Handheld GPS - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

wiseguy · 04-14-2010, 07:27 AM

Hey Guys, I'm looking to buy a handheld GPS that is relatively cheap considering the cost of these things. I need it to store way points and to show me the way to my saved spots. Anyone recommend any particular model? Any input would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks!

mo2vation · 04-14-2010, 07:55 AM

I just grabbed a Garmin GPSMAP76 off of eBay for about $100. Couldn't be more pleased.

Took it out last night - large screen, waterproof, floats. I got several recommendations from the people here, so I went with the 76.

So far, very happy.

Now if there was only a real kayak shop on the west side, Santa Monica area...

-K

Dean Machine · 04-14-2010, 03:36 PM

Did you get it used? Any maps come with it? What type of data port does it have? I am asking because I am thinking of selling mine and trying to get an idea of what you actually got for $100.00 mine was $200.00 at the time I bought it. Sounds like you got a deal either way.

wiseguy · 04-14-2010, 03:46 PM

what do you guys think about this one? Seems fairly priced?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

mo2vation · 04-14-2010, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean Machine

Did you get it used? Any maps come with it? What type of data port does it have? I am asking because I am thinking of selling mine and trying to get an idea of what you actually got for $100.00 mine was $200.00 at the time I bought it. Sounds like you got a deal either way.

Came with everything (cables, box, manuals, etc.) Its super clean, looks great, obviously has never been on the water.

I have a buddy, a private boater and a diver who is a nut - dude has a zillion points all over the place he's marked over the years. Structure, wrecks, reefs, POI's - and he insisted I get a Garmin so he can get them to me. His numbers are golden so I'm pretty stoked. I'd get the combo to Ft Knox before I could get numbahs out of a guy like this, so I jumped on it.

So no - it didn't come loaded with any maps, but after this weekend it sure will be!

-Ken

Dean Machine · 04-14-2010, 05:28 PM

Honestly I couldn't tell you much about the different Gps's out there. The only one I have ever owned is the garmin gpsmap76. In general, I would say that when investing in a gps, a good brand name from a reputable company is something to consider. I have heard time and again that garmin backs up their products. Also, consider getting something that is simple to use and has a good user interface. You don't want to have to read a user's manual like it's an encyclopedia. I thought the gpsmap76 was simple enough, but it did require some reading as expected. Honestly, I wish I had used it alot more than I did as I barely used it enough to get any benefit from it on the water. Of course I didn't exactly have the motherload of waypoints stored on it either.

One more thing to consider is the cable that will be used for data transfer between your computer and the gps. make sure it comes with something that your computer will accept. I ended up having to purchase a converter cable to be able to hook mine up to my computer. Mine was an older model at the time and was being discontinued when I bought it so it did not come with a usb port but was about $100.00 cheaper.

maybe someone else can chime in. Also you can try to do a search of the forum for this topic as I remember lots of discussions from the past.

wiseguy · 04-14-2010, 07:23 PM

thanks for the info on Garmin. I will do a search on here for GPS related discussions.

Jimmyz123 · 04-14-2010, 09:56 PM

I personally have one like this and the thing is rock solid. I holds plenty of way points, simple to use, and well priced.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-GPS-12-ha...item335bfbee25

Lets_Fish · 04-14-2010, 10:01 PM

Being a land survey that uses GPS on an almost daily bases, I would go with a well known company in the purchase of either a GPS or Chartplotter. Make sure that if you are looking at GPS or Chartplotter units to look at the waterproof ones if you plan on using it on the water. Also ask about download compatability with your PC or Mac (USB or SD card type). As for handheld GPS unit loaded with maps, they most likely would only cover "land" areas and not navigation of waterways. A good chartplotter would be loaded or can be loaded with navigation maps for your purpose of collection way points. I would suggest look at the chartplotters for that purpose.

Here's a few links:

http://www.thegpsstore.com/GPS-Fishfinders-C38.aspx

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...key=SiteSearch

PescadorPete · 04-15-2010, 12:30 PM

I use the GPS72 I got about 5 years ago. Its pretty basic. No maps. I use it to store my numbers and navigate back to known spots. It has a decent sized antenna and sensitive receiver and sees lots of satellites at a time. My first GPS was an off-brand. It kept losing lock because the antenna was small and the receiver wasn't very good. I would stick to the big brand names.
Even thought these things are "waterproof", over time, water has seeped into the battery compartment. I've had to fix it a couple of times but I'll probably need to replace it this year. But it did run for a few years so I'm not complaining.

fongman · 04-15-2010, 11:49 PM

I have an older model gpsmap 76s; at that time, they were about $300! If you want charts, you can load it with Garmin's mapsource BlueChart Americas. It shows all of the structures and depth contours you would expect. Here's an example of a map near the Coronado Bridge (SD Bay):

Back in the day before gps/ff combo units were available, you could hook the 76 up to some of the Humminbird Matrix FF's. I don't know if they still have that compatibility, but you may want to find one of those Humminbird cables. It will enable you to run your gps off of the FF battery. Leave a couple of AA batteries in the unit for backup in case your main battery dies.

I've been caught a few times on the water when the fog rolled in. That's when it is really nice having GPS! But do yourself a favor and get a backup compass, just in case your GPS dies. REI has a nice one for $10.00 (Brunton 9030). Just leave it in your seat pocket or pfd. You'll probably never need it, but if you do, you'll be glad you had it!

-scallywag- · 04-16-2010, 10:08 AM

never leave home without a compass....."no gps fix" is not the message you want to see paddling around in pea soup, which is the only time I've seen that message on my FF/gps. On that day, johnny ceviche was my paddling partner and he was looking at me like

, obviously getting the same message on his unit. It was even worse because we both stopped to mess with GPS's which just made us more disorientated. Luckily we both had compasses....and we where still arguing about which way was east, we ended up by the marine room when the gps's started working again...good times!

04-14-2010, 07:27 AM	#1
wiseguy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Long Beach Posts: 427	Handheld GPS Hey Guys, I'm looking to buy a handheld GPS that is relatively cheap considering the cost of these things. I need it to store way points and to show me the way to my saved spots. Anyone recommend any particular model? Any input would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

04-14-2010, 07:55 AM	#2
mo2vation Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 50	I just grabbed a Garmin GPSMAP76 off of eBay for about $100. Couldn't be more pleased. Took it out last night - large screen, waterproof, floats. I got several recommendations from the people here, so I went with the 76. So far, very happy. Now if there was only a real kayak shop on the west side, Santa Monica area... -K __________________ "man it stinks around here what is that smell, crap its me. I stink..." FishDude

04-14-2010, 03:36 PM	#3
Dean Machine Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Clemente Posts: 162	Did you get it used? Any maps come with it? What type of data port does it have? I am asking because I am thinking of selling mine and trying to get an idea of what you actually got for $100.00 mine was $200.00 at the time I bought it. Sounds like you got a deal either way. __________________ "Good luck and tight lines!"

04-14-2010, 05:28 PM	#6
Dean Machine Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Clemente Posts: 162	Honestly I couldn't tell you much about the different Gps's out there. The only one I have ever owned is the garmin gpsmap76. In general, I would say that when investing in a gps, a good brand name from a reputable company is something to consider. I have heard time and again that garmin backs up their products. Also, consider getting something that is simple to use and has a good user interface. You don't want to have to read a user's manual like it's an encyclopedia. I thought the gpsmap76 was simple enough, but it did require some reading as expected. Honestly, I wish I had used it alot more than I did as I barely used it enough to get any benefit from it on the water. Of course I didn't exactly have the motherload of waypoints stored on it either. One more thing to consider is the cable that will be used for data transfer between your computer and the gps. make sure it comes with something that your computer will accept. I ended up having to purchase a converter cable to be able to hook mine up to my computer. Mine was an older model at the time and was being discontinued when I bought it so it did not come with a usb port but was about $100.00 cheaper. maybe someone else can chime in. Also you can try to do a search of the forum for this topic as I remember lots of discussions from the past. __________________ "Good luck and tight lines!"

04-14-2010, 10:01 PM	#9
Lets_Fish Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Wildomar, CA. Posts: 294	GPS vs Chartplotter Being a land survey that uses GPS on an almost daily bases, I would go with a well known company in the purchase of either a GPS or Chartplotter. Make sure that if you are looking at GPS or Chartplotter units to look at the waterproof ones if you plan on using it on the water. Also ask about download compatability with your PC or Mac (USB or SD card type). As for handheld GPS unit loaded with maps, they most likely would only cover "land" areas and not navigation of waterways. A good chartplotter would be loaded or can be loaded with navigation maps for your purpose of collection way points. I would suggest look at the chartplotters for that purpose. Here's a few links: http://www.thegpsstore.com/GPS-Fishfinders-C38.aspx http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...key=SiteSearch

04-14-2010, 03:46 PM	#4
wiseguy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Long Beach Posts: 427	what do you guys think about this one? Seems fairly priced? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

04-14-2010, 07:23 PM	#7
wiseguy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Long Beach Posts: 427	thanks for the info on Garmin. I will do a search on here for GPS related discussions.

04-14-2010, 09:56 PM	#8
Jimmyz123 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,385	I personally have one like this and the thing is rock solid. I holds plenty of way points, simple to use, and well priced. http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-GPS-12-ha...item335bfbee25

04-15-2010, 12:30 PM	#10
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	I use the GPS72 I got about 5 years ago. Its pretty basic. No maps. I use it to store my numbers and navigate back to known spots. It has a decent sized antenna and sensitive receiver and sees lots of satellites at a time. My first GPS was an off-brand. It kept losing lock because the antenna was small and the receiver wasn't very good. I would stick to the big brand names. Even thought these things are "waterproof", over time, water has seeped into the battery compartment. I've had to fix it a couple of times but I'll probably need to replace it this year. But it did run for a few years so I'm not complaining.

04-15-2010, 11:49 PM	#11
fongman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 116	I have an older model gpsmap 76s; at that time, they were about $300! If you want charts, you can load it with Garmin's mapsource BlueChart Americas. It shows all of the structures and depth contours you would expect. Here's an example of a map near the Coronado Bridge (SD Bay): Back in the day before gps/ff combo units were available, you could hook the 76 up to some of the Humminbird Matrix FF's. I don't know if they still have that compatibility, but you may want to find one of those Humminbird cables. It will enable you to run your gps off of the FF battery. Leave a couple of AA batteries in the unit for backup in case your main battery dies. I've been caught a few times on the water when the fog rolled in. That's when it is really nice having GPS! But do yourself a favor and get a backup compass, just in case your GPS dies. REI has a nice one for $10.00 (Brunton 9030). Just leave it in your seat pocket or pfd. You'll probably never need it, but if you do, you'll be glad you had it! Last edited by fongman; 04-16-2010 at 09:54 AM. Reason: clarification

04-16-2010, 10:08 AM	#12
-scallywag- Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: on the road... Posts: 598	never leave home without a compass....."no gps fix" is not the message you want to see paddling around in pea soup, which is the only time I've seen that message on my FF/gps. On that day, johnny ceviche was my paddling partner and he was looking at me like , obviously getting the same message on his unit. It was even worse because we both stopped to mess with GPS's which just made us more disorientated. Luckily we both had compasses....and we where still arguing about which way was east, we ended up by the marine room when the gps's started working again...good times!