I have never sailed with a GPS, but with a larger boat now (26'/7.9m) I
would like to sail on Lake Erie to some of the islands.

To do that I really need a GPS, preferably a handheld, that will be
reliable, fairly waterproof and hopefully less than US$400.

Both the eTrex and Meridian Marine seem good choices. Can anyone relate
their experiences with either one, or offer their educated opinions?

Many thanks!
Mike

I'm a real fan of Garmin GPSs. I like their software design and after
sale support. You also don'rt need to spend anywhere near the amount
you stated. You just need a basic GPS, not one of the mapping ones or
chart plotters.

As an example, here's one that recently sold for $50 on Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&rd=1&tc=photo
I have one of this model and it's great. Has all the nav aids already
stored in it.

Mike_H wrote:
I have never sailed with a GPS, but with a larger boat now (26'/7.9m) I
would like to sail on Lake Erie to some of the islands.

To do that I really need a GPS, preferably a handheld, that will be
reliable, fairly waterproof and hopefully less than US$400.

Both the eTrex and Meridian Marine seem good choices. Can anyone relate
their experiences with either one, or offer their educated opinions?

Many thanks!
Mike


--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean"
http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

Mike,

You do not need a GPS.
You do need to know how to navigate and have a current set of charts on
board. GPS or NO. (Stories by request only) That said....

A GPS should be thought of as another form of bearing compass.

Go and look at all of them and see which one you can make do anything.
Then go to the manufacture's website and get the manual and make sure it
will do what you what.

How easily can you get a bearing and distance to the waypoint that you
set as harbor approach? (or Ballast Island at Put in Bay)

How easy is it to load a new remote waypoint. (If you think you are
going to do it with the cursor on the internal chart - try this before
you count on doing it.)

eTrex is not built as a marine handheld, but the GPS76 and GPSII+ are.
The people that I know that run Magellans like them, too.

Spending the money for one that does more than report LL and store
waypoints while coastal cruising is a waste.

Garmin units waypoint files can be manipulated by serveral free/cheap
software packages. Magellens may come with a usable package. GPS
Utility can handle both.

If the boat has an effective electrical system, get a power cable or you
will spend a lot of money on batteries.

Do I run mine all the time - yes.

If you have other questions, I'm here often.

Where in the lake are you moored? And which of the islands are you
planning to visit?

Matt Colie A.Sloop "Bonne Ide'e" S2-7.9 #1
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Pathological Sailor



Mike_H wrote:
I have never sailed with a GPS, but with a larger boat now (26'/7.9m) I
would like to sail on Lake Erie to some of the islands.

To do that I really need a GPS, preferably a handheld, that will be
reliable, fairly waterproof and hopefully less than US$400.

Both the eTrex and Meridian Marine seem good choices. Can anyone relate
their experiences with either one, or offer their educated opinions?

Many thanks!
Mike

I have a Gramin 48, which is an ancestor of the Etrex. I like it fine.
I expect the user interface is similar on the Etrex., but I don't know
that.

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 20:34:00 GMT, Mike_H
wrote:

I have never sailed with a GPS, but with a larger boat now (26'/7.9m) I
would like to sail on Lake Erie to some of the islands.

To do that I really need a GPS, preferably a handheld, that will be
reliable, fairly waterproof and hopefully less than US$400.

Both the eTrex and Meridian Marine seem good choices. Can anyone relate
their experiences with either one, or offer their educated opinions?

Many thanks!
Mike


Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the stones." __Psalm 137

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 19:21:35 -0400, Matt Colie
wrote:

Mike,

You do not need a GPS.
You do need to know how to navigate and have a current set of charts on
board. GPS or NO. (Stories by request only) That said....

Yes. The GPS will tell you where you are, but without the chart that
won't tell you anything.

A GPS should be thought of as another form of bearing compass.

That's a stretch. It takes both bearings and ranges on a few
satellites and does the calculations, all in one second.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the stones." __Psalm 137

Mike_H wrote:
I have never sailed with a GPS, but with a larger boat now (26'/7.9m) I
would like to sail on Lake Erie to some of the islands.

To do that I really need a GPS, preferably a handheld, that will be
reliable, fairly waterproof and hopefully less than US$400.

Both the eTrex and Meridian Marine seem good choices. Can anyone relate
their experiences with either one, or offer their educated opinions?

Many thanks!
Mike

Seems to me that having sailed (presumably successfully) without one,
that you really don't need one! :-) but since you think you do, the
E-Trex will work fine for you. As another poster suggested, using it as
supporting or secondary form of compass steering is a useful way to use
the technology. I'm all over Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North
Channel with an E-Trex as a backup to basic chart reading and dr
navigation and it's all good. In the end, you have to know where you
are without a device telling you 'cause if the power fails....
cheers

Thank you for all the responses. I agree that having charts and being
able to use them is a foundational point. Let me expand a bit on why I
think a GPS would be helpful, along with some of my experience, and
anyone who would like to offer additional insight into these GPS units
is very welcome!

I've been sailing small boats since I was 12 (about 32 years now),
Sunfish to Lightnings, S 2's and C-scows. My experience, however, has
been limited to rivers (the Maumee River near Toledo is where I'm moored
now), small inland lakes and bays. I've always been in sight of land.

To sail from Toledo to the islands in Lake Erie, such as the Bass
islands, Kelley's, etc., I've got to sail out of sight of land for a
good portion of the trip. I can plot my course on my charts using my
boat speed indicator and compass to calculate distance and direction,
but as backup and confirmation I thought a GPS that displayed
navigational aids and coastal information would be helpful.

All that said, I was looking at the eTrex (or the GPSMAP 76c) and the
Magellan Meridian Marine as possibilities.

Anyone have any comments or constructive criticisms regarding those
models, or a better suggestion?
Thanks!
Mike
Perrysburg, Ohio

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 19:21:35 -0400, Matt Colie
wrote:


Mike,

You do not need a GPS.
You do need to know how to navigate and have a current set of charts on
board. GPS or NO. (Stories by request only) That said....


Yes. The GPS will tell you where you are, but without the chart that
won't tell you anything.

A GPS should be thought of as another form of bearing compass.


That's a stretch. It takes both bearings and ranges on a few
satellites and does the calculations, all in one second.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the stones." __Psalm 137

OK Mike,

Sorry if I sounded a little severe, but I have run into a number of
people that think that a GPS is all they need.

Now that I also know that the discussion will be primaily West Basin
with someone that is getting toward bifocal age, let me offer some
direct experience.

IME - The screen of most the handheld chartplotters that I have used are
too small for me to read easily. Things like this really matter when
you get near 40. These days I either work with my Garmin 48 and known
(previously loaded) waypoints on my own or other's boats or the big
screen units installed in the larger boats that I sail on.

I have used a friends GPS 76. It was effective, and I could find my way
around in it. I did try to use a GPSMAP76 and found the chart difficult
to read (I am a little farsighted). It does not have a function that I
use. I like the capability to set a waypoint relative to an existing
waypoint (valuable for both windward/leeward races and setting approach
points for channel entrances, All the newer units are so good at getting
a lock and have so much user memory that it is difficult to compare them
to the older units.

But Really, get the manuals off the website and go through them. I bet
you find something that you think is a deciding factor. The other good
thing to do is go to Peter Bennett's
http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html
and look around. As I recall he had a linke there to a couple of guys
that used to regularly publish reviews of GPS units.

You also might consider signing into the Sailnet - Lake Erie group.
They are also builder specific groups that peovide a great deal of good
information.

What do you sail?

Fair Wind and Smooth Sea
Matt Colie


Mike_H wrote:
Thank you for all the responses. I agree that having charts and being
able to use them is a foundational point. Let me expand a bit on why I
think a GPS would be helpful, along with some of my experience, and
anyone who would like to offer additional insight into these GPS units
is very welcome!

I've been sailing small boats since I was 12 (about 32 years now),
Sunfish to Lightnings, S 2's and C-scows. My experience, however, has
been limited to rivers (the Maumee River near Toledo is where I'm moored
now), small inland lakes and bays. I've always been in sight of land.

To sail from Toledo to the islands in Lake Erie, such as the Bass
islands, Kelley's, etc., I've got to sail out of sight of land for a
good portion of the trip. I can plot my course on my charts using my
boat speed indicator and compass to calculate distance and direction,
but as backup and confirmation I thought a GPS that displayed
navigational aids and coastal information would be helpful.

All that said, I was looking at the eTrex (or the GPSMAP 76c) and the
Magellan Meridian Marine as possibilities.

Anyone have any comments or constructive criticisms regarding those
models, or a better suggestion?
Thanks!
Mike
Perrysburg, Ohio

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 19:21:35 -0400, Matt Colie
wrote:


Mike,

You do not need a GPS.
You do need to know how to navigate and have a current set of charts
on board. GPS or NO. (Stories by request only) That said....



Yes. The GPS will tell you where you are, but without the chart that
won't tell you anything.

A GPS should be thought of as another form of bearing compass.


That's a stretch. It takes both bearings and ranges on a few
satellites and does the calculations, all in one second.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the
stones." __Psalm 137

In article ,
Mike_H wrote:

Let me expand a bit on why I
think a GPS would be helpful, along with some of my experience, and
anyone who would like to offer additional insight into these GPS units
is very welcome!

To sail from Toledo to the islands in Lake Erie, such as the Bass
islands, Kelley's, etc., I've got to sail out of sight of land for a
good portion of the trip. I can plot my course on my charts using my
boat speed indicator and compass to calculate distance and direction,
but as backup and confirmation I thought a GPS that displayed
navigational aids and coastal information would be helpful.

Bingo, you have the right reasoning. We've been using a Garmin 48 for 6
seasons and though I thought I'd never use the light list, it's proven
to be the a useful feature while going new places.

All that said, I was looking at the eTrex (or the GPSMAP 76c) and the
Magellan Meridian Marine as possibilities.

I don't think the screens on handhelds are big enough to do mapping
well, and it'll be too easy to look at the little picture, which could
be wrong, instead of looking out the window, despite your best
intentions.

--
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/

Matt Colie wrote:

Garmin units waypoint files can be manipulated
by serveral free/cheap software packages.

What are some of the better of these several free/cheap packages and
where are they obtainable?