Flags on antennas

[hack4alivin]

What are your thoughts on flags or burgees on the VHF antenna? I had my CSR burgee on my antenna last season but it seemed to put a lot of stress on it. I was told by some friends at the marina that the flags and burgess on the antenna would lead to premature cracking of the fiberglass antenna and eventually destroy it.

Since I can’t seem to make it through the season without breaking one on that damn railroad bridge, I ‘m not sure I should be concerned.

 

[vetteboy]

Its OK, but only if the antenna is angled back.. Per Gary !!

 

[hack4alivin]

Its OK, but only if the antenna is angled back.. Per Gary !!

Yea I know I got hit with that one on my initiation to CSR.:grin:

 

[mrsrobinson]

Did it before, it's tough to keep a flag on the tip of the antenna so we gave up.

 

[Four Suns]

I fly flags on my antennas...

 

[vetteboy]

You have enough antenna to represent the United Nations !!:smt038

 

[AndersonAcres]

We used these clips to keep the burgee on the antenna without having it fly off. They work well, and are named after a nice resort town in northern Michigan (but they still work on boats in salt water).

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...=true&storeNum=5004&subdeptNum=7&classNum=192

 

[sbw1]

I do it although I don't fly them too high. Nylon electrical ties do the trick and I wrap some white electrician's tape around the area of contact to eliminate wear and tear on the antenna.

 

[Stray Cat]

Forget the flag(s)....fly a bikini top...at no wake speed.

 

[barryg]

I use a company called Flag Flyer, and fly the american flag on my antenna no problem, and easy to switch to the quarantine flag and the bahamian flag when I went there. Their website is www.flag-flyer.com It's a tube with rubber O rings that keep in in place, and they sell all the different flags as well.

 

[Redhook98]

If you have a higher quality antenna from Shakespeare or Digital Antenna (one of the fast-boat/T-top heavy duty antennas, not the cheap $50 units), then you will not have a problem. Mine are both on the top of my aluminum arch and I fly the Jolly Roger at the top of one of them. Yes, a little cliche but I have been doing it for years. Also the heavy duty mounts and reinforced supports help. Never had a n antenna prematurely fail.

 

[hack4alivin]

I don't fly flags on my antenna. I could care less if it leads to premature loss of the antenna itself, but I do care about spider cracks in my gel coat at the base of the antenna mount. Unless you keep your speed below 10 mph, or wind never blows at greater than 10 mph, you are putting a lot of stress on the base. Those bases are typically just screwed in, (which is stupid, they should be thru-bolted) and will cause cracks in your gel coat in time if stressed too much.

Additionally, VHF antennas were not intended to be flag poles. How about mounting a stripper pole on the swim platform and then you can hang all the flags you want.

There's a suggestion I can live with :thumbsup:

 

[Four Suns]

Those bases are typically just screwed in, (which is stupid, they should be thru-bolted) and will cause cracks in your gel coat in time if stressed too much.

I guess it depends on the antenna... My mounts are thru bolted and have back plates.

 

[fc3]

Those bases are typically just screwed in, (which is stupid, they should be thru-bolted) and will cause cracks in your gel coat in time if stressed too much.

Just Ducky's antenna mounts are through-bolted to her aluminum radar arch.

 

[Four Suns]

I would think the dynamic loads those things see on a "bad day" from just rockin' and rollin' would far outweigh what a small flag puts on them. But if you are looking at a big flag like Tim puts on his boat:

You may be asking for trouble.

 

[Turtlesboat]

holy cow, looks like it could snap any second.

 

[Stray Cat]

Those newer yachts have all the latest technology.

 

[dpmulvey]

US ensign while underway flown from the stern mast.

Club burgee normally from a staff on the bow.

 

[wkearney99]

I use a company called Flag Flyer, and fly the american flag on my antenna no problem, and easy to switch to the quarantine flag and the bahamian flag when I went there. Their website is www.flag-flyer.com It's a tube with rubber O rings that keep in in place, and they sell all the different flags as well.

I had one of those. Now there's a CBPBA burgee on the bottom of the Bay somewhere between Annapolis and Fairlee Creek. I replaced that with a pair of outdoor zip ties and they lasted 2 seasons before the burgee faded.

 

[hack4alivin]

I am not really worried about how to attach the flags, that is not the issue. What I am concerned about it the amount of flexing going on at the antenna when curising at over 20 knots. The antenna is definitely doing a lot of whipping around so is this going to lead to damaging the antenna or worse the fiberglass on the boat around the antenna mount as mentioned by “sfergson”.