Raymarine Cyclone 4ft 55W Open-Array Radar with 15 m Cable

Raymarine Cyclone 4ft 55W (T70492) fills the niche between the compact 3ft and flagship Pro 6ft, offering the perfect compromise for those skippers who want better resolution than the 3ft radar but don’t require the maximum power of the Pro. With its 4-foot antenna, this 55W radar delivers impressive performance for large recreational yachts and fishing boats, while integrating all the high-tech features of the Cyclone series.

• Enhanced Detail with 4ft Antenna: The jump from 3ft to 4ft may seem minor, but the effect on the radar image is significant. The horizontal beam of the Cyclone 4ft is ~1.9°, which improves target separation by ~30% over the 3ft (~2.8°). In practice, the 4ft will pick apart closely spaced targets in cluttered environments even more clearly. For example, a cluster of yachts at anchor near each other or tight navigation markers against a shoreline – all of these are delineated with precision. This antenna suits vessels that have the space – usually above ~40–50 feet LOA – and desire a sharper radar “picture.”
• Long-Range Navigation: The Cyclone 4ft retains the full 72 nm range and power capability of the 55W radar. Offshore, this will give you confidence to cruise at night or in foul weather. Thanks to beam sharpening technology, the 4ft model gets an extra edge: Raymarine notes that with target sharpening, the effective horizontal beamwidth can feel even narrower, approaching 6ft-array performance in some conditions. This means you, as the captain, will see remarkably crisp radar returns. RangeFusion™ is here to blend near and far pulses – on your Axiom (or other MFD) display you’ll likely notice you can keep, say, a 3 nm and a 36 nm scale up simultaneously, and the radar will show both the boats around you and the weather on the horizon together.
• Full Doppler/ARPA Capabilities: None of the functionality is sacrificed – the Cyclone 4ft color-highlights moving targets and auto-tracks them just like the 3ft and Pro versions. If you’re upgrading from a radome, you’ll discover a new level of awareness: target motion is conveyed through colors and vectors, making collision avoidance much easier. The 4ft array, being physically longer, has a bit more inertia, making it steadier in a seaway – waves won’t “jolt” the signal as much. This contributes to ARPA algorithms maintaining lock on small targets even in rougher seas.
• Balance of Speed and Sensitivity: For many yachts in the ~45–60 ft range, the 4ft Cyclone is the sweet spot. It can run at 60 RPM for close quarters – which you’ll appreciate navigating fjords or busy channels – and at the same time, when you head offshore, it covers your need to detect far-off targets (floating debris, ship traffic) to the horizon. Because it’s 55W, its power draw is lower than the Pro (max ~195 W vs ~250+ W for the Pro), which can be a benefit for smaller electrical systems.
• Installation Considerations: The Cyclone 4ft (SKU T70492) comes with the same standard kit – 4ft array, pedestal, 15 m cable, VCM100. The 4ft antenna weighs about 9 kg – a bit heavier than the 3ft, but still quite light compared to older-generation open arrays. Often a 4ft installation will need two people (to level it precisely), but after that, maintenance is minimal. Note that the span of ~1336 mm means your mast or arch must accommodate that width plus some clearance on each side. The low-profile design means that visually, the radar doesn’t dominate the yacht’s profile – it sits sleekly, almost like an integral part of it.

Recommendations: Raymarine Cyclone 4ft 55W is ideal for large motor yachts (~14–20 m) and serious sport-fishing boats where the owner wants the best picture quality without moving to the pricier 110W. If your vessel can support a 4-foot array, it will reward you with a clearer radar image, especially when navigating along coasts or among many targets. The 4ft is often the choice of captains who ply busy waterways or want a competitive edge in yacht racing (e.g., tracking buoys and competitor boats). With this radar, your electronics suite will be a step above – you’ll see farther, sharper, and faster, which directly translates to safer and more efficient voyages.