Best GPS device?

[Barnacle_Bob]

It's finally sailing season! ... here in Arizona. The weather has cooled down enough to spend time outside, and our lakes are no longer boiling - we should have nice sailing weather from now until May. And so I am again considering GPS solutions for our boat; but, I am not sure which way to go. I'm hoping you guys can offer some suggestions.

My basic requirements for a GPS unit are:

- show SOG (speed over ground) in knots
- show distance travelled
- collect GPS coordinates / tracks (and other data like time, date, speed) at user defined intervals for uploading to websites for mapping / visualization of my day's sailing activities and for sharing with friends via breadcrumb websites
- small and portable (not fixed to the boat)
- readable in bright sunlight with good battery life
- affordable - I am fine paying more for a good value - no problem; but, I prefer to not spend too much for this functionality. There are other things that I need to purchase for the boat, too.
- devices that use other 3rd-party apps need to be compatible with our family Apple eco-system ... not interested in the discussion of one OS versus another; but, we have Apple gizmos and I'm not interested in making any changes just now.

In addition to using it aboard our C-22, it would be nice if I could also use it while hiking and biking to capture distance traveled, speed in mph, and to capture our tracks / breadcrumbs for later mapping. Another nice-to-have feature would be an electronic compass capability - but it's not a firm requirement. Our sailing is presently limited to a large inland lake, and I will begin doing some coastal sailing (Mission Bay, San Diego Bay, Catalina Island) next summer after retro-fitting my boat trailer with working brakes.

To date, I've used an iPhone app (SailingSpeed2) which works quite nicely for showing my speed but, on the downside, GPS runs down the phone battery pretty quickly, the app doesn't capture tracks / breadcrumbs, and my cellphone has a clunky security app (strong password - work requirement) that makes it frustrating to use when trying to get a quick SOG reading. And, of course, smartphones are not very weatherproof and do not float, so I worry about breaking it or losing it overboard.

Several of the options that I am considering are:

GARMIN ETRAX SERIES:
- good: scaleable solutions from about $100 to $300, designed to withstand the elements, uses convenient and readily available AA batteries, designed for multiple uses (boating, biking, hiking, etc.)
- bad: waterproof, but doesn't float

- BAD ELF PRO GPS RECEIVER:
- good: mates to a variety of iOS devices ( iPad, iPod Touch, etc.) and many iOS apps via Bluetooth, has the functions that I want, reasonably priced (~$150), rugged, splash-proof (although not as waterproof as the Garmin eTrax devices). Mating with an iPad provides a large screen for viewing data ( SOG, maps, charts, etc.), and additional functionality through a large variety of applications. Good battery life. Can also be used for collecting tracks when biking / hiking, but would require a Bluetooth connection to an iOS device to read maps / speed real-time. Nice and compact. Leverages the iPad well, which I already own.
- bad: would require me to have my iPad aboard, which makes me uneasy - breakage, water damage, losing it overboard - all of which could be mitigated with an OtterBox or similar case. To have real-time SOG and distance traveled reading, TWO devices must be onboard, charged, and talking to each other - an iPad / iPod Touch AND the Bad Elf receiver. Not a big deal; but, it does increase the number of failure modes and the likelihood of problems, over that of an independent, stand-alone, device. Lastly, iPads are not very readable in bright sunlight - I live in Arizona - so that is a problem if I want to read it from the cockpit, which is where I want to be able to use it / view it.

GARMIN QUATIX SAILING WATCH:
- good: pretty cook, seems to meet my basic requirements for SOG / breadcrumbs, has a sailing count-down timer (I am just now starting to dabble with racing ... which has so far provided me with a pretty good excuse for skipping the chores every other Saturday and going sailing). It has an intriguing and convenient form-factor - a watch, on my wrist! Very convenient! It even tells the time! ( I haven't worn a watch since buying my first Palm Pilot 20-years ago ). It is rugged, waterproof, and has the electronic compass functionality. Good reviews from a variety of sailing rags.
- bad: rather expensive (~ $400) which is somewhat mitigated by the fact that I could use it daily as a watch and would use the racing features (countdown timer, etc.). It may also be a bit long-in-the-tooth in the Garmin development cycle, and due for a refresh soon (although nothing concrete has been announced). I hate when the new model is released right after I just bought something. Not a firm requirement for me; but, the watch doesn't have the ability to display decent maps.

So, I'm interested in your thoughts, experiences, ideas, and suggestions. Does anyone have experience with these devices or similar ones? What are others using? And, what products are out there that I've not even considered?

Thanks.

- Bob

 

[CaptDon01]

That's like saying, who makes the best outboard?, Tohatsu, Mercury, Nissan, Yamaha, or Suzuki. So just about everyone will also have an opinion on which is the best GPS's. Now for me, I'm a Garmin guy. Simply because we lived in Olathe Kansas for many years, where the Garmin headquarters is, and we have friends who have been involved with Garmin from the beginning, and even before when the co-owners worked for King Radio in Olathe. So my favorite/opinion is Garmin for no other reason.

For several years we used our Garmin Nuvi on the boat. We placed it in off-road mode and it worked GREAT! Made several crossings to Catalina Island using it, and on one trip we had almost 70 miles of open ocean crossing and it worked just fine. The good part is they are fairly cheap, and can also be used in the car. The bad is they are not waterproof, so you have to be some what careful, and they measure in MPH and statute miles for distance.

For the past several years we have been using a Garmin 640. This is a dual use GPS with marine charts and street maps already loaded. Fairly big screen, big enough for us anyway, and it's a chart plotter in the marine mode, gives real time tide information and can be interfaced with my autopilot and VHF radio for DSC. With additional optional equipment, it can also be interfaced with an AIS receiver to display that data, or a transducer to also give you depth information. It's waterproof, and can be mounted externally. Speed and distance information is in knots and nautical miles in the marine mode, and MPH and statute miles in the driving mode. And depending on what mount it's in, it automatically knows which data base to use. Downside.....a bit expensive, but then again, it's dual purpose. Gives accurate speed information to .1 KT below 10 Kts, 1 KT increments above. Also keeps track of distance, average speed, fastest speed, all that normal information that all of the units have.

The smalled handheld GPS's displays are just to small for me to see.

My two cents.....

Don

 

[Gene Neill]

The small handheld GPS's displays are just to small for me to see.

My two cents.....

Don

Ditto for me. And the water here is dangerously thin, so greater detail and a wider field of view is essential. I took a deep breath, and flush-mounted a Garmin 740s in the cockpit.

 

[Bm3moose]

I use a Garmin Glo linked to an IPad with Isailior app. It meets all of your requirements. They make waterproof cases for the iPads. It's nice because I take it off the boat and work on the chart at home.

 

[Snowman80]

Wow $1000 for that garmin 740. Looks sweet though. Are the 5in chartplotters hard to read on the water

 

[CaptDon01]

"Are the 5in chartplotters hard to read on the water" Not for me, and if I need to see more detail, it's easy to blow it up with the touch-screen Garmin uses.

Don

 

[Gene Neill]

Snowman, I think I got my 740s for about 800. I see they're discontinued now. Hope mine never breaks or I'll have a time with that hole in my boat!

Barnacle Bob, as far as a handheld goes, a large-screen smartphone and a Navionics app will go a very long way. That app is the BOMB.

 

[Stu Jackson]

A hh IS simply just a small chartlpotter, at least those with charts on 'em.

Your GPS, your eyes.

It's a boat! There is no "best," it's all a compromise. It's like askin' your mother-in-law if you should marry her daughter, or your uncle: "What car should I buy?" and he drives a Buick!

 

[Ward H]

I use both my iPhone and iPad in Otterbox cases. Navionics USAHD is the app I use. This app synchs among all my devices and I can e-mail my track and associated data to anyone. I e-mail it to my Evernote account and use it as a log of all of my sailing trips.

They are a little hard to see in direct sun but I find them manageable.

If it is wet out I use an dedicated Garmin GPS which is about 10 years old. I run the Navionics on the iPad and keep it dry in the cabin so I am still recording my track but using the Garmin in the cockpit. I made a flat base of starboard to mount it's bracket to and it fits into a corner real nice.

I also use the iPhone and sometimes my iPad in my truck for GPS navigation. MotionX GPSDrive works real well.

My solution fits my sailing style.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Like Bm3Moose, I use a Garmin Glo unit with an iPad. It accesses both the US and Russian satellite constellations and works perfectly with both my original IPad 1 and the iPad 3.
On trips on Lake Ontario this summer I had the iPad 1 in the cockpit in a waterproof sleeve and the IPad 3 in the cabin on the galley countertop. The Bluetooth connection worked with both units at the same time.
The accuracy of the Glo is amazing. Each time we came back to our harbor, the screen showed us sitting in our 10-foot wide slip.
I'm using it now in the Fort Myers, Fl., area, on our 18 foot daysailer. It's been very handy for plotting courses through the shallow bays, and it's fun to be able to see your heading and speed.
I'm mostly using a Navionics app for the chart plotter, but the Glo seems to work equally well with the SeaNav app and the free charts downloaded on the PDF app.
The Glo costs only $99, and with the iPads I have a much bigger screen than on the dedicated chart plotter that cost $600 three years ago.
The Glo also works with Windows devices, so I'd suggest checking it out before buying a dedicated chart plotter. A tablet is a lot more versatile.

 

[Barnacle_Bob]

Great inputs - thank you!

Wow! THANK YOU ALL for the great responses - it made me rethink my requirements and the various options all over again. I’ve considered the inputs that were offered and have made a decision (last item on this post).

First of all, I was really quite surprised that so many people are using iPads (or similar devices) paired to a GPS receiver. I would have thought the difficulty in viewing the screen in bright light would be show stopper; but, apparently not. The size of the iPad screen is a real plus, as are the multiple rich applications that are available. Don made a good point that resonated with me - the screens on the Garmin eTrax that I was considering are just too small. I hate to admit it; but, I’m not all that young any more, and “bigger is better” when it comes to screen real estate. So, I’ve nixed the eTrax devices for that reason.

Don also made a good case for Garmin - great company and great products. (Full disclosure: I work for the OTHER great company in Olathe that also produces great electronics for aircraft, including the Bendix King line that Don referenced.) I also liked Don's interfacing of his GPS receiver to his auto-pilot and VHF DSC; however, until I have the opportunity for more frequent coastal sailing, which for me is more than a few years from now, I don't really have a need for those same interfaces.

Dawg made me stop and think about how the GPS solution needs to fit my sailing environment. He has a higher-cost system that affords him greater detail and a wider view - critical for safety in his shallow water sailing area. My sailing is mostly inland lakes with future trips to coastal SoCal, so skinny water isn’t as much of a concern for me. He also noted that a large-screen smartphone and Navionics are a great combo, too.

Moose mentioned the Garmin Glo, which I had never heard of before. Great device, very cool. I like the small form factor and the easy pairing to an iPad. I also liked the useful reference to the iSailor app. From one former Coastie (D5, CGC CONIFER, 44-ft MLBs, etc. … “back-in-the-day”) to another, thank you Moose.

Ward seconded Dawg on Navionics, and on use of an iPhone and iPad. Again, I’m a bit surprised how many sailors use this combination. And, I like how he leverages his EverNote account to save his tracks - easy way to save those files - great idea.

Gobsmacked weighed-in as another iPad user, mated to the Garmin Glo and the Navionics software, and sometimes the SeaNav app.

So … whereas I had been considering the eTrax handhelds, the Garmin Quatix GPS sailing watch, and the Bad Elf Pro GPS receiver, I have eliminated the eTrax (too small of a screen, as Don noted) and the Quatix watch (pricey for limited functionality - but a nice option if I were more into racing). This weekend, I will order the Bad Elf Pro (photo attached). Here is my thinking:

- the Bad Elf Pro (BEP) offers a hybrid of the functionality of the Garmin Glo and the more expensive GPS receivers. Like the Glo, it offers a nice, small, form factor and great battery life. It has a ruggedized, splash-proof, case and a built-in, small, high contrast, screen for displaying GPS functions (versus LED lights) and the basic data that I want (SOG, distance traveled). Most of the time, when sailing in my familiar home waters, I will be fine with just the BEP aboard. When I want or need more detailed information for the area that I’m sailing, I can mate it to my iPad like the Glo, and use the Navionics, or similar, software. Seems like it may be the best fit for my sailing. And, it’s available at a very reasonable price-point - ~$150.

I hope the Bad Elf Pro will meet my needs. I really appreciate all of the great info and great ideas. Thank you all very much.

- Bob

 

[Kermit]

It's like askin' your mother-in-law if you should marry her daughter, or your uncle

I doubt she'd want you marrying her daughter with those two choices. But wait! If she's already your mother-in-law, wouldn't marrying her daughter, or even your uncle, constitute bigamy?