[Rhodes22-list] GPS and Depth Finder

[mputnam1 at aol.com]

Ok, I feel dumb.  While I hadn't seen anything on the FAQ under "D" for "depth finder" or "G" for "GPS," I just noticed the "instruments' section on the FAQ which appears to have a lot of info about GPS and depth finders ... I should've known this would have been discussed before ... I'm sure Ed is already cranking out an email telling me so!  :-)
 
If anyone has an opinion they don't mind sharing, I'm still interested in what you think.  But I'll go read through the FAQ now.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: mputnam1 at aol.com
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Sent: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 00:31:08 -0500
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] GPS and Depth Finder


As I mentioned in an earlier email this evening, I just attended my first 
boating safety course, where the instructor (a power boater who spends most of 
his time on the Chesapeake Bay) insisted I needed a GPS and a depth finder.  
 
I didn't see anything about this in the FAQ, so I thought I'd raise these 
questions here ...
 
I will be spending most of my time on the Potomac River (I won't be trailoring, 
as I have a slip on the river), although I hope to be spending a weekend here 
and there exploring downriver in areas I won't be familiar with.  
 
Stan seemed pretty confident that I wouldn't really need a depth guage, given 
the centerboard's ability to alert me to shallow water ... and I don't remember 
what he said about GPS.  
 
Anyway, what do you all think?  Since my recycled boat is still at GB, it would 
be far easier for me to have them install a GPS and depth finder now, rather 
than trying to do it myself.  And the best reason I can think to have a depth 
finder is to help me calculate, from a safety perspective, how much anchor rode 
to use ... rather than trying to use the rode itself to judge the depth.
 
And how about GPS?  I've heard there are combination GPS/depth finders out there 
(I'm planning a trip to the neighborhood West Marine).  If I were to get a combo 
unit, where would you recommend installing it?  The recycled boat I'm getting 
already has a compass installed just to the right of the cabin door (on the 
cockpit side).  Maybe I could install it just above the compass, but are GPS 
units waterproof?  Should they be inside the cabin where you can't see it?  That 
doesn't make sense to me.
 
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
-Mark
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