I have installed a radar ... I was a radar trainee this season. I had a number of day runs with the radar on in various weather conditions. A few observations ...

At coasting speeds, 7-10 mph, with the bow down ... the target resolution is very good. All boats, nav aids, and smaller (plastic?) private buoys show up. Even a white swan showed up on screen as a consistent target.

At cruising speeds, 28-32 mph, with the bow up ... the bow, railings, and fenders partially cover the closer targets. That was not a noticeable issue at slower speeds. There were instances that a buoy did not show up on the screen, or only flickered every other radar revolution, etc. Also, at higher speed, the chart gets out of sync with targets shown on screen, especially when the course is not a straight line. An electronic compass assisting chartplotter with keeping the correct heading at all times should diminish this issue.

The target resolution and display gets more inconsistent in heave seas. There was a 20 by 6 foot shoal made of rocky rubble and sticking out 2 feet that did not show as a consistent elongated target but only as a flickering bunch of smaller targets.

In choppy seas there is a lot of false positives. The waves and confused seas show up on the radar as various confusing patterns. Still, you can distinguish between them and the real targets like other boats and nav aides but it takes the attention away from navigating. I don't think one would be able to easily see small/soft targets like a kayak.

It's another tool and an aid while navigating. I see the radar as being a valuable and dependable tool in poor visibility while going slow ... which should be an MO in such conditions anyway.