Parallax wrote:

Being a psuedo-Luddite who still has a slide rule (and knows how to
use it),....

Ahhhh! Such memories.

For the last 13 yrs, I have had a Loran snip
I am planning to go to he Bahamas where Loran supposedly dont work so
am considering GPS but will still use my beloved paper charts so dont
need a chart plotter. All I really want is position and speed.
snip Considering that my wants are few, which GPS
would be best? Do I get one that works off of the boat 12V? Do the
hand helds have that option as well as batteries?


I have and love the Garmin 48. (may no longer be made.) Main reason was
that it was the easiest to work one-handed. I primarily use it similarly
to you, but the included light list turned out to be much more useful
than I expected. VERY handy in strange places.

I have a 12v & data connection to hook up to the autopilot. Except for
that, I'd go with NiMH.

Be careful of the cheapest ones as they can take forever to lock and
lose signal more easily.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/