Gps Watches, Which one?

Anybody have a GPS watch they like or one they hate? Which ones work best for sailing? Real world experience comments only please.
Thanks

Sorry I can't offer personal experience, but after recently losing my eTrex Legend I've just ordered a refurbished Foretrex 201 for $65+shipping off eBay -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130209014113

Several people in CRAW have bought these from the same place and seem happy with them.

I had a Sunto M5 (I think) from a few years ago. My wife got it for me in 2005.
It sucks compared to the foretrex. Hard to program, slow, not even close to real time. I am sure it has been redesigned, but go with the foretrex. I hope they have redesigned the strap though so it doesn't fall off so easily.

I like the fortrex because on one screen you can have your speed, VMG, Heading and Bearing. The heading and bearing doesn't come into play for bouy racing though.

The Foretrex is one of the greatest innovations and most spectacular devices for long distance racing and buoy racing (great start timer) I've ever seen....that is....until the stupid-butt, under-designed, pins that hold it to the wrist band pop off and you lose it after the first 20 minutes.

I've lost three and broke one of the pins on my fourth unit the first day I had it out at Spring Fever.

The problem is that the band is in the center of the unit and there is nowhere to attach a lanyard. If the band were offset to one side or the other, it wouldn't extend out over the back of your hand (lean down on the trampoline and bend your wrist back...poop! it's gone.)


I'm desinging a carbon fiber sheath for it now though that will be handed and have a MUCH more secure mounting method than those overextend watch pins. Other than that, if you can keep the standard strap high on your forearm (and don't snag anything) you're OK (until you capsize and snag it on something).

Hey Mark,
I just saw that deal myself. Makes it hard to pass up.
Thanks for the info. I have a 76s w/ all the charts for everywhere I race. I'm just looking for something that is quick and easy to view for helm info(VMG, bearing track, etc.)and will use the 76s for the nav. work.

I have yet to use take the foretrex I have out sailing but was thinking of adding some doublesided waterproof outdoor mounting tape between the band and the unit for a little added security as long as the tape sticks to the band well.

I have been lucky with mine and haven't lost it yet (had it for about a year or so) but a friend lost his once and almost lost another one.

I got one for christmas and was thinking of strapping it to my boom. Would'nt that be safer?

You may not be able to read the numbers from the boom when you are out on the wire. I would love to have something I can read while I'm out on the wire! I do leave my Etrex Legend on the tramp but I have to stop sailing to read it...

Ditto that Jake. The pins on mine broke very quickly so the Foretrex has been relegated to backup GPS to be stuffed in the lifejacket in case our other one dies. I'd be interested to see how your sheath design works. The unit still needs to be demountable to down load data.

Chris.

you can read it from the wire if you make the speed (or whatever) large on the screen. Problem is you have to unstrap it and restrap it when you tack. Or just push it over but then you are reading upside down.

I can read my foretrex from out on the wire, even in split screen mode with Max speed and current speed showing its legible, only just.

I have drowned a foretrex, was replaced under warranty, no problems, there not as waterproof as garmin claim. Additional mounting straps may block the antenna which is under the Garmin label.

Darryn
Mozzy
1782

how that is sooo cheap in states ,in europe at home
http://www.nakupovanje.net/garmin-foretr...ator-pr-1144891

i cant belive

I had a foretrex 201 when they first came out , they are reliable well made (in most respects ) and easily read .
soon discovered the pin problem and nearly lost it , many friends have lost theirs despite my warnings not to trust pins .

NEVER rely on the pins you WILL lose the unit , I bought a neoprene i pod nano arm strap with mylar window , which totally encloses unit and even if it falls off will float , when I strapped to boom I would wrap with tape to be sure , moved onto velocitek mounted on spi pole now much better , Fortrex is now on my mountain bike .

ps i reported pin prob to garmin years ago , they didn't and haven't recognised it as a problem , however I have known folks get replacement units when the do lose them under warranty and they even replaced mine as gesture of goodwill .

Hey Jake,
Make one for me and I'll teach you how to do a "Jumping Pile Driver". I just ordered one of the refurbs.
I'll put my hillbilly engineering experience to work on it too, and see what I can come up with.I'm sure it won't be as cool as yours, as mine will probably involve duct tape instead of carbon.
Codblow,
Good idea on the nano case. You wouldn't happen to have a link to the one that floats would you?

Todd

Looked inside the strap I have was made by EXTREMEMAC, I think I bought it from amazon a couple of years or more ago , googled it and this came up



http://shop.ipodworld.co.uk/iPodWorldSit...cookie%5Ftest=1

one I got looked more like the one for shuffle,

times design moved on praps.

photo attached

I had the Suunto GPS sailing wrist computer. It sucked. the battery life with the GPS was terrible, the GPS took forever to connect, impossible to program, it was hard to read, the buttons were too small to operate while sailing.

It might work for a mono slugger, who can sit and fool with the button, but not for cat or dighy sailors.

Its cool looking, but dont get fooled into spending the $400 buck on it.

Bill

The $65 units are factory refurbished, rather than brand new - hence the low price. I don't how/know where they source the units they refurbish.

I see in the small print on the eBay ad that they are only authorized by the factory to sell them within North America.

[quote]The $65 units are factory refurbished, rather than brand new - hence the low price. I don't how/know where they source the units they refurbish.




Sea Bed ???? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

The beaches of Charleston and Myrtle Beach?

refurbished means they were repaired?

"to sell them within North America"
yes i saw that too,to many things is "america only"
time ago was trying to buy ahero3 video cam for less then 100€(hero3) but with post+ tax it comes over 200€

Yes, my guess is that they are items that were replaced under warranty. I should have mine tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it looks. Others I know who've bought them have been quite satisfied.

FYI I received mine yesterday. To my untrained eye, it appears indistinguishable from a brand new unit.

Hope "refurbished" doesn't mean "stolen from factory/dealer" :-) Didn't Sailing Anarchy havea story recently about a great deal on shackles via Ebay? Still, if some Garmin dealer was getting ripped off, you'd think they'd be gone by now.

thank you