Hand held GPS

[Scillypete]

My son has just bought his first boat and its his birthday soon so we thought we would get him a handheld GPS so he can find his way home again (not sure thats such a good idea). The big question is . . .is it worth getting one of the map versions or is the screen size to small to be useful.
If they are any good then which one would be best to get?

 

[roly_voya]

The map versios are very expensive for what they are, a 5" fixed plotter is a better deal and very simple to wire into the ships battery or run off a small 12v bett if there are now electrics on the boat. A simple GPS with read out of Lat & Long and the ability to enter way pionts is all that is needed so for a H/H I would stick to that. Also teaches you to navigate properly, map plotters tend to do it all for you so encourage you not to bother.

 

[lw395]

Suggest get a basic one and spend a little time putting some useful waypoints in. Unless you're spending a lot, it won't replace paper charts.
Just my opinion. And it depends on the boat- on a rib for instance a small chartplotter is the business.
Cheers,

 

[Gin]

I use a monochrome Garmin 12 which is fine and it also drives my Yeoman Sport plotter, so this could also be a route for your son.

I've got got three G12's in fact (don't ask!!), and I paid between £53 and £55 each, plus postage of course, so they're really cheap to experiment with.

I can certainly spare one of them if you want a secondhand one

 

[VicS]

If I were to buy a handheld GPS I would buy a Garmin GPS72 for three reasons:
It's a Garmin
It is about as inexpensive as it is possible to get
It is available with a marine pack containing a mount and a power cable.

Apart from that a colour display would be nice!

I might buy a GPS 72 just for fun.

 

[gjgm]

Garmin often come with "maps", of useful places like Taco Bell in Indianapolis, but totally useless.Just check what is meant- of course they DO proper gear, but not at £75.
H/held with maps are about £300-700, and a fixed set, less I d think.
If you just mean something to find the harbour entrance in the mist, Garmin 12, or newer 72 is a good bit of gear, for less than £100.
If its a faster boat,(25knts) you cant read anything less than 5inch screen for meaningful plotting.
SO, £100, Garmin 72, £500 well, go fixed (Garmin/Horizon)

 

[simonfraser]

if he sails on his own & in a crowded space, buy a gps with a decent screen. they eat AA batteries, so you'll need a 12v supply. portable nicad pack or similar ?

if there is a crew or lots of time you can make to with a lat/long gps and paper chart only.

 

[arfa]

I use the basic lowrance which I picked up from Maplin for £45.
It comes pre loaded with maps for UK/US/Europe but not marine ones. I find it very useful for loading waypoints and coastal sailing but wouldn't want recommend it for much more. For the type of sailing I do it is ideal (useful for a quick glance to see where you are if singlehanded) and is easy on the batteries - one set lasted the entire season. However, if your lad is a hardcore passage maker, he may want something a bit higher up the scale.

 

[Moonshiners]

I use a Garmin 72 in the solent. NMEA cable to a cigar/lighter socket - which i'm just about to fit (they do eat AA Batteries).

Perfectly happy with the unit, just need to spend a rainy afternoon plugging in local way points. Generally i find if you don't need a chart plotter then a decent handheld is perfectly acurate if if get stuck in fog/bad weather and to assist with way points etc... 100 quid well spent on a boat!

 

[jb2006]

I use a Garmin GPSmap 76c in the cockpit and despite the small screen it is great. Not cheap (especially with the Blue Chart) but really useable and 2 AA batteries last about 24 hours.

 

[Tidewaiter2]

I Agree, the G12 is ageless and totally bombproof, G72 bit less so- got a permanent splodge on the screen racing, but still works OK. Large print too.
Both 12v power lead and some 24xAA packs next time Robert Dyas are doing an offer or some 2300 Ah Nimhs= parental piece of mind/ navigators comfort blanket.

Fancy a G76CX, but the Bluechart prices/coverage put me off.

 

[Thistle]

[ QUOTE ]
... some 24xAA packs next time Robert Dyas are doing an offer ...

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that the G12 eats AA batteries. I have a 12V supply on the boat but use batteries ashore. The best I've come across are the Kirkland brand - Costco's own brand: they are dirt cheap and my experience is that they outlast expensive Duracells by hours in the GPS.

 

[William_H]

The Garmin Etrex or the Lowrnce iFinder GO2 are the cheapest around here. I have had a Etrex for a long time and it is really marvelous.

It is a portable GPS suitable for hiking as well as boating. you hang it around your neck. My main complaint is that writing is not so easy to read with old eyes especially when wearing sunglasses.

It is the kind of thing that is a great backup if he later wants a plotter but will introduce him to GPS. I use mine on rechargeable batteries rather than the 12v supply which I have simply for the convenience of the GPS in my hand.

A lot depends on how big his boat is and what sort of sailing he will do. A little baot used for local sailing does not warrant a chart plotter GPS. god luck. I hope you get to enjoy his boat too. olewill

 

[Scillypete]

Thanks for that everyone, plenty to think about there. I reckon I shall revert to being a tightwad and get him a bog standard to begin with, he might learn more with that than just following a picture.

 

[Emjaytoo]

If you want a portable plotter I would recommend the Garmin 276C. Has a good sized screen for a portable, excellent resolutin, can be hand held, runs off 12 volts, will connect to the NMEA system and drive DSC, connects to your laptop so makes entering waypoints and routes much easier (you can plan a passage at home) and you can always put it in the car as a Sat-Nav.

We looked at the new Garmin 550 as an "upgrade" and even the Garmin rep at LIBS had to agree that we were better sticking to what we had.

 

[maxi77]

For coastal work I have used a handheld for the last 5 years and found it excellent, used in conjuction with a paper chart. Garmin seem to have an advantage as market leader in handhelds these days and most have a PC connection and the ability to accept external power. Eating AA batteries is not a problem if you use rechargeables which are little more expensive these days than decent one shot batteries so should not pose a problem.

 

[davidpbo]

I have used a Garmin GPSMAP76 since about 2002. I do find the basic map with navaids useful and interesting (Coastal, estuary and lake sailing). If you have multiple islands towns etc. in view it is handy having confirmation as to which is which. I use it in conjunction with conventional charts.

Battery life is pretty good on AAs (usually rechargeable). It can connect to a 12V battery and output NMEA and may be available second hand.

When considering Sat nav for the car I started a thread here Many can give latitude and longtitude but waterproof/submersible is advisable.