Radar reflectors mounted aloft from masts or above superstructures can help small craft to become more “visible” on radar.
Vessels such as trailer boats often give very poor echoes on a ship’s radar, especially in rough seas. These can be even poorer from fibreglass and timber vessels.
They are simply a piece of metal arranged to return radio waves and can be purchased from boat chandleries or even home-made.
The Marine and Safety (Motor Boats and Licences) By-Laws 2013 require vessels of all lengths that operate outside sheltered waters to carry a radar reflector. In general terms, sheltered waters extend two nautical miles to seaward of land unless otherwise specified in the Marine and Safety (Limits of Operational Areas of Vessels) By-Laws 2013).