Waterproof/Water resistant GPS

Further to my post above, in my opinion the 'wearables versus boxes' issue has just taken another turn with the newly released Apple Watch Series 2 now having GPS and being waterproof enough to swim with. From now onwards I will only buy a waterproof wearable that has GPS to complement a dedicated fishfinder (or underwater structure viewer in my case), rather than a combo chartplotter/fishfinder with doubtful water proofing.

I prefer a wearable like the Garmin Fenix 3 that has button controls, rather than wearables with touch screens, because buttons are more reliable in very wet environments, though I take Chekika's point that Garmin's button-driven menu system is not particularly intuitive. (Wet environment? My Sport is not so much a sit-on-top kayak as a ride-on semi-submersible -- and therein lies the joy).

The 'internet of things' -- in this case, wearable connected to safely stowed mobile phone and to fishfinder and video camera -- is highly suited to the kayaking experience.

But to each his/her own -- or 'just sayin'....(as FE puts it). Gotta go -- just got a call from my smart fridge.

I have a Garmin Vivoactive HR. It's been much more reliable than my wife's samsung gearfit. I've swam, mountain/road biked, and sailed with it. Water and sweat hasn't been an issue. It has a built in compass that I've used to hold headings and tracks my speed and track. Would it be nice to have maps? Only if I lived on the coast or great lakes where it mattered. I can see across all my local lakes. I did download OpenCPN on my tablet and took that with me to Michigan when we ventured into Lake Michigan.

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Hi all,
of course i would never suggest anybody to submarine a garmin GPS like mine for 2 hours as it happened to me. My experience could be anyway suggest that some drops of water, some humidity or a splash shoudnt scare any user. i know i could put the device inside a waterproof bag but in this way it soud be much more difficult to use it if u just want to check your speek of the distance to the destination.
after i saw it's resistance i am holding my device in the pocket of my jacket without any cover but of course i will still avoid to put it underwater.

smartphone with navionics. good idea but in my opinoon it can work only if you have a waterproof or waterresistant smartphone. inside the waterproof case it's difficult to or impossible to use the touch screen. the reaction is sometimes not very fast an u dont want to waste 20 seconds before getting the info u need. the battery goes away fast when u have gps enabled and u need light screen otherwise u dont see it. maybe u will need the telephone for calls and u risk to be low on battery.

I have an Iphone with a lifeproof case. If your fingers are wet forget trying to slide the little bar to answer the phone when it rings, and with my Isailer app which I like, it's really hard to see the screen in the sun.
Fe

The WaterTribe forum has a good discussion of why and how people use Garmin handheld GPS units, especially the Garmin GPSMap 78 units. http://watertribe.org/forums/topic/gps-for-ec

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

IPhone 7 (including the 7 Plus) is rated IP67 which I think means top dust resistance rating and capable of withstanding immersion to a depth of 1 metre (3.3 feet) for 30 minutes. Has GPS and GLONASS, plus the ability to further speed up getting a fix on your position by using phone towers where they are available. And there are sonar devices available that connect wirelessly to iPhones. If necessary, augment the phone battery with a nice neat little external battery brick.

Game changer.

Send smoke signals to the WaterTribers: The [leaky standalone GPS] Box is dead, long live the [waterproof mobile phone] Box!

All Garmin GPS units are rated at IPX7 ("withstanding immersion to a depth of 1 meter") They leak, as will iPhones, when water pressure exceeds that of "immersion to a depth of 1 meter." These devices do not have to be submerged to leak. They can be mounted on your boat and receive splashes that exert high pressure water on the device. The device will leak at that point. For salt water, you only need a portion of a drop to penetrate the case to cause corrosion and failure of your device. You don't have to believe me, go ahead, find out for yourself.

While some WaterTribers are expressing interest in iPhones/smartphones with various marine navigational apps, they are not going to give up handheld GPS units anytime soon, they are just too versatile.

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

And I will be taking heed of anything the WaterTribers say because a great service that they provide to the boating community is to test devices under very trying conditions, most notably the annual Everglade Challenges. Importantly this includes testing how well the menu systems of these devices work when a user may not be thinking straight due to fatigue, cold, heat, sickness or fear.

+1

_________________
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