# GPS on a Yak



## Arcachon (Jul 18, 2006)

Hey all,

Considering investing in a handheld GPS for (among other things) fishing on the yak. Is it worthwhile or just another expensive and unnecessary toy?


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

I must say, I join you in awaiting replies to this one. I think I would like GPS, more to find just how far out from the shore I am. I often gaze and reckon yeah, must be about a kilometre, then paddle further out for about 20 minutes, and yeah, havn't even moved. There was a time I would use a chart and a compass, but those days have long gone.
Tried to understand using a sextant one time, and I nearly went blind. 

Cheers all Andybear :lol:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I've got a Garmin Etrex handheld and love it. Ebay $169 six months ago.

I know where I'm drifting, how I'm drifting and what the currents are doing. This lets me position myself properly to work the marks.

Also, it might come in handy someday. I figure I'll call 000 and give them my GPS coordinates if I ever get blown out to sea.

Also, tells me how far I've paddled and my ground speed.

Awesome. You can also start geocaching which is a hobby worthy of a B Grade horror film.

(important note Get rechargeable AA batteries and a charger - ebay again - best value that work well are 2500mah AA nickel metal hydride batteries.


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## PeterJ (Aug 29, 2005)

I feel a sounder is of more use, but you may find that special spot you need it for but all in all probably a waste.

Hey Andybear , are you sure that was a sextant . Didn't think you could go blind that way :roll:


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## kingfisher111 (Jun 13, 2006)

I use the etrex hand held as well. Keep it on a lanyard around my neck and tucked in a vest pocket. Find a nice deep hole to fish only about a couple of hunderd metres wide in a run of bay perhaps 6 kms wide. Come back the next week and try to hit the same spot. Even with good markers it can take ages to find. With the gps you just go straight to it. Saves heaps of time. Steve.


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## Jesse_Ape (Oct 17, 2006)

I just got a GPS of EBay.

I think they are worth it if you are going out in the ocean kayaking. I wouldn't bother if i was fishing in a river 

I spearfish and I am going to start diving off arkies and the reef is huge so I only want to have to find the bommies once. Plus I can then mark cray holes. trout holes/caves etc. There is no point fishing on barrnen ground and having to spend time looking for good stuff. I was in a bay once off maggie island probably 500m wide and i had trouble finding a big bommie with triangulation and a sounder.

I once found a ship wreak off Fido's (called the boiler) I was stoked as there were heaps of fish on it and It was spectacular. I didn't have a GPS at the time so i took land marks. I went back lined up my land marks and stuffed if i could find it again. From then on I have wanted a GPS.... I pick up my GPS on saturday.

I got a Garmin 76map or something like that for $340. Having used my mates GPS's and seen how easy it is to find stuff again. It's well worth it. Unless you just go kayaking cause you enjoy it and the fish are a bonus.

BTW I got one of the Garmins GPS's that Float. There are some cheaper ones but there are ones that float.... This is a Plus in my opinon. I don't want a couple of hundred bucks sinking to the bottom of the ocean when I capsise. Sure I can dive down and retreive it but it will never work again :'( and I can only dive 15m :'(

Cheers

Jesse


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## dooyor (Jun 26, 2006)

You can never have to much tackle on a yak . Can you :?


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I was totally stoked when I realised the Garmin Etrex was a floating model. I learnt the hard way.

Somehow, I cast out my lure, the treble hooked the lanyard and sent the GPS flying.

It's bizarre - the wierdest things happen out there. Anyway, it floats.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWbt/uXYAACbfgAAScGGgCjDkECo/9/6gMADW1BqT0m1T1PU21T09SHqBoaGjanqEUzQ1GQAAAA00BoEFPU09Ro9Rmp6gBoAYAqIQbBZKd7FBuMga4LTsJzCPtusUJ+AVB4vkkpUKa23WxfSCD3d3OLVQVMGcQ1lLIpSVRTXtDqPGRhDHwTY+4E18JFYYg3YM9M05upqOukFCsjKwFksVQDBLlQQCRnzv7POTiUprnnovCPeDYSYMZMaxgwcwJc53PvUZUfBO31GbRRGtMivt3rg4sZEcYAygJmBaZuHKorV4mnRv8XckU4UJC7f7l2A=


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

I've got the Eagle Cuda 250S/Map GPS/FF. Doesn't map but does let you set waypoints and navigate to them. Gives you speed etc. Cost me about $320, including postage from the US. Good FF too.

I got it because I want to do more inshore fishing and will use it to find reefs. Doesn't have PC interface but marks can be entered manually. Still to work out all its features


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## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

Another Etrex here. I've used it on bikes in the Simpson desert, Bushwalking, in my tinnie and now on the kayak.

It's good for marking reef or structures, I usually mark my launch sites makes finding your way back in the dark a lot easier. (more so in the tinnie)

I don't think I'd be without one now.

John


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

GPS, mag compass, and chronograph watch (with hands). All can tell me where I want to go. It's rare to have all 3 as a valid method of direction-finding at the same time.

I love my GPS. I've had it for a few years and I've hit some cool places with it. It's more valuable to me than my little black book.

I place a GPS as #1 luxury item on my yak; aside from my asspad, of course. I've never been sold on the sounder for my yak.

Z


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## Arcachon (Jul 18, 2006)

I actually convinced myself before reading these posts and bought a Garmin GPS 72 for $279 from BIAS. A couple of things sold me on the idea, one being a 'Trip Computer' for longer paddles. Getting distance traveled, average speed etc appealed to me. Setting waypoints wor destinations and the device telling me how far to go and lerting me on arrival was also apealing

I like the idea of using it to track your drift in open water. One I didn't consider prior to purchase but will definitely utilise that function

I am sure the more I use it the more benefits I will find. Happy to keep hearing other suggestions too.


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

I have a Garmin etrex and it is a sweet little unit. I consider it a basic safety device even if it is one that I haven't had to use to date for safety purposes (touch wood). Imagine this: you are hauling in a bigun and (example only) a small yet very unsettled mako turns up next to the yak. You grab your knife and cut down through the line to get the beast away from the boat and end up slashing your leg (arm, dick, whatever). Suddenly you have a deep wound to contemplate. You have a 1.5 km paddle/peddle back to base. It is a hot day, your heart is pumping and your vision is slightly blurred as the adrenalin starts to flow. You start paddling/peddling which gets the heart rate going which means a greater loss of blood. You get the picture. You get to pull out the mobile phone and pass exact GPS coordinates to the folks coming out to help you. Or imagine that you are out and your buddy has a heart attack. You attach your yaks together and dial the emergency number. You also note that the wind is picking up and you are moving at quite a rate. No GPS and your rescue becomes a lot more difficult as your position keeps changing. Can't abandon your buddy as he will perish at sea without you. Anyway...you get the picture.

I reckon that you only really value some of these things when they are needed...and when they are really in need they'll be worth their weight in gold.

Apart from that they are good fun to play with, tell you how fast you are going, where you have been and how to get back there.

JT


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## Fishing Man (Oct 4, 2006)

hey guys just found a little waterproof lowrance on ebay going cheap,

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Lowrance-i-Finde ... dZViewItem

dont know what they are like but might be ideal for a yak at that price and being waterproof well that helps i guess..


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## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

Geez JT
After reading your post I'm thinking of buying a second Etrex. I'm in the heart attack age group.

Good story.
John


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## Russ (Feb 24, 2006)

I have a Garmin Geko 201 and it's small and fits away in my vest pocket I like it for lots of the reasons mentioned here. When my boy's ditch me for girls in a few years time and I get myself a single Yak I may look at a FF/GPS. I think the safety aspect is a very genuine point.

I would however also consider in the near future an EPIRB You just never never know. In the event of some type of siezure a few klm's offshore I would prefer to simply flick a switch and know that help was enroute to me regardless of the prevailing conditions also it would deal with the seperation factor of you and your Yak. We all have that She'll be right attitude that 's a unique Aussie trait that we love, BUT truth is, only if we are lucky, will she be right.

The OH&S monster is alive and well. I feel that our chosen sport could well incorporate some of the initiatives that come from that.

I would hate to read that one of us met with an accident that should have been a near miss rather than a fatality. The risks that we take are real lets not allow ourselves to become complacent.

 fishing Russ


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWST7xRsAABlfgAASQOcACAQAGAA/799gIACUiKeFPUTyan5U9NIaZonoIp4jRPSaBoNBoAQB4EHJY06huxiZt0O5H9ilNlOtFjXJ8Rhe6EjkpGN4hTUuPJa72kmFFmhmla57xvODLhSOPt5XI45DHGyoCc7ZQabFwaPm5XEh8yb1boGZDNQ6hAQn4kyVV6MtLBtjhcACIThM1bV+LuSKcKEgSfeKNg==


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Now that Red and Russ have sobered us up, let's get drunk! :idea: :idea:


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## Russ (Feb 24, 2006)

redphoenix said:


> Sobering, thought provoking, and excellent advice Russ.
> 
> Red.
> 
> (Daniel, get off your dad's computer - if he catches you posting under his account, you'll be in trouble).


LOL

:x Shut up Red  He is workin out the Google earth  :wink:

 fishing Russ


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

PS I have a Garmin Vista.

The trip computer comment above got me thinking about something that puzzles me about mine.

The vista has baroclinic elevation (ele by pressure) that needs to be calibrated at known elevations. Any change in weather effects pressure, thus messing with the ele it displays. Also, I was under the impression WAAS GPS was able to tell you elevation as it triangulates your position on the globe. It knows you wouldn't be right in the middle of a granite mountain range, for example, and you would be on a point on the surface of the globe that correlates to the closest coordinate.

My question is this:
As the trip computer ticks away miles traveled in a day, is the up and down while riding swells factored into this number? It would seem on swelly days you would travel a lot more, but actually it's travel in the Z rather than lateral X or Y.

Just burnin' braincells.

Z


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

kraley said:


> JT said:
> 
> 
> > I have a Garmin etrex and it is a sweet little unit. I consider it a basic safety device even if it is one that I haven't had to use to date for safety purposes (touch wood). Imagine this: you are hauling in a bigun and (example only) a small yet very unsettled mako turns up next to the yak. You grab your knife and cut down through the line to get the beast away from the boat and end up slashing your leg (arm, dick, whatever). Suddenly you have a deep wound to contemplate. You have a 1.5 km paddle/peddle back to base. It is a hot day, your heart is pumping and your vision is slightly blurred as the adrenalin starts to flow. You start paddling/peddling which gets the heart rate going which means a greater loss of blood. You get the picture. You get to pull out the mobile phone and pass exact GPS coordinates to the folks coming out to help you. Or imagine that you are out and your buddy has a heart attack. You attach your yaks together and dial the emergency number. You also note that the wind is picking up and you are moving at quite a rate. No GPS and your rescue becomes a lot more difficult as your position keeps changing. Can't abandon your buddy as he will perish at sea without you. Anyway...you get the picture.
> ...


You might just be right there Ken. But hey....I have to justify the purchase somehow 8)

John


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Zed said:


> PS I have a Garmin Vista.
> 
> The trip computer comment above got me thinking about something that puzzles me about mine.
> 
> ...


what the????

Zed's hit the nail on the head and illustrates precisely the reason I don't dabble in electronics/technology. All this confounded lingo sounds like bloody swahili to me and I have absoluetly no idea what it means!!

I think I'll stick with the mobile phone.

Me - "Hello Mr Offshore Rescue Boat sir.. I'm drifting in an easterly direction off Sydney Heads in a blue kayak. I seem to have hooked something large and fast moving..

Rescue Operator - "Well then sir, I suggest you cut your line and paddle back into safer waters"

Me - "Well, you know that SOUNDS like a great idea, but this is possibly the fish of a lifetime and so far its been great fun. Just gotta get a look at what it is...."

Him - "Sir, I really insist that you cut the line"

Me - "Crackle Crackle....getting towed further out mate... crackle crackle....can't quite see land anymore,, crackle crackle...better fire up the rescue boat now....crackle crackle. Oh, and bring a net!

Beep.... Beep.... Beep....


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## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

I've got an IFinder Go mounted on a RAM mount on my kayak. I'd definitely say the fish finder is the first priority but the GPS is very useful. It tells me where I've been and how fast I'm going but by far the best benefit is being able to paddle straight to a reef rather than guessing and having to try and find it with the sounder.


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## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

andybear said:


> . . . more to find just how far out from the shore I am. I often gaze and reckon yeah, must be about a kilometre, then paddle further out for about 20 minutes, and yeah, havn't even moved.
> 
> Cheers all Andybear :lol:


That happened to me, AndyBear. Then I realised my skeg had caught on the sandbank so I truly had not moved. [only joking!]


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

You know what they say, DaveyG:
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
:lol:

Like I said my GPS is my favorite luxury item on my yak.
My local paddling is predictable. The winds build from the NW through the afternoons and the swells come from 180 - ~290 degrees. Following the swells will always lead me to land. Duh. Fog is kind of common, here, but the wind will 90% of the time push me to shore and the swells will never be coming from land. Once close enough, you can hear the shore as an additional bearing.

Travel away from my local area, I pay attention much more to direction of wind, swell and bearing.

I think I ate a lot of lead paint as a kid. I've always been very good with compass direction. GPS is just fun.

Z


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