GPS Speedo and compass

Hi all

A mate of mine has just ordered a GPS speedo/compass for his Elliott 7.8

Just wondering if anyone has one http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GPS-SPEEDOMETER-GAUGE-55kph-30Knots-WHITE-CHROME-85MM-BOAT-MARINE-12V-24V-/311256433864 and what do you think of it


Regards Don

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frant said..
Don't know why you would buy a piece of junk like that instead of a velocitek or similar sail specific instrument.

Hi Frant

I think that the price was attractive and the fact that he had a hole that size that he wanted to fill

The boat has tacktick speed and depth instruments already and this is a extra

Regards Don

Umm are you serious or just giving us all a wind up?

Perhaps you are looking at going back to the future and need something to find out when it hits 88MPH or is there a bigblock chev under the companionway!

I reckon it is a good toy if it has it's own GPS receiver/antenna for $100. What you might call a "Fun Gauge".

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Donk107 said..
I still don't understand Coolrunnings comment

Can anyone clarify it for me

Regards Don

Its a little bit like my VDO temp gauge I think he means Donk
The VDO gauge reads 40 to 120 degrees C but my motor operated at 45 C so there not much use having a gauge to read 5 degrees C
In the GPS speedo it operates a 0 to 30 knots would be more suited to a speed boat or a bettr solution might be if the fascia read to say 0 to 15 knots

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Donk107 said..

HG02 said..

Donk107 said..
I still don't understand Coolrunnings comment

Can anyone clarify it for me

Regards Don

Its a little bit like my VDO temp gauge I think he means Donk
The VDO gauge reads 40 to 120 degrees C but my motor operated at 45 C so there not much use having a gauge to read 5 degrees C
In the GPS speedo it operates a 0 to 30 knots would be more suited to a speed boat or a bettr solution might be if the fascia read to say 0 to 15 knots

Hi HG

The Elliott 7.8's are a sports boat and are pretty quick and the one he has was clocked at around 22 knots downwind on the plane so the 0 to 30 scale is appropriate in this case

Regards Don

Bragger

Okay Don, I am back here to explain.

My assumption is that you are considering buying one for your yacht as you were asking what we thought about that specific item.

Even on an Elliott and given they can get along fairly quick,realistically most would still want a gauge that clearly reads in increments of a knot.

This is so you can figure out as most would, whether you are making minute gains or losses.
For instance, going upwind in varying conditions or making sail adjustments, you want to know information in fractions of a knot.
This doesn't matter whether you are a cruiser or a racer as picking up say a third of one knot in boatspeed will mean big gains over the course of a whole day.

To my mind that type of instrument as shown here tells you little and I'll bet the read out would have quite a lot of error in it.
Anyway,if your mates are hitting 22 knots, the last thing they will be looking at is the speed dial on the boat. They maybe speed dialling later the local Laundromat and booking in the underwear for some cleaning.

As H.G. says, best left for a speedboat, hence my comment about the big block chev etc..

A VDO cable driven log????? Now that is a museum piece!!!

And Casette player

the thing is everything is probably original 1984 stuff but it all still works

Regards Don

Hi DrRog

i think that our logs are operated differently because from your description it sounds like yours is operated by electrical impulses from the paddle wheel

My log is mechanical and has a drive cable that connects to a small propeller with a fin in front of it that sits beside the rear of the keel and spins with the flow of water past it

It has 12 volt wiring to the head unit but that is only for illumination at night

With my sounder once the gain is initially set after turning it on it seems to look after itself

Regards Don

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HG02 said..

Donk107 said..
Hi DrRog

i think that our logs are operated differently because from your description it sounds like yours is operated by electrical impulses from the paddle wheel

My log is mechanical and has a drive cable that connects to a small propeller that sits beside the rear of the keel and spins with the flow of water past it

It has 12 volt wiring to the head unit but that is only for illumination at night

With my sounder once the gain is initially set after turning it on it seems to look after itself

Regards Don

Thats your axillary out board Donk have a look inone of your lockers they will be some pedals some where

Thanks for that HG I will have a look for them when I next go out to the boat

On a serious note I had the boat for about 12 months before I bothered to look under some buckets in the bow infrontin of the toilet under the anchor well and found a danforth anchor I never knew I had

There was a article in a PBO magazine where the writer said he felt sorry for people who bought new boats because they knew exactly what they were getting whereas with a second hand boat you can discover all sorts of interesting stuff tucked away in lockers

Regards Don

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Donk107 said..
This is what is on the outside of the hull to drive the log

regards Don

Id be looking for the pedals then Donk