[Rhodes22-list] GPS and Depth Finder

[David Bradley]

For my money, not drilling another hole in my hull is a good thing.  I got a
hand held depth finder for $99 from West Marine for those times when I'm
wondering/worried, and am holding out for the price of wireless transducers
to come down.

Dave


On 1/13/06, mputnam1 at aol.com <mputnam1 at aol.com> wrote:
>
> As I mentioned in an earlier email this evening, I just attended my first
> boating safety course, where the instructor (a power boater who spends most
> of his time on the Chesapeake Bay) insisted I needed a GPS and a depth
> finder.
>
> I didn't see anything about this in the FAQ, so I thought I'd raise these
> questions here ...
>
> I will be spending most of my time on the Potomac River (I won't be
> trailoring, as I have a slip on the river), although I hope to be spending a
> weekend here and there exploring downriver in areas I won't be familiar
> with.
>
> Stan seemed pretty confident that I wouldn't really need a depth guage,
> given the centerboard's ability to alert me to shallow water ... and I don't
> remember what he said about GPS.
>
> Anyway, what do you all think?  Since my recycled boat is still at GB, it
> would be far easier for me to have them install a GPS and depth finder now,
> rather than trying to do it myself.  And the best reason I can think to have
> a depth finder is to help me calculate, from a safety perspective, how much
> anchor rode to use ... rather than trying to use the rode itself to judge
> the depth.
>
> And how about GPS?  I've heard there are combination GPS/depth finders out
> there (I'm planning a trip to the neighborhood West Marine).  If I were to
> get a combo unit, where would you recommend installing it?  The recycled
> boat I'm getting already has a compass installed just to the right of the
> cabin door (on the cockpit side).  Maybe I could install it just above the
> compass, but are GPS units waterproof?  Should they be inside the cabin
> where you can't see it?  That doesn't make sense to me.
>
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
>
> -Mark
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--
David Bradley
203.253.9973
dwbrad at gmail.com