25931
Well-Known Member
What was your first "modern" gadget ?
Mine was a handheld rdf in the late seventies.
Mine was a handheld rdf in the late seventies.
Modern gadgets
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lustyd
Well-Known Member
You didn't start with a depth sounder?
25931
Well-Known Member
No because my little, old wooden centre boarder used to lie in a mud berth. I bought the r.d.f. to do some deliveries.
Praxinoscope
Well-Known Member
Depth sounder (Seafarer) closely followed by RDF.
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
Compass
Then spinning depth gauge - such pretty rotating lights
Then spinning depth gauge - such pretty rotating lights
TernVI
Well-Known Member
I bought a Handheld VHF before I owned a yacht.
And then a GPS. One of the early Magellan models, which I still have in a state of 'broken' somewhere in the loft. I replaced it in the late 90s.
The first yacht I bought came with a Navstar Decca and Stowe instruments for wind, depth and speed.
And then a GPS. One of the early Magellan models, which I still have in a state of 'broken' somewhere in the loft. I replaced it in the late 90s.
The first yacht I bought came with a Navstar Decca and Stowe instruments for wind, depth and speed.
RupertW
Well-Known Member
Was that the ome that looked like a big White Russian mobile phone? 6 AAs and it used them up so fast each time you switched it on to get a fix within 15 minutes. Too poor hungry to leave on.
Graham376
Well-Known Member
Sinclair calculator, sometime mid '70s.
WoodyP
Well-Known Member
I remember seeing the first electronic calculator early 70's in the cattle market office. Iirc it was £80 for something that just had basic calculations. Before that we had a mechanical adding machine. Or just use mental arithmetic as it was quicker.
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Did you buy it ready to go or as a kit?
My first modern bit of nautical kit was a fish finder when I had a dive boat. It had a cathode ray display!
jwilson
Well-Known Member
Seafarer depth sounder, ran off a 9v battery. Of course the first accidental grounding I achieved was shortly afterwards, as I was cutting corners thinking I knew the depth......
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
I remember the uncertain reliability of one of those things. Made me bolder in side creeks but then I had a swing lift keel anyway so touch, lift, onward or touch, lift and astern. Never used it in all seriousness in the main Bristol Channel as grounding might well mean capsize so caution was encouraged by my mentors. Still it was easier to use for a solo sailor than a leadline. I still have the leadline.
TernVI
Well-Known Member
I think you are thinking of the early Trimble devices which came out around the time of the first Gulf War, 1990? Mine was a few years after that maybe '94?
Two batteries and could be powered from 12V.
A mate of mine still has a working one of these:
Pyxis IPS-360
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
I was the first kid in my primary school to have a digital watch. There was a crowd of gawpers around me at every break!
RupertW
Well-Known Member
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Seafarer depth sounder
I had one back in 1968, However, i found that a bamboo cane with a loop of cord to put round the wrist. far more accurate for the east coast.It had 3 black bands. 12 inches to go,- 6 inches to go so tack,-- depth & it is too late unless well heeled.
The next item was a Sestral grid compass & i still use it to this day, Bracket sits under the tiller, so i can look down on to it. Brilliant piece of kit.
Has lead me astray all over the place
Laminar Flow
Well-Known Member
First was a, you know, spinning depth sounder on my Dad's boat. My first own boat, a somewhat needy Waterwitch, also came with a whirly sounder in a rather large box, but, height of sophistication, with a paper printout. I was never sure what I would use that for as I had no intention to conduct hydrographic studies.
Next came a Decca reader, remember those? Just a couple of years later it was no more than an expensive piece of electronic trash.
Next came a Decca reader, remember those? Just a couple of years later it was no more than an expensive piece of electronic trash.
TernVI
Well-Known Member
This timeline below is interesting, the Magellans went below $500 in late 93, I think ours must have been a year or two after that, because I certainly paid a lot less than $500 for it. It did have a fair short and busy life, being used on several 'other people's boats', taken hiking, in a helicopter, up a few hills, the plastic casing got badly cracked after maybe 2 years and I boought the replacement GPS320 which still works, and still gets used. It even gets the time and date right, unlike a couple of newer GPSs which I have.
Timeline
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
But was it a Sinclair? ?
johnalison
Well-Known Member
The boat came with a compass and echo-sounder but my first gadget was probably a Walker trailing log. It still serves a useful purpose in occupying space in my wife’s cupboard and limiting further purchases.
