MacGregorSailors.com

This is my first season of sailing. My Venture 25 only has a depth finder and a VHF radio at this point, of course I use it on a lake/river so not much else is needed. BUT now I am wanting to add some goodies and was wanting to get some feedback from other sailors. I would like to be able to see what the wind speed is and the speed the boat is moving at. So I was thinking a GPD and some type of wind measuring system. I would love some recommendations on both. The only wind system that I have been able to find that is some what economical is something like the ST40 from Raymarine... http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=743894

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris Edwards

I happen to be a "big believer" in GPS - so that would be my first recommendation. Even a cheap handheld unit for about $100 is going to be able to tell you where you are, your course and speed over ground, and keep you on a course to a pre-set lat/lon position that you've measured off a paper chart. For a couple hundred bucks more, you can get a "marine" handheld unit with digital charts included; for about $600 or so you can get a fixed-mount compact chartplotter with depth, water-speed, and water-temp sensors included.

GPS does not substitute for good navigation practices on your part - especially situational awareness (keeping track of where you are, what's around you, who's around you and what they're doing) - but it's a tremendously valuable aid.

The Raymarine ST40 looks like a good deal for a wind sensor. You will have to pull the cable through your mast and inside the cabin, and you'll need to add a deck plug to let you disconnect it when you drop the mast for trailering ... but I expect you knew that already.

Good luck with your "new toys" ...
Rick

As an ecconomical (cheap) sailor, I found that Walmart sells a Humminbird combo GPS/Fishfinder for 389.00. Works great here on the Great Lakes. Used with paper charts. Shows location of boat, sog, chart coordinates etc.
As for wind speed, some in my marina are using a home weather system from thier local home diy centers. One my buddie is using is from Lowes, it is wireless, shows wind speed, gusts, direction, etc. Looks like it works pretty good. the receiver he mounts to the pedistal when on the lake and removed it when in port and out of the weataher. price about 100.00.

I would recommend the LOWRANCE "GlobalMap 100 hand held. It is very accurate and has built in worlwide maps. You can zoom into any area on the earth and the map outline retains its accuracy. I cannot say this for the NAVMAN fitted on SEAHORSE...its maps are simply no good, just a series of straight lines that go nowhere near the accuracy of the LOWRANCE.
I use it on car trips and check its accuracy [the LOWRANCE] WHEN WE CROSS BRIDGES. It always shows us ON the bridge and not off to either side. The position is gained from the satellites and the bridge on the built in map is simply that...built in, fixed.
One does not necessarily have to co-incide with the other...but for me and my "L" they do.
For safety, GPS is a MUST. So you can let the authorities know where you are in any emergency...even a land based traffic accident. And they will give you a constant speed update in either miles or kilometres.
And when you have a proved unit, you can plot in safe courses through reef for those days when it is so flat that the reff does not even show...which can be more of a worry than rough days...

Only in my humble opinion.
The bigger the screen, the better. Especially when used on any, boat. I have a Garmin 545s. I finds its fine but if money and room at the helm was less of a stumbling block , I would have gone to a bigger screen. Both were major concerns for me .
I had issues ......well actually just one, with my Lowrance, a unit retailing for close to $2000 US. That unit crashed after 3 years, and for no apparent reason. They would not offer any solutions for me, except a $250 rebate on any Lowrance unit I would buy costing more than $1000. After talking and reading here and, then with numerous boaters in Florida. Those Boaters in Florida BTW who depend on GPS to get them out and back regularly in shallow waters and over long distances.
So I went Garmin, as those came highly recommended and I felt I had been burned by Lowrance. I also suggest you purchase the unit with the maximum number of pixels you can afford. The more pixels the better resolution.
Personally I find hand held units insufficient for my needs. I do own a Lowrance H2O and it sits in a caddie above my galley 100% of the time. For me the screen is too small and when I need it the most, I dont have an additional hand to hold it. But maybe that's just me, others here swear by them, I swore at mine. The choices are yours, because only you can determine your needs and your budget.
Maybe a little insight: Most if not all mounted units sit on top of the Pedestal for X's and M's and that is the very first place someone attempts to grab onto when they need a little help moving about the cockpit or when things get a bit shaky ....I NEED to buy and mount a vertical hand grab in front of my pedestal. You I believe have a tiller , so many of our needs , with our wheel operated boats are a bit different from yours.

Have to agree with divecoz about the handrail unit needed in front of the console...I have already destroyed one base for my Humminbird Matrix 12...Is there one made for the "M" console....similar to those i have seen on this site, fitted to the earlier "X" models...
I'LL order it yesterday.

Divecoz wrote:Only in my humble opinion.
The bigger the screen, the better. Especially when used on any boat ... I also suggest you purchase the unit with the maximum number of pixels you can afford. The more pixels the better resolution.

Are you, then, just relying on the GPS display?

Personally I find hand held units insufficient for my needs ... For me the screen is too small and when I need it the most, I dont have an additional hand to hold it.

How about a RAM mount? For those who aren't familiar, this is a cast-aluminum ball-and-socket mount that clamps the GPS (or whatever) in just-about-any position. A small 1" mount, clamped to the starboard side of my pedestal's grab-rail, is perfect for my Garmin "GPS-III Pilot" in the plane or on the boat. For my larger Lowrance unit, I use a larger 1.5" mount on the top of the pedestal, to port between the compass and the grab-rail. It's robust but flexible - if you bump it hard enough, it shoves out of the way without any damage.

Most if not all mounted units sit on top of the Pedestal for X's and M's and that is the very first place someone attempts to grab onto when they need a little help moving about the cockpit or when things get a bit shaky ....I NEED to buy and mount a vertical hand grab in front of my pedestal. You I believe have a tiller , so many of our needs , with our wheel operated boats are a bit different from yours.

Beija-Flor, my old (tiller-steered) Mac 19, came with an old black-and-white Garmin that the previous owner mounted beside the companionway. This is one place where a larger-sized unit (with large-print labels) would be valuable, as you're likely to be sitting across the cockpit about half the time.

Are you, then, just relying on the GPS display?
Yes.......but qualified with...... I have paper charts but in foul weather or calm they are no match for my GPS. Not even my 5" screen.
Yes I heard ( read here, the rumor )about the Gov. Blocking GPS signals but asking those who live on the water in SW Florida and using thier boats far more regularly than I suspect anyone here.......and for years upon years, and none of those I asked have ever.......experienced a blockage of signal...
Allow me to ask, have you tried to chart or maintain a coarse on deck, with an 18" by 30" plastic coated chart?.....On A Mac ? If you have , then your a better man than I. Its just not worth the trouble IMHO.
How about a RAM mount? Yes I have one , used it with my bigger Lowrance , however my Garmin came with a mount that tilts and swivels and is, for the size of my present unit a better attachment device, but again only IMHO. ( its banging around here somewhere and if someone pays for the shipping its yours. Its not brand new and the rubber balls take the abuse...)
Vertical Helm Support.
Its on the list of ....to-does........................
I feel a long loop ( tight radius 180) at the top with a center cross bar support to attach to the SS Pedestal and two SS floor flanges is in our future.
Making this unit out of pieces has no appeal for me and there is not an electrical conduit bender I am aware that will make that tight of a 180 degree continuous bend. My brother is ALL for trying this though , if I......buy the SS tubing

Here's my set-up I like my 10" gps , I made my pedestal guard I had a SS outfitter put in the bend at the top section @ 9 1/2" center for $20.00 and did the rest of the bends myself with an pipe bender, I designed this pedestal guard myself as you can see it follows the pedestals contour and has a handle half way up so when you need a hand hold its right their plus it doubles for a cockpit table holder I still have to make yet
http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010031.flv

J

Thanks for everyone's advice. Luckily I am on a lake/river so the need for a GPS has been almost 0. But I would like to be able to see my speed and map where we sailed to for the day. I like the tip on the bigger the screen the better, using a tiller and fumbling with a hand held will be a real pain. I only saw two comments on the wind meters, does anyone actually have one of these installed on their boat? Just curious if its useful or is it a newbie thing on my part and over time I will develop a feel of the wind speeds when I am out on the lake.

I have a ST-40 installed in my boat , but due to a shoulder injury , bad weather I have not been able to get my mods done & get my boat ready so still have to try it out yet that and my A/P
I had planned to meet up with Beene this wk-end for a sail meet with my family but now due to tight schedules & lots of thunder storm weather predictions it does not look like it is going to happen !

But Leon has one installed on his boat maybe he will chime in

J