Effective Radar Options for Trailer boat?

[35R]

I recently ordered a new Sailfish S8 Cat from Webbe Marine. To say i am stoked would be an understatement. It will be quite customised and tailored for Game and Kingy Fishing. Having said that i am relatively inexperienced and have only owned (half) a boat for about a year now. In that time we have got into downrigging for kings off Sydney and JB with moderate success. Lately we have tried YFT fishing and have bagged a few 40~70kg fish off Sydney and JB, suffice to say we are seriously hooked

My question relates to RADAR options. The new boat will cost the best part of $160k and i do not want to compromise potential results for the sake of a few grand considering the entire expense. Now i have discovered (albeit via limited experience) that finding bird action almost always correlates with extra hookups for obvious reasons. Research online suggests that detecting bird action via radar is going to be heavily impacted by conditions (very hit and miss). But let's assume for a moment we have relativeily calm/flat conditions for the sake of the argument.

What radar setup would you go with if you wanted to detect bird action beyond eyesight?

Keen in mind the circumstances; a 7m~8m Alloy Cat, height of the radar (probably about 3m off water level)

Whadayareckon?

Interested in thoughts of those with experience using modern radar options, within the contextof the above requirements.

Thanks guys.

[Paikea]

I have fished from a number of Game Boats that were fitted with Radar and not once did we turn it on.

A good pair of stabilised Binos is all that you need to pick up the birds or take a young guy with you, they have better eyesight.

Don't only look for birds working down low, in Hawaii a sure sign of a Marlin or a big fish is a lone bird circling up very high. They are easy too spot once you know what to look for.

Charter captains in Kona rely on the high birds to put their clients on to fish.

Radar is good when fishing waters that regularly experience heavy fog. Not a scenario in Aus in my experience.

To sum up, don't waste your money on something that you are highly unlikely to use.

Cheers

Paikea

[BWV]

35R,

Radars will pick up birds for fishing and there safety factor is second to none! I always use a radar when fishing and I also plot other vessel on it to see where everyone is fishing (ARPA).

To get one that is useful for fishing will cost big bucks! You'll want a open array scanner 4ft minimum 6ft would be better, room will dictate this, and minimum 4kw, 6kw would be better again. I have used them for finding birds and even fish busting up on calm days. Bigger the scanner, higher the power the better the radar.

Not sure what the price is on them these days but you'll be looking at anywhere from $8000-$25,000 and the more expensive the better! anything less will be a waste of time and money for finding birds.

Gyro stabilizer bino's are great too!

Ben