What's on your Arch or Stern?

[Wander4Wonder]

Neophyte here but on a lot of boats I see there is more electronics and clutter on arches or sterns than an Aircraft carrier antenna array.

Curious what people have equipped and how they manage the various tradeoffs in space, management, cost, comfort, and safety.

For instance, given "most" boats seem to have Mast mounted radars (though I see those on arches or stern posts too) and often solar panels are on arches most often. What else do people prioritize for those? (AIS, Irdium, Cell/wifi boosters, satellite, wind vanes, SSB antennas, etc). Obviously it makes a huge deal depending on if you are a offshore vs coastal vs marina cocktail barge/floating mobile home) but I'm curious as to opinions and thought process out there.

This article discusses its a bit and he brings up some good points but given the ubiquity of solar these days and the technical options available for safety and convenience what are your thoughts/experiences? How do you keep clutter to a minimum on the arch (and the stern overall) to include windvanes and water generators.

https://www.morganscloud.com/2011/02...ks-for-action/

[George_SD]

I don't have arch, but have a single solar panel sitting off stern. I don't want to clutter it up and create obstructions.

Putting solar panels on the arches makes a lot of sense since they are out of the way, provide shade (no need for sunbrella), cool better and don't trap heat below them.

[s/v Jedi]

We’re back to solar panels only. Everything else kills solar production so must find another spot

[Rumrace]

We are clean. I tow or place on the coach roof my Dinghy. The huge frame screwed into the hull doesn’t appeal to me. New to sailing but not boating the clutter on some boats is surprising. I put 3 solar panels directly on my Bimini DONT DO THIS.
So now I have two 24 gauge SS bands which attached to 4 braces which clamp onto the binimi tube and bolt 4 flex panels to them. The panels now sit 40mm above the canvas. That’s it. Other than attaching a water balloon mortar to fend off Americans not regattas it’s not a J Boat but I can pretend.

[toddster8]

I've just been working out how to get StarLink on the arch - it wants a clear view of the sky just like the panels do. Besides, there just isn't any safe place for it on deck. Plan A is a J-mount outboard of the arch, so that as much as possible, the dish is to one side of the panels rather than above them.

I'm contemplating moving up to a bigger boat soon and oddly enough, it looks like the arch would just directly transplant over. In the case of the boat I'm considering, there is actually a factory solar arch option - sadly, it doesn't look any more elegant than most of the DIY solutions.

One interesting feature of the larger boat is more space aft of the boom so the stuff on the arch could be more spread out. E.g. move the panels foward to provide shade for the helmsman and keep the other hardware aft. Which is what the factory option does.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

We’re back to solar panels only. Everything else kills solar production so must find another spot

+1. Try and avoid as much shadow as possible on the solar panels.

It is OK to install items such as GPS antennae, just make sure the top is level with the top of the solar panels. This way the antenna have a clear view of the sky without any shadows.

Here you can see our GPS compass and GPS AIS antenna mounted on the front edge of our solar arch.

[hpeer]

I have a self made arch. I have always thought of it as a prototype for the real thing once I got it sorted out. Now I am pretty set with what I have and I will seek a estimate to have it made over using SS and/or aluminum.

We use our arch a lot. It has 2 each 310watt solar panels, a wind generator, radar, out board, stern light, tiller pilot attachment, stern anchor attachment, electronic compass, AP control head, electrical junction box, and chains instead of a push pit. I tow the dink from the arch but do not use it as davits although I could. Plenty strong.

There has been a lot of trial and error to get max use of it. I have relocated the wind Gen and the radar to reduce shading. Not perfect but pretty good. The electonic compass and AP control sit under and are somewhat protected by the panels.

So I made this arch of common 1-1/2" schedule 40 electrical conduit and bends, it is heavy but cheap . The side "slats" that connected front to back were mild steel which rusted badly, that was replaced with heavier SS slats. At the same time I moved the wind vane outboard to stb, that way it does not foul pilings when docking. To port would have resulted in less shading but left the wind Gen vulnerable. I fabricated an aluminum radar mount that eliminated most of the shading problems and the radar is still accessible. Living in the E Caribbean we frequently go months without any additional power and we use just 4 Golf Cart batteries.

If the money and time comes available I will have the arch remade is SS (deck attachment) and Aluminum using the current arch as a prototype. Reduce maintenance and weight.

[Benz]

I have no arch, but a boom gallows. I have a bell mount on it, and a socket for my charcoal grill.
I've just had a new gallows made which incorporates a stern rail, on which will be mounted the pulleys for the Sailomat self steering vane, and a strut that the sailomat desperately needs. At the base of the gallows, but higher than the bulwark, I had a crosswise rod welded for a stern cleat.

[MartinR]

No arch, nothing on my stern. The only thing going there is the mizzen sheet. Solar panels are on the Bimini covering the forward cockpit. RADAR antenna (not functioning, came with the boat) on the mizzen mast.

[OS2Dude]

We have a small two bow bimini on our stern railing, along with a life sling, magma grill and a section (18") of PVC pipe to hold our boat hook/TV antenna mast when at the dock.

Folks that cruise use/need more. AIS requires a steady and accurate GPS, so those are usually found on the railing. AIS 'can' share a UHF antenna but prefers not to so many folks have a dedicated VHF antenna on the railing as well.

[Kd9truck]

We have Twin helms with a walk thru transom, with dingy davits and a dingy when going for more than a day. And a mount for the outboard, And a stowed grill that rarely makes it out. Plans for a solar array on top of the davits, and wind generator off of the transom outboard of the Davits. We are not cruising for more than a week at a time right now so no need for the extras.

[ozdigennaro]

Lots of stuff. Leopard 47 catamaran so there's lots of space


four solar panels
wind turbine on a post
dinghy davits
fishing rod holders
IPRB mount
HF antenna (wand)
VHF antenna (for voice and DSC)
mainsail traveler and running rigging


captain's chair for comfort (not really, just kidding). You do not want to be up there when sailing.


Oz

[sail sfbay]

Arch - traveler on top with traveler line cam cleates on each side, stereo speakers and cockit light on the underside, aft and forward bimini attachment points and boat hook holder attached to the outside.

Stern - Lifesling II, horseshoe rescue ring, throw rope rescue bag with 90 ft safety line and dinghy engine mount with a Torqeedo engine attached.

[pcmm]

I've been setting up an arch on the stern of my Morgan OI and ended up with a frame ontop with AIS, GPS, FM antenna and stern and aft deck lights integrated into it. Its sized to fit a 68x40 400watt solar panel and strong enough to use as davits if I want to later on down the road.

OK why does CF turn the image?

[wrwakefield]

We only have solar panels above our davits. There are enough permanent shadow sources masts, etc.] without adding new ones in close proximity of the panels...



Cheers! Bill