Navigational electronics?

[Todd Schliemann]

I'm curious about who carries what in the way of navigational electronics on their boat.

Besides a light for my Sestrel Moore compass, my list:

Onboard always:
Old Garmin 45 GPS
Datamarine Depth Sounder
ICOM radio (fixed), Standard radio (handheld)

On shore:
B&G RDF
Raytheon Loran C
Very old Garmin GPS (ca. 1989)

Your array?

[Bruce Hooke]

These days I'm a small boat man so my electronics consist of a flashlight if I think I might be out after dark! In the late 80's I sailed a 23' boat from Maine to Florida and back down the Intracoastal waterway (mostly solo), and I had on board the following electronics:

- Depth Sounder
- VHF
- Knotmeter/Log
- Tiller mounted autopilot

Of these, the only one where I went top of the line was on the VHF. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that this was the only one that didn't break down and have to get shipped in for repairs at least once in the first year.

There were a very few occasions when a GPS would have been nice, but they cost $1000 at that point, and I didn't have that kind of money available. I was basically quite happy with the above electronics -- they felt pretty fancy to me at that time because I'd been sailing the same boat for a number of years on the Maine coast with absolutely no electronics.

[Scott Rosen]

Electronics:

Standard fixed mount VHF
ICOM handheld VHF
Standard depth sounder
Garmin GPS 45
Knot log

I've never felt the need for more than that. Although, there have been times when I've toyed with the idea of a small radar unit.

[ 06-04-2003, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: Scott Rosen ]

[Ian McColgin]

My depthsounder is broken so I use a lead line.

My speedo log is broken and I've not made the manometer yet so I judge speed by hull wave seperation, but that's only accurate to the nearest 0.1 kt.

My 10 + year old magellon GPS is working.

Even in clear weather I constantly compare ded reconing, bearings, depth info, and GPS. That way when one or two are out of sorts, I can have some confidence in what remains.

As those who helped me some years ago find the article in WB on making a manometer, it's simply a devise for translating a water colum into a speed reading.

I was thinking of a second one with the pipe ending at 0 kt and a graduated bucket, so to speak. The total water in the bucket would be directly related to distance. Empty from time to time. The problem is, I guess I need some mirror system to read it as it would, per force, be in the bilge.

Like this train of thought.

All ya gotta do is . . .

[Donn]

Loon:

Radar...Furuno 1621
Sounder...Marinetek SeaMax, dual-freq, speed, temp.
Tachs...Aetna digitals
LORAN...Northstar 800x
GPS...Micrologic ML150, handheld
VHF...Apelco 8500
VHF...Unimetrics Seahawk 64
VHF...Standard Horizon 25
Compass...Ritchie, DNB200, 4 1/2"

Glass skiff:

Sounder...Eagle
GPS...Micrologic ML150, handheld

[ 06-04-2003, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: Donn ]

[paladin]

Sextant
two clocks
necessary books, charts
one VHF
Two Icon 735 Ham rigs, modified to tune Maritime channels on HF.
Depth sounder

and...
small computer although not necessary for navigating, with printer, scanner, digital camera, two 35mm cameras, underwater camera

[High C]

Hunter 30:
Standard fixed VHF
Uniden Handheld VHF
Standard Depth sounder
knot log
Garmin Etrax GPS
Raymarine autopilot
compass

Weekender daysailer:
compass
uniden handheld VHF
Garmin handheld etrex gps

Dinghy:
whistle
flashlight

[Scott Rosen]

I wasn't counting things like compasses and clocks as electronics. But I got those, too.