I agree Franklin...
What you have said is true. However, what I have an issue with is very simple. If your water driven knot meter says you are doing 5 knots average over a 10 hour period, you suspect you have traversed 50 nautical miles. If the GPS said you are doing 2 knots average over the same 10 hour period, then which is the accurate measurement? Did you go 50 or 20 nautical miles.At least with a GPS, one can take the lats/longs between the start and the end of the 10 hour period and know exactly how far one has progressed, or digressed for that matter.Even Lloyd has a valid point. Having a rope with knots spaced 47'3" apart and something to drag behind the boat can give you some indication of boat speed, all other factors considered. But my point is, who knows when your wheel might fall off and then one has no way of really knowing how far one has traveled, or how fast/slow one is moving.Rope, mechanical knot/log, or GPS, it is all relevant. The technology exist and should be used, with the others options as backups.And by the way, I'd pay the $38 for the wheel just to have a spare on the boat. My current wheel is fouled, again, no matter what I use to keep the critter from clinging to the wheel. My next thought is to design a suction cup apparatus to place over the wheel and inject air inside. Thus keeping the wheel critter free.