radar equipment, mounted to a stainless bracket painted white that straddles the front of the solar panel.

Not that radar is dangerous, but regardless, I don’t use radar when I’m in nice weather on the command bridge anyway and it would be my guests that would be right against it… so...

The downsides: price, the anchor/steaming light is lowered, and the radar’s effectiveness is decreased by lowering its height, but I price I am more than willing to pay for esthetics and daily bridge clearance.