Smart Watch for kayaking

[JohnMckroidJr]

Been looking at smartwatches for monitoring health and exercise, but also thought it could come in handy as a backup GPS and compass while out on the kayak.



On the last outing between a 2.5kt Nth current, and a storm wind that started out of the Sth and veered to the East, I got disorientated. A 3 axis compass would have been very useful.

Does anyone have experience and/or recommendations regarding smartwatches?

[MITCHELL]

My Salas x jr really had a wide angle on it, drift fishing off la Jolla.
Once you get around the corner in la Jolla the current really takes you and I was headed south. After fishing a few hours....in the fog the whole time, I ran across another guy and ask him if he new where he was and he said no.I said I have a compass mounted on my kayak center console and we better head east. After padding just under an hour east still can't see land and we are in 10 to 15 ft on water. I look over my shoulder to the left and see brakers. So we turn around and get in a save depth and head north finally the fog lifts and we can see the crown and hotels. If nothing else at least have a hand held compass if you kayak in the ocean and bays. You got to back up anything electronic battery powered that can fail. That app your talking about is new to me I'll have to look it up.
There's times in the ocean when you cannot tell north east south and west with out mechanical aid

[BenCantrell]

I use a Garmin Forerunner 235 (new model is the 245). You'd need to go to a fancier and more expensive model if you wanted something to help with navigation. I've been really happy with mine for recording my sessions though. A phone + fish finder + handheld or deck mounted compass seems like a good amount of redundancy.

[jruiz]

I use a Garmin instinct. GPS, altimeter, compass, step counter, HR. What's nice about it compared to other smart watches is that a charge will last more than a week. It has moonphase, sunrise, and sunset also. I've read there is a barometric storm alert feature. I have yet to use it yet though.

[MITCHELL]

Originally Posted by BenCantrell

I use a Garmin Forerunner 235 (new model is the 245). You'd need to go to a fancier and more expensive model if you wanted something to help with navigation. I've been really happy with mine for recording my sessions though. A phone + fish finder + handheld or deck mounted compass seems like a good amount of redundancy.

A simple hand held compass in the kayak seat pack could save someone's life.
I must be old school I had a hand held Magellan 2000 GPS and a good compass when I used to tuna fish in my boat. I'm used to following a compass heading and deviate with the GPS. My compass never let me down but Electric connection have.

[BenCantrell]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

My compass never let me down but Electric connection have.

Plus a compass make you feel old school and cool! I put a deck mounted one on whenever I went multiple miles from shore.

[MITCHELL]

It was made with 2in plastic PVC plumbing fitting and tube.
My feet slide under it, on a cobra fish and dive
4 things were attached to it a 2 piece pull up sail, for a free ride home increasing my range, compass graph and a sealed storage that you could sit your radio in plus a great holding point walking thru the surf.
My sail finally rotted after a couple rolls of sail tape.

[Zinfamous22]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

My Salas x jr really had a wide angle on it, drift fishing off la Jolla.
Once you get around the corner in la Jolla the current really takes you and I was headed south. After fishing a few hours....in the fog the whole time, I ran across another guy and ask him if he new where he was and he said no.I said I have a compass mounted on my kayak center console and we better head east. After padding just under an hour east still can't see land and we are in 10 to 15 ft on water. I look over my shoulder to the left and see brakers. So we turn around and get in a save depth and head north finally the fog lifts and we can see the crown and hotels. If nothing else at least have a hand held compass if you kayak in the ocean and bays. You got to back up anything electronic battery powered that can fail. That app your talking about is new to me I'll have to look it up.
There's times in the ocean when you cannot tell north east south and west with out mechanical aid

Hi Friend,Sounds like quite the adventure! Navigating in fog can be tricky, but it?s great you had a compass to guide you. Those unexpected currents can really throw you off course. I totally agree about having backups for electronics?nature can be unpredictable. Let me know what you find about that app; I?m always on the lookout for useful tools.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Initially I bought a FitBit. It sucked. Google bought FitBit, so the new Google watch is similar. I don't like the business model of making one buy a subscription annually to use the better features of the watch. Recently tried the google pixel phone, nice photos but overall sucks as they make it hard to download the photos onto your computer, and constantly send messages trying to get you to buy cloud space. Also recently disappointed that google maps is excluding the nearest Costco off my navigation search and routes me to an alternative store. Makes one wonder how Google is manipulating our web searches!

LOL, ok enough rant off topic. I sold my FitBit and found a Garmin fēnix 7 Sapphire Solar Edition NIB for half price on Offerup. I have been using the fenix 7 for almost 2 years and have liked it. I can track myself offshore without having any dependency on my phone. I don't need to pay for an expensive subscription. I find being able to keep track of my exercise weather it is swimming, running, biking or kayaking motivates me to do more. Thumbs up for Garmin watches.

[SoCalEDC]

I wear a garmin instinct. It works well for water stuff and tracking etc. I have worn it for numerous activities and checked the heart rate against other devices and it seems to be fairly accurate across the board regardless of activity. It’s waterproof 200m, and has tons of other cool features, including a link to my garmin inreach.

The data output is easily understandable and the interface with the app in your phone is very nice.