Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

[SnappingTurtle]

Probably a dumb question, but ...

I have decided I need one instrument that delivers Fuel Flow information, GPS Speed & Travel Data, and has the basic functions of a commercial Tiny Tach.

Is there anything on the market that is affordable, portable, and easy to install, that also fulfills these purposes.

I would like this information when out in our very small boat and when using the inflatable. Neither have room for separate gauges. The same motor, at the moment, will be used for both boats.

I can have all this information, plus much more, minus the Fuel Flow data on my Mountain Bike, and many GPS exploration wrist watches will do much of what I want but these are connected to me and not the motor.

Also the new digital rally gauges for cars deliver tons of similar information for relative small money when compared to their analog cousins.

Am I asking for a product that hasn't made it to the market yet, or will I have to buy some complicated fish finding computer to get these basic functions.

 

[tommays]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

Any small GPS that has a NEMA 0183 input may have the ability to do fuel flow , BUT NEMA 2000 is becoming much more common and is really starting to make a lot of progress in 2008



It would require unplugging connections that really are not built with that in mind , a perment fuel flow may be a better way to go as there down in the 100 to 200 dollar range


Tacktick http://www.tacktick.com/catalog/3 is doing a lot of work with wireless and this is there RIB section

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

Any small GPS that has a NEMA 0183 input may have the abilty to do fuel flow , BUT NEMA 2000 is becoming muck more common and is really starting to make a lot of progress in 2008

It would require unpluging connections that really are not built with that in mind , a perment fuel flow may be a better way to go as there down in the 100 to 200 dollar range

Tacktick http://www.tacktick.com/catalog/3 is doing a lot of work with wireless and this is there RIB section

This is kinda what I expected, mega $$$$.

It looks like their Remote Display with the remote GPS Antenna and Transom Mount Triducer would do some things I wished for, except the duties of the Tiny Tach and the fuel flow meter.

The problem is we are talking about equipment costing way over a thousand dollars for a couple of simple features. The products I mentioned are at the most $400 (top of the line GPS Exploration Watch). My bike computers were in the $30 range. Lets also not forget the RC boat community also has had GPS speed readings for their boats for years.

I think the boat industry is bending us all over the table at the moment.

I guess I will have to wait a couple of years for all the small innovative manufactures to come on the NEMA 2000 network bandwagon.

Thanks for the info, I will keep an eye on the companies mentioned.

In the meantime I will just take a map, a long stick, and alot of extra gas tanks on our mini adventures.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

i don't even run tachs on my boats, except the ones that came equipped with them. a boat is something you are suppose to enjoy. and not be concerned with all these electronics. you are not crossing the Atlantic. spend the money on gas and beer.

 

[DRIFTER_016]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

Lowrance has NEMA 2000 multi guages in 2" and 3 1/2" that are extremely versitile and not overly expensive.

http://www.lowrance.com/en/Products/Marine/Digital-Gauges/LMF-400/Specifications/

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

i don't even run tachs on my boats, except the ones that came equipped with them. a boat is something you are suppose to enjoy. and not be concerned with all these electronics. you are not crossing the Atlantic. spend the money on gas and beer.

Thanks T-Daddy for bringing me back to earth.

I can buy a lot of gas & beer for two thousand dollars, especially when it is running through a 6HP motor mounted on a SIB running rivers here.

I get lost sometimes on the mountain bike, but up to now I haven't manage to on the rivers or creeks we frequent.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Portable Electronic Boat Gauges?

Lowrance has NEMA 2000 multi guages in 2" and 3 1/2" that are extremely versitile and not overly expensive.

http://www.lowrance.com/en/Products/Marine/Digital-Gauges/LMF-400/Specifications/

The problem with the NEMA stuff is they are all separates and once you add it all up, I would have more in electronics than I do in both boats and motor.

They are also really large comparison to what the other sports & adventure sectors have to offer. They look really cool and if I had bottomless pockets and a large boat, I would certainly have them on “my can't live with out” list, but at the moment, where we are at, I just think I will stick to the stuff my grand dad used.

Even some of my friends in the small aviation sector (small private planes) are starting to use these cheap small hand held devices instead of the overpriced aviation gauges.