Do you really need an active radar reflector?

Simon Hampton-Matthews, chair of the Cruising Association's RATS committee, discusses radar reflectors and if they're still the best way to be seen on the water

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Consulting with the Cruising Association's Regulatory & Technical Service group (RATS) recently, a CA member asked which radar reflector he should fit to his boat. This topic is probably third on the list of contentious boating topics (after flag etiquette and which anchor is best) but with this subject at least we benefit from some empirical, laboratorybased testing that is hard to refute.

Regulations

The publication of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Marine Guidance Note 349 in September 2007, amended on 4 October 2022 (pbo.co.uk/mgn349), repeated the recommendation that all UK-registered boats should carry a radar reflector, saying: 'All small craft should correctly and permanently install a radar reflector, either passive or active (powered), that meets British Standard BS EN ISO 8729:1998 (ISO standard 8729:1997); and Owners of vessels under 15m overall length should, where practicable, fit the most effective and appropriate reflector for their circumstances' This guidance repeats the SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19 2.1.7 requirement for all ships of less than 150 gross tonnage to, if practicable, 'have a radar reflector to enable detection by ships navigating by radar at both 9 and 3GHz".

This applies to all boats whatever their country of registration'.

The guidance note was Issued after the 25ft sailing yacht Ouzo was run down by a P&O ferry off the Isle of Wight in 2006, resulting in the death of her crew (pbo.co.uk/ouzo).

Note the words used: permanently-not just carried in a locker and hoisted when conditions dictate (so might be forgotten); practicable-in the event of an incident, the owner without a reflector might be asked to justify why it was not practicable to install one.