Anybody recommend a handheld GPS. It could be my Christmas present. I want to know how fast I am going when Coastrat blows by me.

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Nacra 5.2
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what is your price range? if its a lot, the tacktick is the way to go, but pricey (450-750) but has great features (vmg calculator)

if your range is more moderate, the SpeedPuck is great. it has a huge display and simple to use ($340). the biggest problem is that it's hard to find a good place to put it where it can be read on both tacks.

if you are in the lower range most of the Garmin 72 - 76 series are affordable (150-250) and is a good unit but almost impossible to use on the fly. it has a smaller screen, hard to see/use while sailing, impossible to read (or hard) with polorized sunglasses on, and unless your crew is reading and screaming out the numbrers, it's pretty darn hard to pull it out of your pocket, and hold in your hand to read while you have sheets and tillers in your hand. It has mapping and memory so you can review your course and speeds (and max speeds) after you sail.. but again not very user friendly on the fly.

another option is the Gamin 201 and 301 wrist mounted (like a watch). but they are well known to break off and drop in the drink when you put your hand down to push off the deck (see how often you use your hand to push your ass off the deck when you tack)

if you just want speed the garmin etrex venture is good, under $100, and it has a big enough display that you can set it to have 3 large read outs of max speed, current speed and vmg

http://popular.ebay.com/c…tronics/garmin-etrex.htm

it'll also connect to a computer so you can upload your tracks etc and study/share them to sites like mapmytracks

http://www.mapmytracks.com/explore/track/67602

that's probably all you need for a beachcat but if you might also use it for sailing longer distances/hiking/cycling/driving you might want to pay a $150? for an expandable memory mapping gps like the garmin extre legand HCx

http://cgi.ebay.com/GARMI…527871272?pt=GPS_Devices



Edited by erice on Dec 11, 2010 - 06:16 PM.

I bought a Garmin 201 it was (was) nice for the size but the second yes second time i went out i pushed down on the top of the hull to get up and it poped off i was gonna jump off but was going to fast and looked for it for about 10 mins. tacking back n forth.The features were great but never really gotta chance to use it.Prior to that i had a Garmin 72 it was a little hard to use meaning i had it in a dry bag strapped to the tramp and i did'nt realize how much of a pain it was to see with polarized shades on, but i really liked it.I ended up selling the 72 buying the 201 and now am on the hunt for another myself. I'm thinking of going with the etrex i just want speed and tracking and the Etrex i believe is like $94.00 at bestbuy.Arent we all speed junkies needing and wanting to beat the our own record or someone else's.God i love Cats'

If you have a smart phone there are a few really great apps that will do everything a GPS can do for what you need and more. I have two apps I use the one was $9 and the other was $5. Including the waterproof bag $12 and a waterproof hard case $12 total cost was $38. I looked at waterproof GPS and by the time you include marine charts you are easily looking at over $400. It wasnt worth it to me.

Check out this app that I use http://www.sportstrackliv…/trixies/Oct-16th/68255/

It also allows you put in different catagories on the web so you can compare your stats to someone else's sailing stats elsewere in the world.

Will the smart time give you real time data, such as speed.

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Nacra 5.2
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I have the Garmin eTrex Venture Cx. I would highly recommend it. It's very water proof and although it does not have the latest GPS chipset (needed for in downtown areas) its great in the wide open water. It takes normal AA batteries and a memory card so you can store lots of tracks/maps. It's a hand-held and fits in my life jacket pocket. The only negative is in my life jacket pocket bumping it I will sometimes/somehow mark a way-point or two.

I think the plus of the map/track visual is big over the wrist style which are only digits. The price has come way down with all the new technology too. I think under 200 USD.

I would never take my $500 smart phone on the boat, even in a dry case. They are just not meant for being pounded like that. I also bought a water-proof VHF radio that also fits on my jacket. You can also buy a nice VHF that has a GPS built in.

Remember to connect all the lanyards to you so if (when) you pitch pole a good one you come up bobbing with all your electronics. I choose to have these items on me vs the boat for safety.

--norm

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nacra inter-18
CNBP
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I have 2 Garmins, easy to use, & the price has come way way down in the last few years. I use a
Nuvi 265WT for use in the vehicles, (4.3" screen $99 CDN) & a Nuvi 550 for my powerboat. I believe you need the Nuvi 500 for use in the USA.
The 500/550 are waterproof & have a screen big enough to be easily readable. They do just as good a job on the road, albeit with a smaller screen, so you can use it for biking hiking, boating or driving. Look for the IPX7 designation on anything you buy, this is true waterproof, immersion to 1 meter depth for 30 minutes. IPX6 is only "heavy spray". IPX8 is continuous immersion, you won't likely find that rating. If you get a wristwatch type unit, READ THE MANUAL regarding pushing the buttons. It is likely that they are not waterproof while a button is being pushed.
You will find that all models with screens will disappear when you put on your polarized sunglasses. This is due to the physics of polarizing lenses, not the gadgets screen. We don't use polarizing lenses while flying, even the 12" screens on the B777 disappear, & they cost 250K each! Certain sunglasses wil also cause the screens to be very hard to read, Serengetis make the aircraft screens hard to read.
You must be very careful when using the GPS for speed readouts. It is very common to see people state that they reached a max speed of "X". It is only accurate if you can hold that speed for a bit. Of course an error of 1-2kts when you arte going 60+ is insignificant. If you want to brag that you got your beachcat to 20kts,(look, it says right there, max speed 20) you are only fooling yourself.
The "max speed" is simply a recording of what the GPS showed as an instantaneous maximum, & is not indicative of what really happened. You need to hold that speed for 10 seconds or so, then see what the GPS settles out at. They are very useful on a long course, where you can leave everything be, then change one item, say jib sheet, & see if it makes any difference to your speed. Of course it must be a steady state wind, & your heading must remain exact, or the change might not be attributable to the jib sheet change. I don't have anyone to race against, & found them useful for figuring out where to put travelers etc for different points of sail, plus there is the fun factor of playing with gadgets. Just don't feel bad when you read a post about the same boat as yours going faster than you can attain. He might have better sails,lighter boat, better sailor, or he might just be quoting instantaneous readings. I have personally seen instantaneous being 3-4 higher than what could be sustained.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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I own and used both a Garmin GPSMap76 and a Foretrex 301 on the Tybee 500 this past year. All the comments about the mapped unit are spot on, we hardly used it (really just a backup for the 301). If you need a GPS to navigate on a fast beach cat, forget about it. Look at the map before you go sailing, google earth is great for this. Put in the shallow spots as waypoints in the Foretrex 301 so you know where they are and you can avoid them easily.

IPX7 mean jack sh$t on a beach cat, if you are on the boat for any length of time. My Foretrex 301 has corrosion in the battery compartment, and this is after 1 DAY of very moderate Tybee conditions (10-12kts of breeze, 1-2ft chop). The unit still works and works well, but IPX7 is just a standard, nothing else. The solution for the mapped units is to store them in a dry bag/aquapac with a silica gel packet in the bag. The bag prevents water from getting at the unit, and the gel soaks up any condensation or small amount of water that finds its way into the bag. My cheap, non-waterproof cellphone survived the entire race in this manner.

Tie your Foretrex to your body in some manner with a secondary strap (a piece of string). If it falls off your wrist, it won't turn into a $150 anchor.

As far as instantaneous vs. average GPS speed, I'm not sure I really believe everything Chris has to say on the topic. Yes, you can get high instantaneous speeds (wave surfing etc.), but 3-4x the actual speed reading is an anomaly in the way the unit is processing data and I've only seen this happen while acquiring an accurate GPS signal (aka, during GPS startup). If your GPS reads a max speed of say 25kts and you are averaging ~20kts, its probably not lying to you. Yes, a modern beach cat can hit that in any decent breeze w/ the spin up, even the H16's hit upper teens on a screaming reach. Why do you think we sail them?

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I want to know how fast I am going when Coastrat blows by me.

i useually time the blue ribbon with a calender!!!

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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i have carried my iphone (both vers 2 and now 4) for the past 3 years in a dry-sak without ANY problem.

I have 2 gps speed apps (one called SPEED, and the other is a gps tracking called Motionx-GPS light), NEITHER work so well on the fly on the cat but the Motionx can show tracks and cool data

I have yet to take my iphone with me but have been looking for the a good dry option for it. What do you or anyone else use/like for this. I'd also like to know any sailing apps anyone has bought for the iPhone that they really like and what they like about it.

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Quarath

I have yet to take my iphone with me but have been looking for the a good dry option for it. What do you or anyone else use/like for this. I'd also like to know any sailing apps anyone has bought for the iPhone that they really like and what they like about it.

I use the Attwood waterproof cell phone case with my iphone and it works great. The case is transparent on both sides so you can even still take pictures/video with your iphone, plus it has built in floatation on the case. For a GPS app I use "MotionX GPS", the free version works great and give you a lot of great features like current speed, average speed, distance traveled, altitude and maps.

here is a link for the Attwood waterproof case
http://www.attwoodmarine.…-cell-phone-and-gps-case
http://www.attwoodmarine.com/store/product/waterproof-cell-phone-and-gps-case

Walmart carries this exact case for about $14, CHEAP and awesome! :)

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1984 AMF Trac 16, First year of sailing, Central California
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aaronhall555

I use the Attwood waterproof cell phone case with my iphone and it works great. The case is transparent on both sides so you can even still take pictures/video with your iphone,

How does the touch screen work while in the case? I have an Android phone and was assuming it wouldn't work inside a soft case, hadn't tried it.

Since I wanted a cell-phone with me on the Round The Island distance race (especially solo!) and didn't want to risk my new smart phone I stopped at a drugstore and bought a cheap ($14.95) prepaid phone for my carrier (T-Mobile) and swapped the sim into it before the trip. I just kept it inside a ziplock bag with some paper towels.

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
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I use an Aquapac with an older iPhone. The case works well. I can text and take photographs with the phone still in the case. It's even gone swimming a couple of times and so far no problems.

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Dave Wilson
Hobie 16, Hobie 14
Tampa, FL
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damonAdmin

How does the touch screen work while in the case? I have an Android phone and was assuming it wouldn't work inside a soft case, hadn't tried it.

With my iphone the touch screen works like the case isn't even there, works perfectly. I'd assume it would work fine for the Android too. It's worth a try for only $14 at Walmart.

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1984 AMF Trac 16, First year of sailing, Central California
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I glued the Foretrex 201 to the wrist strap with Shoe Goo, and that solved the tiny pin problem. Doesn't work with the 101 or 301 which require access to the back to replace the batteries.

Dave

Hey guys if you are just after speed/time you might want to look into GPS sport/running watches. They are all water proof, are right on your wrist, makes for one less piece of equipment to worry about in a knock down. Some will even store track and pace per mile.....gives you a good idea of the gusts. Both timex and garmin have some good ones. They are cheaper too. Dave farmer is on the right track but it has been done already and neatly packaged.

Robert

I like that GPS watch idea. I'm checking into them now.

I have a Garmin 62 and love it all around. I had the Foretrx 301 and completely agree it leaks like a sive. Mine corroded out in 8 months without any sailing!

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H18, H17, P19, Glastron GT-150 (Bond jump boat)
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Actully this is nice collection of GPS I will recomment your post to my fans

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John Willims
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