First GPS suggestions, please

woodster · May 17, 2014

take a look at the Garmin 400 series chartplotters they are pretty good for what they are and you can usually find them on sale and if you buy one of any kind at all mind you they will be obsolete just after you mount it in your boat..... via superseded by a newer model

Brian D · May 17, 2014

Several options here.

Option 1: Considering that you will be required (sic) to have VHF aboard, why not just get a VHF radio with built in GPS. Kill two krill with one keel.

Option 2: Tablet or iPad with a simple chart plotter app. Gives you all you need to know and also allows you to "see" where you are.

Option 3: Used handheld GPS unit off of eBay. I have two on my boat; GPS 12 at the wheel for piloting, and GPS 72 in the cabin connected to my DCS radio.

Option 4: Laptop that will run OpenCPN or SeaClear II software with an attached GPS puck. All can stay down below and out of the elements.

I am sure others will come up with more options. These are the ones that I currently have on my boat (except option 1). So I have multiple choices depending on what I want to do.

Ward H · May 17, 2014

You might want to consider a navigation app for your smartphone. There's a lot of apps out there and I know I have seen one, which I don't remember off hand, that had a display screen showing compass heading, SOG, coordinates, etc. Check out Navionics and Skipper if you want charts. Commander Compass looks interesting, it will show location, heading and speed. The only issue with using your phone is most of them are not made for wet environments. I do carefully use my iPad.
That is the advantage of a marine dedicated GPS chart plotter.

Ward H · May 17, 2014

Just browsed the App store for iPad. The American Sailing Association has an app which is a compass and also shows speed and coordinates. There is a log and a button to share location which puts the information into an e-mail. I put it on my iPad.
I also like the looks of Sail Master but it cost a couple of dollars. Might buy that one for the inclinometer.

Joe · May 18, 2014

Get a basic gps .... it's a fundamental piece of boating equipment.... It will provide all the information you need, it is easy to learn, it is inexpensive, you can see it in daylight and it will be a back up for your later upgrades and acquisitions. You can keep it next to you in the cockpit or mount it on a quick release bracket like my hardwired gps 76 in the picture.

IMHO you must have a handheld gps on board for security and safety. A chart plotter is optional... a gps is not.

I would not mess with the smartphone or ipad apps at this point. You need a simple, dedicated marine gps first.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · May 18, 2014

I'm with Joe. I have now a Garmin 76Cx which I used to navigate from the Chesapeake around to Texas, including across parts of the GOM. I had a plain 76 aboard as back up. Also used the hand helds all thru the Bahamas.

I would caution against the new Garmin 78 seriesd. They seem to have decided their market is on land, and they have little built in into on the water stuff. Of course, for a few hundred more you can get the chip that will show you what the 76 Cx has as standard. I bought one, talked to Garmin, and sent it back. Bought a 76Cx, with chip, for less than the 78 alone cost.

One problem with older units (38, 72) is that they no longer update stuff like tide info

Oh- and Brian- who requires a VHF aboard? No body that I know of. Coast Guard doesn't. Having one is most definitely a good idea, but not a legal requirement

seadaddler · May 18, 2014

76Cx

I think the 76Cx is great as Joe show's and gives great info and if you
have a PC get Map Source from Garmin and you can do routing and Waypoint
setups too and all great planning with the Map source CD.
I use my 76Cx as backup to my Ray C-80 and my Iphone with Navionics app on my 2007-H-36 and use the 76Cx when Kayaking here in the mangroves in Florida and you could even get a garmin chip for the 76Cx that shows more info like water depth.
Nick

Brian D · May 18, 2014

TSBB2, I never said it was a "legal" requirement. I said it was required (sic). Responsible boaters have VHF on their boats, thus the requirement (sic).

Someone said that people would not leave their houses without their smart devices, but surely would go out on the water with nothing (grossly paraphrased). Hence responsible boaters would never leave the dock without at least a VHF hand held. Wheel steering vice tiller is "nice to have". VHF is not a "nice to have". As responsible boaters we should be touting this more than anything else. Never tell a boater that VHF is a "nice to have"! (Sorry to pontificate on this but VHF is not an optional piece of equipment.)

Back to the OP...

Both my hand held GPS units have NMEA ports so I can send the data from the GPS to whatever device I need the data. A lot of hand held GPS units do not have a data out port. To me, that is a "must have".

Stu Jackson · May 18, 2014

GPS and VHF

Joe said:
1 --- Get a basic gps .... it's a fundamental piece of boating equipment.... ...

2 --- A chart plotter is optional... a gps is not.

1. I agree. Lots of reasons why iP's don't work AS WELL, but are STILL the choice of SOME skippers. Your boat, your choice.

2. I've said it before, and most likely will get to do it again

, 'cuz for some new boaters they don't understand the difference. IMHO, a basic GPS with charts on it, which almost ALL OF THEM HAVE TODAY, IS simply a small chartplotter - same info.

Brian's right, too. I don't know how VHFs wandered into this GPS discussion, but BOTH should be considered basic safety equipment, regardless of the definition of the word "required"... A skipper with a small Mac on Long Island died just last week 'cuz all he had was his cell phone and the CG couldn't triangulate any signal to find him. Just plain dumb to go without given the cost of your boat and your life compare to the ridiculously low price of these pieces of gear these days.

You can get both as small handhelds for less than $400! What's your life worth to you?

Brian D · May 18, 2014

Stu, the VHF wandered in by my first option, "Option 1: Considering that you will be required (sic) to have VHF aboard, why not just get a VHF radio with built in GPS. Kill two krill with one keel." It was the "required" statement that I used.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · May 18, 2014

Ok Brian- I understand your statement now, and totally agree. Just wondered who "required it"

Brian D · May 18, 2014

TSBB 2, sorry about the misunderstanding. As to who? ME

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · May 18, 2014

No problem

Joe · May 18, 2014

I can understand why dinghy and small boat sailors on confined waterways, visible from the shoreline, might not feel the need for a small handheld vhf radio.... Perhaps they are in an area where channel 16/9 aren't monitored... Or they might want to rely on their cellphones....(who do you call? 911, your wife, the bartender at the yacht club?)

All the years I sailed dinghies and beach cats... I never had a vhf.. but.... once I started sailing out in the ocean... even just up and down the coast a few miles offshore... I would never consider NOT having a vhf on board....

Doc_holiday · May 18, 2014

I have the Garmin 441 and built a swing arm so it can be stowed in the cabin and it swings out to full view from the cockpit and locks in place. I use this but I also use an app called iSailor. The Chesapeake maps cost 4 bucks. It's good to have a back up. I can't imagine there is anywhere in the Chesapeake you wouldn't have cell service. I'll try to post the pics when I go to the boat next time. It's in deltaville

Ross in Tampa · May 18, 2014

I have to disagree! The garmin 78sc is an amazing unit with all the chart plotting power that you will probably need!

Mark Maulden · May 18, 2014

Agree with Ross. I used it for several years until I bought an E7. Here's what I have in order of backup:
1- E7
2- Garmin 78SC
3- iPad
4- iphone
5- an old Garmin 45 that I had 20 yrs ago. GPS only with paper charts. And sometimes you should turn the electronics off and practice with the dividers and parallels......
6- some off brand gps that came with the boat

The hard thing is keeping proficient with these in case it has to be used.....

John Nantz · May 18, 2014

iPad with Navionics Software

I'm with Ward on the iPad with Navionics software. That is a really cool combination.

While I've done just fine without the fancy electronics - circumnavigated Vancouver Island with only paper charts, a compass, knotmeter, and depthsounder, we finally did use a GPS on the Queen Charlottes and Alaska trips. When we got the first generation iPad my wife bought the cheap Navionics package, somewhere around $20, more or less, and frankly, it has been really great.

If one has an iPad this is a very cheap way to go. Worried about water? Maybe put it in a zip-loc bag. For us, water hasn't been a problem yet but it does rain a lot. It should be mentioned that the iPad is really my wife's toy so if it's raining or there is spray coming over the cockpit then she's down below with it anyway and keeping an eye on what I'm doing.

Basically, I'm a chart, compass, and eyeball kind of navigator, and radar if it's foggy. The iPad IS really nice though and she does show me through the companionway where I am every once in a while, whether I need to know or not.

First GPS suggestions, please

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