Hiking Backpack Zone

Posts Tagged ‘Boating’

As GPS units become more and more common and mainstream, lots of people are discovering different uses for them. Almost all the newer devices have a voice system that is very good for safety if you are driving as it allows you to never take your eyes off the road. A selection of the newer cell phones also come with GPS included and it is a great feature to have in a kids phone. Parents who want to keep better track of their childs whereabouts can use these phones to ease their worry.

There are a few different manufacturers who make GPS units and if you are thinking of buying one this summer you will have to make a choice. Mio is a maker that has units that are trendier than some of the others and they are trying to reach a younger crowd. For instance, they have recently released their Knight Rider GPS devices that sit atop your car dashboard and let you experience a K.I.T.T like voice exactly like the television series.

The industry leader in America is a brand called Garmin. They have a sizable share of the GPS market and they have a variety of units for many different purposes. You can buy GPS devices for boating, biking, and airplanes as well as for other applications. Most of the ones from this manufacturer all have speech capabilities that help greatly with safety, as you dont have to take your eyes off the road or trail.

Prices for GPS units have come down somewhat in the last couple of years but the units are still expensive. Often times, new technology like GPS will be expensive at the beginning and then drop significantly as more and more units are made. The more units that are made and the refining of the technology will usually allow the price to drop. This has only happened to a small extent with GPS units as they remain quite expensive and cost more than many people want to afford.

The one industry that has fully embraced GPS devices is the rental car industry. Right now you still have to pay extra for one of these units to be included in your car but it is surely just a matter of time before they are standard with all rental cars. People who rent cars are most often from out of town and they are perfect matches for someone who would benefit from one of these GPS units.

This is a typical summer time problem for me. It’s Friday morning and I’m having difficulty focusing on work. I know that within 7 hours I will be on the highway, my car pointing in the direction of one of the most beautiful lakes in the area. My car has been packed since last night and I just need to add the cooler to the back seat and hitch my Seadoo pwc trailer to my car.

Every weekend of the warm summer months (except for the occasional wedding that we have to attend) I get out of town with my camp gear all packed up, and my seadoo hooked up and covered ready for trailering. This is my favorite time of year, and it seems that every year I convince another one of my friends to buy a seadoo and join my growing gang of buddies who also spend their weekends camping and seadooing.

If I manage to leave work right on time and the traffic is decent I can make it to my camp site by 7:30 pm. This gives me time to have a quick 30 minute Seadoo ride before it gets too dark. After my Friday night ride, I put up my tent and start a fire. One guy in our group is designated to make Friday dinner. This chore alternates amongst the group and can preclude the Friday ride.

Bright and early Saturday morning is my favorite part of the whole weekend. I make a quick pot of coffee, have a little snack, and grab my travel mug and fire up the seadoo. My favorite alteration to my seadoo has to be the bolt on coffee holder that I use for my super slow, check out the lake rides on Saturday morning. I get to see what’s been going on during the weekdays I’m not here, and sometimes if I get out early enough I turn off the engine and just float for a while enjoying the morning quiet out on the middle of the lake. After an hour or so I head back, and help make a huge camping breakfast, and really start the whole camping weekend.

I think that my buddies and I have just about the best seadoo outings on the lake of anyone else I know. If you have a few buddies to ride with, the seadoo activities you can do are endless. Sometimes we throw out some buoys to make a slalom course, other times we just end up holding doughnut and 360 competitions. Of course we don’t take it overboard, and safety is our primary thought.

Sunday afternoons always seem to arrive by surprise and fair too early. Generally by 4pm, I have had my final Seadoo ride and I’m beginning to tear down the camp site. Any fish that hasn’t been consumed is divvied up amongst the group and packed in ice for the trip home. With sadness we put our Seadoo covers on our Seadoo PWCs and make our way back to city.

GPS were originally used in military and other government applications. Today, it is also used in other areas like navigation and sports. Though GPS is composed of electronic devices, some handhelds can be used in water.

This is all possible because GPS is already made waterproof for practical navigation and sports. Though they were originally intended for land use in military and government applications, technology enabled GPS to be functional in water despite its electronic components.

Some features should be understood before buying waterproof GPS handhelds, as they can be found in its specifications, and worth the comparison among models. Such features are also suitable for older and non-waterproof units.

Some characteristics should be known before buying waterproof GPS handhelds. Such characteristics are used in specifications sheet, and are good comparison points between units. The following characteristics are not only applicable for waterproof units, but also to non-waterproof handhelds.

Augmentation System: This system serves as the corrector for the received signal by the GPS. It can be found in the specifications as WAAS, or Wide Area Augmentation System. It increases the accuracy of the signal for positions outside 10-feet from the unit. WAAS-enabled units are five times more accurate than WAAS-disabled units.

Points of Interest: Commonly known as POI and waypoints, it proves to be very useful for long trips. Some handhelds can store 1000 waypoints, but only few people will need that much data. It is used in storing important spots along the trip, like a stream with potable water, or coordinates where kayakers need to turn in another direction. GPS can calculate distance between waypoints, and can delete unnecessary data to make room for another. Waypoints are improved GPS implementation of tree markings done by primitive hikers to help travelers make their way back. Some units allow log tracking so that travelers can share their steps and route.

Maps: It contains topographical information about the terrain. GPS maps can either be 2D or 3D, and can have DEM, or Digital Elevation Model, technology to shade elevated contours when zoomed out. GPS handhelds can store additional maps by reading data cards or compact discs.

Advanced features of waterproof GPS handhelds include touch screen display, switch controls for various activities, expansion slots, and digital compasses. High-end units have the feature to display water depth, harbors, and other marine information. Some also comes in floatable packages for easy retrieval when dropped in water. In addition, some unit incorporates GPS with two-way radios, enabling sportsmen to have a 5-mile range communication. However, such units should first acquire FCC license before using to ensure that it will not interfere with other electronic device.

There are times when a person wants to go boating, and they want to have a fun experience, and that means they are going to need some sort of boat. The best thing that you can do is purchase a good inflatable raft. Sea Eagle make some great inflatable rafts which can be used for many different applications. Some of these are fly fishing, rafting, floating off into oblivion, or whatever it is that you happen to want. These rafts usually hold three people, and they are extremely durable. There are several different types of inflatable rafts from Sea Eagle, and below we have listed a few of them for you to read about.

The first boat we are going to look at is one known as the Sea Eagle 6 or SE6. This boat can take up to 650 lbs, and will hold up to two people with light gear. It can use a small motor and only weights a whopping twenty five pounds, making it perfect for camping trips.

Then theres the Sea Eagle 8. This boat is extremely popular, though it should not be confused with the r(8). This boat is made for a single person and can be used for either fishing, boating, or random floating if you just want to get away for a while. After all, what better place to get away than the middle of a lake where there is no cell phone reception?

The Sea Eagle r(8) has a set of oars, rowing seat, foot pump, FHS fisherman seat, repair kit, and a set of instructions for those who will actually read them. This raft is built with a two compartment floor which can be inflated, and there is a safety chamber of the main chamber. This really is a great piece of equipment, and it can hold three adults or roughly nine hundred and fifty pounds. Deflated the raft measures 24×21x8, and inflated it can take a 3 horsepower gas engine. This really is a great boat as far as inflatable rafts go, and if you are into some heavy duty lake-faring adventures, then you should definitely look into this one as it w ill not disappoint.

The next in line is the Sea Eagle 9. This is a lot like the previously mentioned raft because everyone loves it for river floating or fly fishing. The biggest difference is that this raft can be used for white water rafting if you so desire. It can hold up to 1200 lbs which translates into a total of five adults, and is made of Polykrylar. You can punp the raft in as little as fifteen minutes and even attach a motor to it that can sail at up to four hp.

There are number of different accessories that you can purchase for this raft which include a sun canopy, windshield, floor boards, and a number of other things. What is added on is entirely up to you.

The next on the list of Sea Eagles boat inflatables is the “Sea Eagle(r) 14-ft Sailcat Deluxe inflatable raft package.” This package features a Sailcat boat, oars, a nylon storage bag, two cushions, a carry bag, instructions, repair kit,3 aluminum cross benches and of course the sail rig. The sail rig contains the aluminum mast, the mast step, tiller/rudder system and lateen rig. What is also unique about this 4 person set up is that the frame folds. The deflated dimensions of this boat inflatable are 60″ x 14″ x 12″, the inflated measurements are 9′6″ x 4′, and the exterior size is 14′ x 5′. The sail area covers 45 sg ftQ4-ft, the tube diameter is 16″, weighs 97 pounds and is rated for winds 0-25 mph.

If an inflatable boat is what you seek, then you may feel free to stop seeking, because the sea eagle as everything that you could possibly want. Whether you want to fish, soar across the white waters, or aimlessly float down the river, there is some boat somewhere that will have everything that you need.