Should I rely on GPS

[Beefer]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

For non-safety related navigation: yes. They are wonderful.
If you are out of sight of shore, or your landing, be sure to have a backup.
If it's foggy, and the GPS dies, how do you get back. I would never go without a compass that is not battery powered. And charts if I am not familiar with the area.

What is a battery powered compass? And what if the battery dies?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Battery powered compass? All of mine have been magnetic powered! Perhaps it is a plan for the future with the polar magnetic fields shift!

 

[Outsider]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Some hand-helds have an electronic compass ... :facepalm:

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

The read out is electronic, the compass is not..

 

[Beefer]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

So if the battery dies, the compass will know what direction you're heading... but you won't?

I'll keep my magnetic floating dial type, tyvm....

 

[Prophammer]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Thank You All for the replies. I Asked this question because of that story I saw on the weather channel. A man & Wife out sailing somewhere, The Atlantic I think, a Hurricane wiped the man and all instrumentation oveboard, along with the main sail and supplies. the Wife, left with only a sextant & half a mast, navigated hundreds of miles to a small island, so narrow a window, if she missed, it she would've sail on to her death.That stuck with me. But lets say she had a hand held GPS in her purse that survived the storm, would that have pin pointed her postion & the Island?

 

[blacksmith04]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

They just make you feel good and safe while getting you realy lost.

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

when I'm in Canada my gps w/chart ploter is my best friend. We have marked every rock that we have come across over the years.Some were on our maps so we knew to look for them and then plot them others we've found when water level is low.But I also drive a car with a gps and every once and a while its wrong, but that is most likley a programing glitch in map software.But i do agree you better have a back-up, weather it be maps, google earth charts, compass or somebody that knows where you are going in your boat. so if your trying to avoid submerged rocks like I am or going some place you not familar with slow down and pay attension and take notes if nesasary

 

[etracer68]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

I think I need new magnets for my compass, They must be getting weak, everytime I put my beer down next to it, it moves. It must not be sticking to the north pole real good anymore

 

[Fisherball]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Magnetic north moves slightly each year. I read somewhere it moved more than normal in the recent past. Real PITA for surveyors & map makers. I use small inland lakes where at least 2 shores are always in view. I still use my compass so I at least which way I'm headed.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Thank You All for the replies. I Asked this question because of that story I saw on the weather channel. A man & Wife out sailing somewhere, The Atlantic I think, a Hurricane wiped the man and all instrumentation oveboard, along with the main sail and supplies. the Wife, left with only a sextant & half a mast, navigated hundreds of miles to a small island, so narrow a window, if she missed, it she would've sail on to her death.That stuck with me. But lets say she had a hand held GPS in her purse that survived the storm, would that have pin pointed her postion & the Island?

So you started this?
Doesn't your example kinda answer your original question?

Yeah, it would've rocked to have a GPS, but she forged forward without relying on one.
Great example of NOT depending on technology to cover a lack of skills!
I don't know if I could have pulled that off with a sextant, though.

 

[sasto]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

I relied on Loran a few years ago and missed the Bahamas by 30 miles once. Then went to GPS and traveled the eastern seaboard, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Tenn-Tom, and the Caribbean. I did rely on my GPS, among other things, to make the trip safer. I believe it is a great tool when used properly. I always had a chart in front of me, but never needed it in an emergency situation. The thing I liked about the GPS vs. charts is I would get updates for the GPS for a lesser cost than paper.

Good Luck!

 

[oldfordcrap]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

rely on gps but you should also have a compass vhf ect all the other safety items you should have on your boat you know "just incase"

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Should I rely on GPS

I was boating for 40 years before I had one. I love the one I have now, and since it's on a larger boat I'm going further afield. But it's just a gadget; my experience skills and knowledge is still in place. It's fun to see speed, distance, times, mark the course, etc. but it's just interesting, not important.
The one thing I do "rely" on the GPS for, is finding my way around in the dark; I'm in a busy harbor and there are lots of unlit hazards, and so many lights on the shore that it's hard to find markers. With the larger boat I'm running at night a whole lot more often. But I've had the GPS go out at night and know my old skills can get me home, just slower. And I have the magnetic compass, of course.
I also boat a lot in an open marsh/bay wilderness area--no lights and few markers. I never use GPS. Can't have any lights on at night. Bottom changes monthly. It's all dead reckoning there. I rely on my own knowledge of landmarks and reading the water.

But I'll say this: just as I use it to mark unlit poles, if I were in a rocky area where the hazards seldom move, it would make more sense to rely on the new technology for that purpose. Understanding that back-up and care is still required.

 

[JB]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

I would feel a lot safer on unfamiliar waters if I had a portable backup GPS in my pocket.

Any boater needs a quality compass, knows how to "swing" it and how to use it.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Should I rely on GPS

Should I rely on GPS? It seems everyone is doing it.

Maybe a good rule would be, if you're out of sight of land and/or in unfamiliar waters, the GPS is a great way to go. Some folks carry Twin GPS for redundancy, after all it's just an electronic gadget that could quit at any time. We cruise the St Johns River in Florida and I haven't bought a GPS yet, but we don't cruise a night, during rain or foggy conditions. I probably need to get one!