i thought it wouldn't be to hard to create a swivel / cradle that could easily flip a device to the other side of the boom....

i think Jake could / should engineer one his work....!!!

I've made a display "tacker" for my Nauteek 2000 Sail Computer. It mounts under the boom near the mast. It's a swivel bracket bolted to the boom with a short "tiller" arm extending forward. I have bungee line running from the tiller arm down to the mast rotator tiller. This triggers the swiveling of the display bracket. I also run a limiter line from the bracket to the boom...stops the swivel going too far on either tack.

Works extremely well.

OK, there are some really great ideas here!

Rolf: Gyro Gearloose, my hero! Could you explain to me how you would like the tack / gybe timing function to work? To be honest I can currently rely on the field to keep me on course...
For the leash I was thinking of a mega velcro strap. I'll be sure to add a waterproof speaker with a vol. control. (maybe tunable frequency in case my years at the disco start to catch up with me...)

Capt Cardiac, a swivel sounds cool. I could add a detector, with suitable logic so it doesn't flip on every wave, to automatically flip the display so I don't have to read upside down (maybe that would require software controlled buttons too). Still, good food for thought.

Tornado, that sounds good do you have pictures?
David Ingram and Capt Cardiac. I'd bet on e-paper technology to give us wearable ultra light screens "Real Soon Now" (c)(tm). Just imagine the drama if you forget to change the batteries in your main! (hope they make them solar powered).

Thanks everyone, this project is really starting to materialize in my head now. I won't be doing any GPS interfacing because the required modules suck too many batteries for my tastes. Maybe on a next version in the future though...

The tack/gybe function is something I find useful on long windward/leeward courses where you can not see the marks after rounding. I.e. the old Tornado courses.
What we do, is we round the mark, and then note how many minutes we sail before we gybe, and how long we sail between gybes. That way we have better control on where we are on the course, and we know how much longer we have gone left/right on the course compared to the previous lap. I dont know what kind of screen and other hardware you want to run and what is needed to visualize this. It might also be just me who thinks this is good to have and like to structure my sailing like this. It is your watch
I dont think it is against any current class rules to have this functionality, but there might be some classes who dont allow this.

In designing a sailing watch remember what Reg White wrote in the 60's "All yacht timer will eventually leak around the buttons, treasure the Rolex Submariner" translation any mechanical penetrations of the case will eventually leak.

Below are some features I like:

My favorite sailing watch is the Timex Victory, it has a big red START button on the front. Because it is programmed for 5 minute increments , I can't use it all the time.

Take a look at the Nike Typhoon (tide model). It has multiple independent programmable timers. I programmed the timers for 1, 3,3, 5 and 9 minutes. It's like having preprogrammed times. You go to start mode and then page through the timers to the time you want. The advantage is if something screws up (restart, postponement, you missed a flag) you don't have to stop and reset your timer, you just page to a new timer. The active timers controls the display and sounds. The case on the typhoon is interesting. The case and the band are one. The only penetration is the back. The case has pushers under the plastic of the band/case skin to operate the micro switches on the movement. The display, electronics and battery are a single module that is seperate from the case. When the case/band wears out or you crack the crystal you replace it.

I think the Garmin 201 or the Suunto M9 have the best computer interface, gold contacts on the outside of the case and a matching holder. The contacts provide battery charging and a serial port to the movement. The holder touchs the contacts and provides standard connects for serial and battery charger.

My SWISSSAIL had a button lockout. You rotated the bezel to set the mode and clicks between the modes was last mode, buttons inactive. That way you didn't reset your watch halfway through the start sequence. Everything else about that watch sucked. It was hard to read, use and it leaked.

I have seen old PDA's used in Labs as Timers and data loggers. If you could build a waterproof case, you would have all the programmability features, and interfaces you would need to play for a couple of years.

IMHO this the the best starttimer around:
http://www.sailingclothingstore.co.uk/Sailing_Watches/pr28055_sc343.aspx
Its got big digits, its loud, straps around the boom and flips over easily. very easy to use, has presets, big buttons, sync, last 10-sec beep countdown, etc.
I also have a Suunto Mariner for everyday watch which is also good as a timer but I prefer to have one on the boom for the crew to operate.

Tony, no doubt that is a good timer. I have one, too. But it is absurdly expensive and you can't set to 3- or 6-minute sequences. And it is absurdly expensive. And, for the electronics involved, it is absurdly expensive. It costs too much, too.

THe Tornado Tack-n-Gybe watch had some nice sailing features you may want to explore for other ideas:

since we're brainstorming..

Why not build the watch into your sunglasses, with a "heads up display" in the lower corner showing countdown timer. The "brains" of the unit could be similar to a cell phone somewhere in the boat, and connect via bluetooth (or some other technology) to the glasses.

Vibrating feature would be nice, or some kind of earpiece off the glasses.

Once the countdown is complete, the display could be user-programed to switch display to VMG, COG, heading to next waypoint, etc. just like a handheld GPS.

If it's not integrated into the sunglasses themselves, maybe it could be a "flip up" type semi-transparent display that goes over (or under) an ordinary or perscription lens.

How about a watch that counts out loud so i don't have to keep telling my crew how much time is left??? how much time? how much time? how much...damn were late...

Ding ding ding!!!! we have a winner!

I actually experimented last week with my Garmin Foretrex on the edge of my hat bill off to the side and it was still too close to read.

God, your a geek!

Water depth would be useful.

Yeah...I would accept that if it had worked and I showed up at the next regatta with a carbon mount for it on my hat!

I meant that in a good way.

Carbon mount? Just make a carbon hat.

A lot of mobile phones (I phone etc) can now tell which way you're holding them and adjust the display to suit. Could you make a display that inverts automatically when the unit is upside down (ie after being twisted around the boom).

Carbon hat? you may have something there!

This one would be very audable.. but only on the 1/2 and 1/4 hour

thanks guys, I have a lot of stuff to think about now... A talking clock would seem nice... Don't know if I can find an affordable micro controller with enough ram for that though. I will look into it though.
A heads up display is very fragile AFAIK, a virtual retinal display (laser) is way too expensive...
I could try a vibration system, that's not too difficult to make.
I was planning to use magnetic switches to keep the electronics water tight.
I'll send pics once I have something, but it may take a while!

Thanks, Dennis