Alaska Bound

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It's gonna come down to how much you prepared to spend Will. I say this, because the consumer grade offerings are extremely intolerant of dish movement of any kind. Depending upon the accuracy of the initial pointing, movement of as little as a quarter inch can noticeably degrade the signal level, as little as half an inch has caused complete signal loss. I don't see any way to obtain satisfactory service from one of these on either a "calm" deck OR a floating dock. There are land barge owners that set up consumer grade systems in RV parks - vehicle mounts and tripod mounts. But that's not the same as floating on a calm sea - or being tied up to a dock that can rise and fall with the tide.

Two way marine systems (as opposed to one way broadcasts like satellite TV) require an advanced tracking system to "stay on the bird" if/when it's platform is moving. There's no practical way for the operator to constantly compensate for motion - in real time anyway. But when you talk autotracking, the price tag goes up. Significantly. And even then, the ensuing price structure reflects speed (or lack of). Expect the entry level stuff to give you internet speeds somewhere between fax and dialup. The systems on https://www.cobham.com reflect this nicely; that speed equates to size equates to cost.

The other thing you have to consider on an Alaskan voyage, is the satellite footprint. The farther one travels from the orbital longitude (SSP) of the assigned satellite, the lower the elevation angle of your dish. This is an important consideration, because most directional satellite systems have lower elevation stops. When shopping for one of these systems, make sure that it's actually capable of providing you with TWO way connectivity - at your destination.
wxw
//greg//