Collision Avoidance in Mexico: AIS or Radar or ?

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by h20man

I do not think it is just you.. the panga and small stuff probably is not using AIS...

But anything bigger 100Tons should be... and the cost benefits of AIS in my opinion are fair.

but the small stuff will be difficult to see, as not all of them use lighting...

Waterman, I agree with you entirely. However, the OP's question was "either one or the other". Frankly, AIS is so cheap that there's no reason not to have it. But, one cannot rely on it alone 'cuase it "ain't" going to tell you when a 1/2 ton panga zooming along at 20 knots is going to (hopefully) cross your bow while even an old radar might. Never-the-less, different ships, different long-splices...

[bangkaboat]

If you have to make an "either, or" choice, despite the fact that I have AIS, I'd recommend radar. No, radar won't pick up the smaller stuff & woodies, but it has a value for targetting ships, land masses, weather at night & in fog. However, nothing replaces the invaluable "eyeball-a-tron", as others have mentioned. In fact, I carry at least 2, everywhere I go.

[jackiepitts]

The outside of the Baja can get fog and we have personally ran into quite a bit of it going both up and down that coast. We have been so socked in by fog on the outside of the Baja that we would basically be blind if not for our radar. I would definitely suggest you go with radar over AIS if it must be one or the other.
Jackie

[DotDun]

A good radar will pick up any boat within a mile, the bigger they are the further you can see them. I use radar to pick out channel markers at night. AIS is a good tool and supplement to radar, but it will only show <1% of the vessels out there.

[daddle]

I agree that AIS will be almost useless off Baja and in the Sea of Cortez. Like said above: 99% of the dangerous traffic does not have AIS. West of Baja the only big ships I've seen in many transits are (1) cruise ships, which keep a very good watch and turn to avoid everything; and (2) the big orange fuel tankers. Both transit directly from cape-to-cape so their tracks are easy to guess; and (3) ship and barge traffic in the vicinity of the Isla Cedros salt works. The salt goes to asia, so you can plot that track too.

In the Sea its the trawlers that you want to watch for...mainly because they have the shrimp you need for the BBQ

[zeehag]

some of the salt from cedros goes to mainland mexico.......and other places. the barge goes between cedros island and mainland mexico and is easy to see. empty barges come back, and they are easy to see. we drifted more than 36 hours just about 3-5 mi off cedros waiting for wind to push us into the village.....

[stevewrye]

If you can afford both do it. As close as I have ever come to killing the family was just after leaving Los Mertos at 3 AM. Once around the point and moving into shipping channel for ships going north we had severe thunder storms come from the west and from over the mountains. Radar did little but did spot a ship at times 12 miles out headed north we contacted freighter and they told us they were running up the middle of the channel. I thought I was way out of the way as we had made it across. Fifteen minutes later in zero vis and radar in a whiteout we hear the engine and then brightness in the heavy rain. Ship coming right at us and we just make a hard 180, I had to look up to watch ship go by maybe 100 yards off stern after making turn. I still shake from that experience, soon after I took the bus to San Diego and bought AIS. I had been very vocal how foolish AIS was until that happened. AIS did us well many times after that. Be safe get it.

[zeta]

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ome-67640.html

[SayGudday]

Gudday Kyle,

Did you say 20 miles out side of the shipping lanes with few lights?............Thanks....anyone want to buy a boat? I'm taking up skateboarding.

[noelex 77]

Those that know the area seem to be recommending Radar.
Make sure you have the electrical capacity to run it. You may find you need to make some upgrades in solar capacity etc to run radar for collision avoidance where it needs to on or at on standby or timed transmit, for long periods of time.
Some of the new instant on broadband radars may be a better option (I have no experience with these), but you still have to run a display.

Conventional Radar is likely to need about 3Amps even with the power savings tricks employed.

A review of your electrical budget would be sensible before committing.

[no_bad_days]

thanks everyone for your insights. It sounds that things are as i suspected. no perfect or easy answers. (of course there never is, which keeps life very exciting most of the time!

Zeta, thanks for the lead on that used radar gear, I am in communication with the guy. it is still available and i am invesigating whether my electrical can support it.

cheers and fair winds to all
kyle

[zeehag]

no bad days---i truly did find eyeballs to be the best protection from collision-- we did come close to a few pangas fishing off mazatlan, but nothing--NOTHING between ensenada and mazatlan was even near us. we watched the tugs with towed barges leave and enter the saltplant at cedros, we entered cedros village, we entered cabo san lucas and mazatlan using our eyeballs as our safety factor- i do have radar--- i will have ais whenever i finish installing my garmin gps, as it has that feature, and i wont be using either much. i rely on eyes to catch the lil things that show up in front or anywhere within a wide radius of my ketch.

[Lotustrbo]

I had dual radar and found them invaluable on my runs in Alaska down the coast to Mexico. Never had a close call and lost of night time running as well as running in heavy fog not to mention through storms. As noted above it was a little more tricky during a storm but it was clear when there was an object vs just waves or rain.