# Do wooden skiffs, with outboard motors, show up on civilian radar?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 18, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569 "2013-08-18T16:57:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/1 "2013-08-18T16:57:51Z")
Do wooden skiffs, with outboard motors, show up on civilian radar?
Is anyone planning to see the movie, “Captain Phillips?” The trailer shows two wooden skiffs closing fast on the ship. I know the radar masts on board freighters are mounted very high, and I thought that wooden structures, like skiffs, don’t tend to show up on radar.
So, is this scene accurate in the real world, or is it “movie drama?”
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### Author:  [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/2 "2013-08-18T18:26:35Z")
Need answer fast?
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### Author:  [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/3 "2013-08-18T18:30:31Z")
I don’t know personally about the radars used on large ships, but on smaller boat radars the answer is yes, but badly.
On a calm day, at short range, you can see just about anything floating in the water, including small skiffs, fishing buoys and even floating debris. On the other hand, with any kind of sea on, or if there is rain or other precipitation, the ability to observe small, non-metallic boats without radar reflectors drops significantly. So it really depends on the conditions.
For answers to a related question, see this thread, including Richard Pearce’s very useful post 12: How hard is it to find a boat in the ocean.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/4 "2013-08-18T18:46:31Z")
Even whales will show up. It just depends on the conditions, as\*\* Billdo \*\*sez.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/5 "2013-08-19T23:06:55Z")
> [@moriah](#):
>
> Need answer fast?
[mod note]
Please take a moment to read the GQ rules and FAQs. In particular #2, which says in part:
> [@Factual Questions Rules & FAQs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-questions-rules-faqs/447561/1):
>
> We tolerate some joking, but that is generally acceptable only after the question has been answered. _ **Please do not race to a thread to post that hilarious one-liner in response to the thread title** _, and don’t drive by just to drop in an anecdote that doesn’t answer the question. If you want to be funny while contributing to the thread, go for it.
(highlighting mine) Thank you.
[/mod note]
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-wooden-skiffs-with-outboard-motors-show-up-on-civilian-radar/666569/6 "2013-08-20T00:42:41Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:5, topic:666569”]
[mod note]
Please take a moment to read the GQ rules and FAQs. In particular #2, which says in part:
(highlighting mine) Thank you.
[/mod note]
[/QUOTE]
But it was solid gold timing! Surely that counts for something.