easy gps for recreational boating
karzanik
BannedBanned User
What is a good, inexpensive and relativley easy gps for recreational boating?
I am looking for a simple gps for a boat. Nothing too special, no fish finder etc., just something recreational for lakes. No fishing gps please, just something easy to use and tells me the depth of the water.
I am looking for a simple gps for a boat. Nothing too special, no fish finder etc., just something recreational for lakes. No fishing gps please, just something easy to use and tells me the depth of the water.
Comments
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I guess you should consider the Garmin GPSMAP 76 (recently discontinued, likely good buys) or its replacement the 78. Both float, a decided advantage for a boater.
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Well I think even any old TomTom would do for boating with the new map feature which has seas as well, or you can "alter" the software of other gps's.. and get the boat maps that way as well..
just my 2 cents..
p.s hi everyone, this is my first post feeling good.. -
Hi,
there are several good GPS units for you. I would make the decision dependant of the available maps for your target area.
Garmin Oregon, Lowrance Endura, Magellan Triton 400 are just some to mention.
Best regards,
Alex -
I have used the Garmin Handheld GPS, Map 76 for over three years. I often crew on lots of other peoples vessels and I am glad to have this fine little GPS with me.
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I'm not 100% sure what features you're looking for. You say:
-- You want a GPS but not a "fishing GPS."
-- You want to know the depth, but you don't want a fish finder.
Also, it's not clear if you're looking for a handheld, or a unit that will permanently mount on your boat.
If you want to know where you are, you need a GPS. This will allow you to save waypoints and go back to them. You can pick up a handheld like the Garmin GPSMAP 76 mentioned above.
If you want to know how deep it is, you need a sonar, also known as a fish finder. This has a piece of gear called a transducer on a cable that needs to point downward in the water to detect the depth. You can get a portable sonar unit with a transducer that will stick onto the side of a small boat or kayak, but for a bigger boat you usually want to install the sonar permanently with the transducer either attached to the stern or shooting downward through the hull.
If you really just want to know how deep it is and don't care about saving waypoints, you can skip the GPS part and just get the sonar. There are even cheap handheld ones about the size of a flashlight; you stick the end in the water and press a button to get a number for the depth on a digital display.
On my kayak I have an Eagle Cuda 250 unit, which is a pretty inexpensive GPS and sonar. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't use a memory card to transfer waypoints in and out of it, so you have to enter or save any waypoints by hand.
The Garmin GPSMAP76 is a nice handheld GPS unit, but it won't give you a real-time reading of the water depth.
P.S. Just noticed this thread is a year old. Figured I'd just let the comments stand anyway. -
Can some please tell me some other Good GPS then Garmin Handheld GPS,
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