Seeking advice to secure a GPS to a kayak deck
 

lcopps wrote:

You will need a bag for a GPS V since it is not waterproof. I have an
Etrex Vista which is waterproof.

The advice to use a waterproof pouch is good, but the statements about
waterproof ratings is not.
Both the GPS V and the Vista are speced by Garmin to the same IPX7
waterproofness rating and in both cases the fine print excludes the battery
compartment. Garmin has also stated that the forces created by a dumping
wave are likely to exceed the IPX7 static test conditions. In the case of
both units there have been users who tested them in submerged conditions
and found them to survive with no problems and others who found the
opposite. Unless your unit is still under warranty and you won't mind
having it fail in the middle of a trip and having to return it to the
manufacturer I'd encourage use of a waterproof pouch for either of these
units or any other consumer GPS receiver.

I put it in a GPS bag I bought at
Boaters World. I tie the strap to to the kayak and position it on or in
front of my deck bag so I can see it as I paddle. In the past, I used it
with a RAM mount with my Klepper. The moisture and spray caused
corrosion on the interface contacts. I have had no problems with water
getting into the battery compartment even though it was under water for
15 minutes when my Klepper capsized under sail. I now only use it with
the GPS bag. If you use it with a RAM mount, you will at the least have
corrosion problems. If you capsize or take substantial overwash, your
GPS V will be toast.

Greg Smith wrote:

I am taking a sea kayaking trip to the Gulf Islands National Seashore
(o.r.c-k posters don't flame me...this is a gear question) and I am
trying too determine the best way to attach my Garmin GPS V to the
deck of my fiberglass kayak.
....
Bear in mind that the GPS V is water restistant to 1 m and
won't be harmed by salt water spray.

Seeking advice to secure a GPS to a kayak deck
 

In article 2mU0c.162221$uV3.713202@attbi_s51,
says...
lcopps wrote:

You will need a bag for a GPS V since it is not waterproof. I have an
Etrex Vista which is waterproof.

The advice to use a waterproof pouch is good, but the statements about
waterproof ratings is not.
Both the GPS V and the Vista are speced by Garmin to the same IPX7
waterproofness rating and in both cases the fine print excludes the battery
compartment. Garmin has also stated that the forces created by a dumping
wave are likely to exceed the IPX7 static test conditions. In the case of
both units there have been users who tested them in submerged conditions
and found them to survive with no problems and others who found the
opposite. Unless your unit is still under warranty and you won't mind
having it fail in the middle of a trip and having to return it to the
manufacturer I'd encourage use of a waterproof pouch for either of these
units or any other consumer GPS receiver.

I put it in a GPS bag I bought at
Boaters World. I tie the strap to to the kayak and position it on or in
front of my deck bag so I can see it as I paddle. In the past, I used it
with a RAM mount with my Klepper. The moisture and spray caused
corrosion on the interface contacts. I have had no problems with water
getting into the battery compartment even though it was under water for
15 minutes when my Klepper capsized under sail. I now only use it with
the GPS bag. If you use it with a RAM mount, you will at the least have
corrosion problems. If you capsize or take substantial overwash, your
GPS V will be toast.

Greg Smith wrote:

I am taking a sea kayaking trip to the Gulf Islands National Seashore
(o.r.c-k posters don't flame me...this is a gear question) and I am
trying too determine the best way to attach my Garmin GPS V to the
deck of my fiberglass kayak.
...
Bear in mind that the GPS V is water restistant to 1 m and
won't be harmed by salt water spray.

Thanks for all the great input.

I ordered a SealLine electronics pouch. I looked at clear Otterboxes
but decided I liked the soft pouch approach, enabling me to use some
basic GPS controls through the bag rather than having to open a hard
box.

--
Greg Smith
Remove the bird for email followups

Seeking advice to secure a GPS to a kayak deck
 

lcopps wrote:

You will need a bag for a GPS V since it is not waterproof. I have an
Etrex Vista which is waterproof. I put it in a GPS bag I bought at
Boaters World. I tie the strap to to the kayak and position it on or
in front of my deck bag so I can see it as I paddle. In the past, I
used it with a RAM mount with my Klepper. The moisture and spray
caused corrosion on the interface contacts. I have had no problems
with water getting into the battery compartment even though it was
under water for 15 minutes when my Klepper capsized under sail. I now
only use it with the GPS bag. If you use it with a RAM mount, you
will at the least have corrosion problems. If you capsize or take
substantial overwash, your GPS V will be toast.


How good is the button operation in the WP bag? Specifically the top
thumb button?

I have had the rubber on the thumb button fail and have since used
Marine Goop to repair it. But I am seeing signs of corrosion in that I
sometimes get horizontal lines in the display until it is gently tapped
on the side. Mine has never been submerged, but has been in the rain.


--
Gordon Niessen
If you aren't on the bleeding edge, you are history.

Seeking advice to secure a GPS to a kayak deck
 

Gordon Niessen wrote:

lcopps wrote:
You will need a bag for a GPS V since it is not waterproof. I have an
Etrex Vista which is waterproof.

As mentioned previously, this statement is not true since both units have
the same IPX7 waterproof rating. Despite that I would recommend use of
a waterproof bag for both since dumping waves can exceed IPX7 and because
seals can and do fail.

I put it in a GPS bag I bought at
Boaters World. I tie the strap to to the kayak and position it on or
in front of my deck bag so I can see it as I paddle. In the past, I
used it with a RAM mount with my Klepper. The moisture and spray
caused corrosion on the interface contacts.

How good is the button operation in the WP bag? Specifically the top
thumb button?

I use an AquaPac bag with my eMap. Although the commonly used buttons
on mine are on the front I have no problem turning the unit on/off or
activating the backlight which are done with side buttons like those
on the eTrex series.

I have had the rubber on the thumb button fail and have since used
Marine Goop to repair it. But I am seeing signs of corrosion in that I
sometimes get horizontal lines in the display until it is gently tapped
on the side.

The horizontal lines in the display are a known problem of the eTrex series
caused by a bad connection on the ribbon cable connecting the main circuit
board to the display. It's unlikely this is related to the problem you had
with the rubber button. I'd suggest calling Garmin on the display issue
even if the unit is out of warranty since they have been known to extend it
for this type of problem.