Waterproof/Water resistant GPS

during a recent expedition in which i was sailing a dinghy we unfortunately capsized and, since it was a long time it didnt happen and we were too confident that it coudn't happen (dumbass), I didnt close properly the wateproof bag containing the electronic devices. specifically a mobile phone and a Dakota 20 garmin GPS.
since after the capsize we also broke the daggerboard the boat didnt roll up until, after 2 hours we were brought to the beach by the waves (very lucky fellows).
Anyway, with great disappointment, I realized that the little waterproof bag was open and full of water. disaster.
with great surprise, though the mobile telephone was gone, the GPS (incredibly!) is still working though it was completely submerged for 2 hours. The GPS is not sold as waterproof and not even as water resistant is is just "splash proof" since the USB plug is protected by a plastic cover.
I just wanted to share this experience about the quality and the characteristics of some GPS equipment so that you know u can also trust them in case u will get some water on it.

Anyone being too cavalier about getting a Garmin GPS wet on the assumption it will not fail is headed for a severe disappointment. Most of these devices are rated at IPX7, i.e., suitable for
• Mounting on vehicles (e.g. boat, motorcycle, bike, ATV, golf cart)
• Splashes
• Rain or Snow
• Incidental exposure to water of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes

That sounds pretty good except, in practice, these devices will often fail after 12-18 months if exposed to saltwater in the normal operation of a Hobie AI/TI. The catch comes in Garmin’s disclaimer:
You should note that even if a device is above a depth it is rated for, it might still suffer water ingression if it is subjected to an activity that creates pressure on it that exceeds that depth rating.

“…pressure on it that exceeds that depth rating.” Yes, that is the catch. Often operating an AI/TI normally, with subsequent splashes, is sufficient to exceed that pressure and force water into an exposed Garmin GPS. In a saltwater environment, this is deadly to these device.

I always keep my handheld, GPS units in a clear plastic dry bag, and I keep it closed.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

I have pretty much the same experience with garmin gps's. My wife geocaches and recommended the blue etrex legend, she really liked them (on land). On her recommendation I started buying that gps and wear it around my neck kayaking. Went thru 4 or 5 of them before finally reading the manual, turns out that one is not waterproof (my bad).
After spending all that money for expensive gps's, I ended up just getting the cheapest garmin I could find, the yellow etrex (It was around $60 bucks or so), It has no features and darn few buttons, however it does track your distance traveled, max speed and average speed. It also has a digital compass, really those are the only features I use anyway along with realtime speed. I've never tried to record any waypoints or try to look at their crappy built in maps.
I've been hangin that thing around my neck for 5-6 yrs now, it's finally staring to go bad with fog on the inside and it shuts off all the time now. I took the batteries out and put it in the fridge for a week, now it works again but for how long.
Best darn GPS I have ever owned and 1/3 the price of anything else I have owned. I'm pretty sure Garmin quickly figured out the error in their ways (making a reliable GPS that actually works and holds up to kayaking) so they quickly stopped production and no longer sell that unit anymore. Now I'm seeing people trying to sell the exact same GPS used and rebuilt on Ebay for double the original cost (lol).
I'll continue keeping mine in the fridge (btw, your fridge removes all moisture from everything, the humidity in there is dryer than a desert) until it dies for good, then I'll just use my Iphone moving forward. Unless someone can recommend a reliable handheld that hold up to saltwater and is cheap with minimal features (I don't use any of the extra crap and have little use for turn by turn car navigation in my kayak (I just use my Iphone for that in the car).
Been running my Iphone in it's lifeproof case for years in my shirt pocket every weekend with no issues, well one issue, the phone rings and you are soaking wet drenched (life on a TI), you can't swipe to answer the phone (lol), and there is nothing dry to wipe your hands.
I have no desire to buy an expensive fish finder with side scan sonar and such.
Fe

I still have that original yellow Garmin Etrex--probably 10 yrs old. I don't use it, but occasionally I put batteries in it, and it still works. The Etrex 10 is available:
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-eTrex-Wor ... slk03b1-20

Yes, the "world-wide maps" are useless. You have to buy a much more expensive GPS (about $200-250) to get usable maps--not great, but usable.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

I’m of the opinion that the current generation of wearable activity trackers can largely replace handheld GPS devices that don’t have the waterproofing necessary for kayaking.

For examples of wearables take the Garmin Fenix 3 HR (US$599?) and the Garmin VivoActive HR (US$250?). The Fenix 3 is waterproof to 100 metres and the VivoActive to 50 metres – indeed, they are designed to be worn while swimming. As well as step counters and built in heart rate monitors, they have GPS, electronic compasses, barometers/altimeters and temperature gauges. There is a growing range of apps available for these devices, including ones enabling preloading of maps and tide tables; weather monitoring and reports; and real time provision of sailing diagnostics such as velocity made good (VMG).

And if the lightness of being out on the water becomes unbearable, you can also get call notifications, calendar events, texts and emails on your wearable via a wireless (Bluetooth) link to your mobile phone (Android and iOS devices). You can also use the wearables to control music playing on your mobile phone and Garmin’s VIRB camera.

For everyday use, the devices can disguise themselves with clock faces like watches. I particularly like how readable these devices are in full sunlight.

Pricey yes, but these are devices that switch seamlessly from being indispensable every-day smart watches and health monitors on land, to being very useful and highly waterproof navigation and data collection devices on water.

Do we kayakers need handhelds and boxes anymore?

LB, I don't think you use GPS units the same way I do. A smart watch will be totally unsuitable for my use. Tracking where I've been is something I look at when I'm home, not on the water. Notifications--don't need those on water. I have another device for heart rate monitors, etc, etc.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

There is a danger of technology overkill... I have an old Android phone with the Navionics app installed. It contains "gold" level charts of my whole (somewhat large) country (that's how I discovered that the sea bottom drops to 4 kilometres only 30 miles from my home!), and I get navigation, SOG etc and can upload the track to Google Earth when I get home. Not too shabby for $19.99

I keep it round my neck in a $3 eBay waterproof plastic bag. QED

Disclaimer: I also have a Lowrance 4 chart plotter/fish finderr, but the old phone is my main nav tool.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

If you are considering the high end Garmin marine GPS Watch--Don't. Got one for Christmas couple years ago. Stopped working within warranty and was replaced...that one quit too. Too many small buttons, screen too small, non intuitive ...

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Intuitive is NOT one of Garmin's strong points.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Thanks for that recommendation Tony!

I've had my Garmin Quatix for well over a year now, nearly 2. Have got it very wet lots of times with no issues, unlike my dead Garmin 78 SC. Functionality isn't as good but at least it doesn't self-destruct at the sight of salt water, and being on your wrist means it's easy to look at when you're sailing actively

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Simon

Tony, does the Navionics app require a satellite connection and does it eat battery power quickly?

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

Tony probably has more experience with it than me, but I've used it for 3-4 hours at a time, and it didn't drain my battery too much, maybe 10% to 15% on a galaxy s4. Although I put the phone down for the most part and just let it run. It uses gps or your network for tracking and you can pre download the maps, so you don't need a cell signal for use.

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-- Chad | 2014 TI

Thanks Chad. So the Garmins have the advantage in areas with poor cell phone connections because our phones need a cell signal to get GPS coordinates- correct? Did it work for you throughout the Texas 200?

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

Most cellphones have built in GPS. Therefore as long as you turn GPS on, the phone can still pick up your location even outside of cell coverage. I've only used Navionics on the water for testing, I didn't actually need it on the Texas 200. The waypoints I plotted on the GPS worked great. I just pointed the boat towards my next waypoint, took a reading on my compass, and kept the boat on that compass heading until I reached the waypoint. Although, I didn't even have to do that... I kinda cheated since I was following Yakmandu through the tough spots

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-- Chad | 2014 TI