Bob F

So, are we going for Saturaday? Has anyone double checked the tide times as above? Bob F

Whey Hey! Nice one Cod. Udaman!!!

Charlie can probably confirm this, but the tides at the entrance to Langstone and Chichester harbours start running westwards at about 2-3 hours before HW Portsmouth and continue westards for approx 3 hours after HW Portsmouth. Based on the times Paul has provided, we will have a westerly flow from 8am-9am till 2pm. Therefore, we should be launching at slack water between 8am and 9am, and coming back in between 2-3pm. I'd appreciate it if someone would double check this. We don't want to get it wrong if the tides are so big. cheers Bob F.

Ah, the million dollar question. That's what we are trying to determine. I like the idea of the Mobri tube-like reflectors but I'd like to see on tested out at sea to see if they do increase the radar signature. That's what Coddy is going to try to do. Or we might be able to talk to a local Chandler and ask to borrow one for testing. If we like it we would then recommend other clubs members to buy them. Tom and Pete have radars. Bob F.

Anyone looked at the tide times yet?

Nice one whippet. Like you say, a bit of a trek for us down here, but we do have forum members closer to Wales that could be interested. Bob F.

Coddy, Testing the various reflectors out at sea is a nice idea. Let us know how you get on. Bob F.

Yep, 20th March is ok with me. Bob F.

Nice one!!

Yes, I'd like to echo that. I think it is one of the best trips of the year. And if it does get a bit iffy out there, I will be one of the first to come back in and fish Portland Harbour. Like Adam said, we had some fantatic sport last year drifting the Hood in the entrance to the harbour, for pollack. We have some handheld VHF's within the club which you could borrow on the day, so you can keep in touch if any problems crop up or if we move off to other marks. So, no worries mate, come and give it a bash, like you said, weather permitting. Bob F.

These are snippets from some of the articles I had read on the tube-like or Mobri reflectors. I also notice that Mobri now produce a larger diameter reflector called the M3, which should address some of the issues with the older, smaller diameter units. The Mobri was first tested in 1980 by designer Mogens Pederson with fishermen and yachtsmen in Denmark. Tests were also carried out at the Admiralty Research Department in England with favorable results. To date many thousands have been sold worldwide to sailors, power boaters, and fishermen, as well as to the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards for use in navigational buoys. A personal recommedation from a boater, not scientific, but... Our first line of defense in making our presence known is our radar reflector. We have a Mobri radar reflector mounted on our upper shroud just above the spreader. The Mobri has gotten some bad press from West Marine and Practical Sailor. Both are responsible testers but our experience is that we show up extremely well on small boat and ship radar. We have the 4 inch diameter model. We felt the Mobri was better constructed than other reflectors so it would keep its good performance longer and as it is up in the rigging it is something you forget about easily. We highly recommend the Mobri. Here's a 2002 update on the 1995 report. They don't really say much about the Mobri but infer that it is still inferior. But they haven't tested the new M3 Mobri. Having done a bit more reading on the Mobri's what I like about them is their practicality to my own situation which is a small boat that does not have a mask. The Mobri's will sit nicely on top of the cuddy, which is not as good as mounting them up a mask, but that it never going to happen on my boat. I'm not advocating the Mobri, but just trying to bring the choices into perspective. http://www.tri-lens.com/practical_sailor.txt http://www.euromarinetrading.com/Mobri.htm Bob F.

No, no need to get off your soap box Codfather, that's exactly what a good forum is about. Like I said, I have not seen the spec on the tube types, so I couldn't make an informative recommendation on them, apart from the little bits that have been mentioned in other articles. The article you have referenced is great, but we have to bear in mind the date it was written. It clearly shows that the tube-like reflectors they tested offer much less that the 2.5 m sq RCS that is recommended. Shame they didn't test the newer models of the EchoMasters. As far as I could tell, this article was written back in 1995, so it has not taken into account any of the more recent advances in reflector technology, like the newer Echomasters, and maybe even the tube-like reflectors now perform better??? Perhaps the Practicle Boat Owner tests were done more recently?? Can you check? What is clear is that although the octahedral peformed the best in this test, it still has large holes in it's reflection map, which is exactly why the Admiralty have slammed them. I'd still like to see the spec sheet for the modern tube-like reflectors before consigning them to the bin. But my concerns about them are their physical size (perhaps too small to be effective) and the price (why so cheap?). Good debate, Codfather. Bob F

And a follow-on question about the new tube-like radar reflectors. The tube-like radar reflectors are supposed to be pretty good for their physical size, and much better than the old octahedral types. They come in different versions and have one type that mounts nicely on the roof of a small boat. And they are not a bad price either at about

Here's a post I made on another forum, in answer to a question a guy had about "would it improve my visibility on a radar if I lined the cuddy with tin foil"? Thought it would be a useful reference for here, also. I' not an expert on Marine radar but used to work on airborne radar systems. You are right in thinking that tin foil will be a better medium that GRP for getting a better radar reflection, but, in general, lining the inside of your cuddy with tin foil is not going to help much, if at all. The size and shape of the material you use is very important to improve your radar reflection. Ideally the size needs to be a mutiple of the wavelength on the radar signal (marine radar use X-Band 9.32 - 9.5GHz). You might have seen the ticker-tape tin foils strips that aircraft in WW2 used to drop out of the plane to confuse the enemy radars??? Well, these tin foil strips were cut to a certain length to match the freq on the enemy radars. The other thing about lining the inside of the cuddy is that it has not raised the profile on your boat on the water. A radar reflector should be mounted high so that it can be seen by the radar. The biggest problem with our small cuddy boats is that we sit too low in the water and can be hidden by the waves, and GRP is a very poor reflector of radar signals. My advice would be to fit a radar reflector IF you can install it high enough to be effective. They are not very effective if they are just mounted on the roof of the cuddy. Radar reflectors WILL improve your radar signature IF fitted properly. But on a small boat their effectiveness is reduced by the heel of the boat as it rocks in the waves. Modern ships use a computer controled Radar system called ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) which steers the ship to avoid targets it has detected. Unfortunately for us, it relies on getting a signal back from a target at least 50% of the time it scans it, to avoid false alarms. So, even with a radar reflector you could still be missed by a big ship. If you are looking for the best solution, and can afford it, an active radar target enhancer is the way to go. These are light, slim, low power units that are mounted on a standard antenna mount. It detects the radar signal, amplifies it and re-transmits so you send out a super strong, consistent signal. Well thats probably totally confused everyone or sent you all to sleep. cheers Bob F

Wecome Marc.

Not sure if JohnBoy will be coming with me or Mark A (if Enticer is going). I'll check with John. Let's find out which boats are going and the buddies that are available. I assume it will be: Maverick Loyal Royale Splash-Out Enticer Maltese Neo Bob F

OK, Mark.

Mark, Low tide is 09:30 (1.1m) and high is 18:30 (1.9m). Neap tides, so I guess launch time will not make too much difference from Cobbs??? Not much good for flounder, though. How about 10am? No need to go too early, is there?

The 6pm forecast has got no better, slightly worse in fact. Regardless of the wind dropping dramatically on Sunday, this blow will muddy up the water which isn't good for plaice fishing. I say we give Hayling a miss this weekend. We have done all the prep work, so we can always go another time. Mark, if you still want to give your boat a spin in Poole Harbour, I will be available for that. Bob F.

Chaps, We had set the Shambles trip for Sunday April 11th, but wifey has just "TOLD" me that that is Easter Sunday and I have "family" commitments, or else!! Any objections to bringing it forward one day to Saturday 10th April?

Just spoken to Mark. If the forecast is 4-5 Mark is not keen on driving all the way to the solent and fishing a new area in uncomfortable conditions. So, as an alternative, Mark we prefer to fish in the shelter of Poole Harbour and maybe try to get out to the Swash if conditions allow. I agree. Let's wait till after the 6pm forecast tonight before we make the final decision. Bob F.

Latest forecast for Sunday is Southerly 4-5, Sea State moderate to slight, light rain showers. So, it's right on the edge of our limit, I think. Martin, Mark, Paul D how do you feel about that? You will be the skippers for the day. p.s. Splash-Out will definitely NOT be available. Suzuki now say they have got to reomove the power head to repair a leaking oil seal... Good job it is all being done under warranty.

Here's a must date for your diaries. Beaulieu Boat Jumble. Sunday 25th April. Advance tickets: Adult

By the way, before the blow started, there were plaice being caught in the area. Best one mentioned was 3lb taken right at the end of the day. One boat had 4.

And the funniest bit is that his wife (my sister) asked me to leak the story!! Sorry Jayne. Hope Mark isn't too rough on you... We're only jealous of his boat!