Nasa Easy Log - Has anyone used one?

[seanfoster]

Hi All,

I'm replacing the instruments on my boat and having used Nasa equipment before am going for a new depth and log. I've been looking at the Easy Log which uses your GPS rather than a paddle wheel.

Obviously this will give you SOG as opposed to speed through the water, and relies on your GPS working, has anyone used one? It's few pounds less than the paddle wheel version, bu I like the idea of not drilling another hole through the hull.

Any comments?

 

[prv]

So what is it that you want to know? Speed over ground will tell you how soon you'll get there (assuming constant tide, which it may not be), but it won't tell you how fast you're going in a meaningful "how well are we sailing" sense. I'm not sure it's a useful number to have displayed front-and-centre in the cockpit. For what it's actually telling you, a selected waypoint in the GPS and its computed ETA will actually be more relevant.

Pete

 

[Retired in Crete]

My experience is that the GPS will give an accurate SOG but there appears to be a slight delay in the speed reading it gives. I get the impression that it maybe averages out the readings of the last few seconds.

My paddle wheel log, however, gives an instant reading of change of speed. Just what I need when adjusting the sails for max speed.

Personally I would not be without either.

John

 

[VicMallows]

It's only repeating the information from the GPS, so why do you need it? If visibility is the issue you might as well have a repeater which displays much more GPS data.

I do agree however that I find GPS SOG quite sufficient for my sailing and have no need for a conventional log.

 

[jbweston]

I suppose it's a matter of individual need or preference, but if I could have only one of speed through the water or speed over the ground, I'd choose speed through the water. It's more helpful for sail trim, monitoring progress on a long a passage, observing speed limits etc. It's measuring boat performance rather than that plus or minus a physical variable.

It does depend why you want to know your 'speed' and therefore what variety of speed is most important to you.

In fact as a GPS is so cheap nowadays, it's easy to have a cheap handheld GPS that gives you SOG. If you had that to a traditional speed/log, you have both. I wouldn't go to the trouble and expense of a fixed GPS log instead of a traditional one.