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View Full Version : Have GPS....Will Travel



Carl C
06-12-2008, 07:11 PM
I installed my new chartplotter and am really happy with it. I used it Wednesday to explore some new parts of Lake St. Clair, mainly a cruise to the Thames River in Ontario and the channels to Algonac. There aren't many places to install this thing on a 22C but I settled on the dash (see pics of GPS and mouth of Thames River). This little gadget is going to open up the Great Lakes for me and I highly recommend the Lowrance 5300c. Yes, I have back-up charts, compass, VHF, etc. I'm looking forward to some longer cruises on Lake Huron and one day crossing Lake Michigan. With the WAAS enhancing satellites the accuracy is within about 6'.

Jraysray
06-12-2008, 09:37 PM
I installed my new chartplotter and am really happy with it. I used it Wednesday to explore some new parts of Lake St. Clair, mainly a cruise to the Thames River in Ontario and the channels to Algonac. There aren't many places to install this thing on a 22C but I settled on the dash (see pics of GPS and mouth of Thames River). This little gadget is going to open up the Great Lakes for me and I highly recommend the Lowrance 5300c. Yes, I have back-up charts, compass, VHF, etc. I'm looking forward to some longer cruises on Lake Huron and one day crossing Lake Michigan. With the WAAS enhancing satellites the accuracy is within about 6'.

Good for you Carl, boating is all about getting out there past your comfort zone. I am working on it. The lil 18 has a way's to go yet. One dollar at a time.

Carl C
06-13-2008, 09:19 AM
From outside the boat it really isn't that noticable, just a bit of black sticking over the wind screen. I hadn't gotten the balls to explore the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair before now and the water on that side was flat, warm and awesome. It would have been fun to dock for lunch at the Lighthouse Inn on the Thames River but I would have had to call customs. I decided to rest a while about 8 miles off shore when hundreds of black flies found me! A quick 70 mph run got rid of most of them but not all! I will be using this plotter to find my way to Put-In-Bay and Cedar Point in Lake Erie and from Oscoda to the Thumb tip on Lake Huron to check out some lighthouses. For anyone who hasn't used a chartplotter, it is just so cool to know exactly where you are to the degree that you can zoom in and see buoys and everything. This unit is capable of doing much more too.

Sam
06-13-2008, 09:32 AM
Welcome to the dark side Carl, GPS nav equipment is awesome. When I was doing more long range cruising I had my GPS, auto pilot synced together, now that was fun. Just a word of caution about the Port Austin Light house. Stay at least 1.5 miles out from the light house as it's surrounded by a very shallow nasty lime stone shoal. I've seen the destruction it can cause, it's not pretty. Also you might want to consider having a set of flip charts on board as a back up just in case you have a GPS failure....................have fun with your new toy.

zelatore
06-13-2008, 09:47 AM
They are cool, aren't they? :propeller:

Just don't get to carried away trusting it. I know a lot of my clients pretty much are helpless without their chartplotters to a degree where the boat is 'unusable' without it.

In about an hour I'm going to take a 35' Regal from our office on the bay to our delta office. I've made that trip dozens of times over the years, but there are still places I have to pay attention. There have been a couple times when I got ****y and didn't take my paper chart with me and had an electronics failure and suddenly the run was much more stressfull.

All the same, I've got one on both my boats and doubt I'll ever NOT have one on anything bigger than the dinghy. (and I've got a hand-held for that if I want it!)

Carl C
06-13-2008, 11:09 AM
Sam, thanks for that tip. I know that area is hazardous and didn't want to chance it without a plotter. Mine can also be coupled with an autopilot. Wouldn't that be something on a 22! I will always have my charts to check depth etc. The plotter will tell me exactly where I am though.