Wot GPS & tender

[tr7v8]

OK It's started we seem to be spending money on kit, theirs a suprise.
One of the things on the list is a GPS, any advice handheld with bracket, fixed, do I need an aerial?

Secondly Draco which is 8' beam has been fitted with a pair of removable davits which go into dovetail brackets on the transom. Any advice on a tender to go on it, inflatable or dinghy, how do you stop it getting nicked etc. Even do I need one to start with?

 

[suzanne]

Re GPS I can't recommend Garmin enough. On our boat we've got the fixed 128, the handheld with bracket on the flybridge 48 and Gary, Etrex also with rail bracket. Personally I recommend handheld, was having conversation with my Dad the other day, the 128 is a fantastic bit of kit, but were constantly on the flybridge, what good is it to us fixed downstairs. The 48 is old but does the stuff and has a good visable screen and Gary is my toy which has got me out of some trouble several times, I would however recommend the next ones up if you want the Etrex to be the main GPS as Gary hasn't got cross track error.

Whatever you decide make sure you have a look at Garmin, above all their customer service is excellent.

Suzanne xXx

 

[tcm]

a handheld is good cos there's no drilling, provided you have a 12v adapter socket on the dash. Also u can take it home for safekeeping and practise. Choose between magellan 6000 and garmin 175. You don't usually need an extra aerial but the 175 (at least) does have an extension option.

 

[hlb]

Dont know if you need a dinghy or not. I do, and cant see how I'd get to the pub without it many times. But it must be inflatable if you get one. Small as you can manage with and maybe small outboard. (Not longer than your transom.)
GPS. Everyone swears by Garmin. I swear by my old Raythion thingy. Again, depends what you want it for and where you want to go. If I'm goint to Chanel Isles for instance. I just bung the way points in and stick thumb on auto pilot and away we go. You might not need this ability.

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[trev]

Nowt wrong with Garmin 12 handheld - I used to depend upon it (Perhaps 'depend' is not the right word) when I had a flybridge boat without repeater - now use it as reliable back-up.
I reckon a 2.3 mtr inflatable like the XM230 would probably do you - not too heavy, but man enough for a 2.5hp to get a couple of folk to the pub and back, or even out of trouble if it comes to that.

Trev

 

[jfm]

Re: when you say \"GPS\"....

You need to decide whther basic GPS, or plotter. A basic GPS just shows waypoint info, and TTG, CTS, XTE etc. You have to enter the waypoints as data, and if you want to "see" where you are you have to read the lat/long off the GPS and plot it on a paper chart.

In contrast, a plotter shows an actual chart on the screen of the unit, with a blob marking your position. If you want to go somewhere, just move the cursosr to that place on the screen map, and tell the machine to take you there. No data to enter numerically. So plotter much better imho, though more £££.

Most plotters are fixed, therefore praps nickable. The two well known handheld plotters are as mentioned in TCM's post. The Garmin, though excellent dealer support etc, runs on Navionics data cartridges whereas the Mag runs on C-Maps, which are better than Navionics

 

[ianainge]

i asked the same question the other day and was advised that the 175 is a good bit of kit but is the screen big enough to see.

 

[tcm]

Re: independent Garmin 175 views

I am most interested to hear that a separate person (and not me) has recommended a Garmin 175. And garmin, for their fab after-sales support.

Anyway, I have a garmin 175, and the screen is fine in my huimble opinion. It sounds or looks small in comparison with a telly. But it is massive if you compare with items that display valuable information (i.e.not a telly) such as a watch, a car dashboard dial, and so on.

Indeed the 175 is fine even for quite large boats. Other people might recommend massive colour displays, and such, but secretly i still have the 175 plugged in with all the waypoints.... ready for when the other not-garmin stuff with its superior technology vector nt-cmap wassisname decides to display a static pic of the last port we visited with our previous mooring position flashing.

also, it shows depths ;-)

 

[jfm]

Duff gear, impresses the girls tho

OK the dashboard on the Lep might be totally sh@gged technically, but it looks fab doesn't it! I mean, carry on navigation with the 175 in the secret compartment to the right, and leave all the Furuno stuff flashing aimlessly so it all just looks the part, right? Kinda like star trek bridge

 

[tcm]

harumph

I have often wondered about praps getting a large boxy putery looking thing for the office, with flashing lights and tapes on stepper motors spinning along, then hunting around, doing nothing at all. Possibly an old washing machine motor on a permanent heavy wash cycle would be suitable.

And so it is with boats, perhaps. Newcomers to these techno manufacturing markets seem to try and build a better mousetrap. And all the time they forget how badly mousetraps are actually built....

Start with huge polystyrene hull thing several inches thick all over, somehow sort of gloopily spayed with plastic. Draft about 3 inches. No glass anywhere, needs a sort of Ducati Paso look. Only teensy engine required, and advantage of going aground, hitting things, heating all minimised. No galley, obviously, nor any other works such as bilge pumps. Cockpit has "sport" option (i.e. sod all) and helm has loads of binnacly things like a datsun 240Z (x 4), and zillions of switches like a series one jag, and several CRT screens in between that actually are tellys. One of the dials tells you the depth. Internally, forget wood, just spray it mag white or optional silver and mebbe some sticky on mirrors to make it look massive. Furniture internally all moulded, no drawers. Engine starting at 50 hp outboard hidden in the garage. Huge comfy deck spaces, with nice "give" instead of horrid hardwood. Blue hull achieved by carefully sticking on navy fablon. Purchase includes option to join inshore full-contact race series, or perhaps jousting. End of season take o/b home and chuck boat upside down in a field, or terminate with heat gun.

 

[jfm]

Re Yikes

All fab idea, except if spill fuel it dissolves! Do you remeber those polystyrene tender dinghies in the late 70s, made of expanded polystyrene spray painted orange? Yaks maybe, or am i mixing them up? Anyway, they had an outboard bracket on the GLX model and if you spilt fuel they literally dissolved ! Almost as daft an idea as sodium keel bands and cleats!

But if use your idea with closed cell foam, or praps get it stitched up out of that PVC "tarpaulin" cloth and fit a big 1.5PSI blower (and small genny to run it) then inflate like massive bouncy castle (with ball pool on GLX), could be on to something? Priddy might be interested?

 

[tcm]

Re: Yikes

the massive bouncy castle idea is good. Cept it could be a massive bouncy predator 105 stern extension for Maxum. No more upgrades required, cheap berthing, quite good fun.

I did actually investigate the possibility of an airline escape chute at one time, they look such excellent fun in the safety videos. Unfortunately the chap who sells them says he can't guarantee it will work 2nd time around but could offer a 737 item for 5k.

Still think the polystyrene boat could work with a sort of plywood isolated bit inside for outboardy fuel tanks, together with all-inclusive 0 years guarantee.

 

[BarryD]

Impress your pals - TCMS blow up flybridge!

Sports boat owners! Tired of being looked down upon by your neighbours with their flybridge? Or being turned away from St. Tropiz because your weedy Targa 48 is too short?

Then contact TCM on 555-IMATWIT for the latest range of inflatable extensions. Two clips, a green bungee cord, several metres of velcro, a handful of press-studs, a sticky up pole, 30,000 litres of compressed air and a mere sixty minutes and you can transform your pride and joy into something that looks bigger.

Imagine your self cruising the Solent in a Leopard 23 look-a-like then as you enter Cowes and the harbour master starts to rub his hand - hey presto you're back to being a Maxum 2100.

*** WARNING - Do not defalte the extension whilst people are standing on it! ***

Go left, YOUR OTHER left for pete's sake
(IMHO, BTW, FWIW and NWGOI)

 

[wakeup]

Re: Impress your pals - TCMS blow up flybridge!

I'd buy that for £100 just for laughs.

Would make berthing in a cross wind a bit interesting.

Praps you could fill it with Helium to make getting on the plan a little easier!

No need for trim tabs just pump more or less helium in to seperate sides of the inflatable.





yada yada..

 

[tcm]

Re: buying signal

two possible punters already.

Seeing as how this thread is somewhat wrecked, i note that priddy is having a blimmin horrid time off japan.