Basic Wind, Speed and Depth for cruising

Hello,

We have been invited to go on a cruise (with boats coming from all over the west coast) from Seattle to Anacortes WA in the San Juan Islands in a couple weeks. It will take two days going up, three days there and two days coming back. We have never over-nighted outside of a marina before. Our boat is a 1974 E27. Our boat sat in a marina under a tarp for 25 years so it has all original instrumentation. The ancient, original depth sounder still limps along, but it belongs in a museum. The knots indicator no longer works. The compass works fine. That is our whole electronics 'package'.

We will need some basic electronics for wind, boat speed, and depth. I would like to spend under $1000 if possible. What are my options, or what should I be aware of/looking for when I shop for these items. It would be nice to get some sort of package deal. Am I being realistic on the price? Wireless or wired? Etc, etc...

I don't think I would feel comfortable without these basic instruments on such a trip. The Puget Sound off Seattle is all deep so we can zip around with no problems, but the San Juans are tricky and have hidden hazzards. Also, we may be cutting across the east end of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, so we may hit squalls, big swells, and weather there. I feel we need some utilitarian instruments, but nothing fancy. . Any tips, tricks and advise is welcome!

-Shaun

GPS with tranducers maybe in water box

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|2028688|2028741&id=2299368
I would probably go with a gps and depth sounder. They will give you speed over ground and course over ground
The only need for a knot meter would be for speed through the water because currents can be tricky but looking at the wind conditions and the speed of the boat should be enough. I find a chart plotter very useful up there



I have nexus and it has worked well
http://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/1-Nexus-NX-Packs/NEX22931.html

Most of the three-basic-sailing-instrument packages (speed, depth, wind) are going to run you about $1600. at discount, and then you get to do the install.
(Or pay $$ to have it done.) We have used this three-instrument package (ST-60) from Raymarine for the last 12 years. Good quality.

Given that (IMHO) Depth is most important, that would be my main focus. Next would be a chart plotter.
A combination of those two features can be found in a Lowrance unit, at a good price. Looks like the full retail is $1150, and you can often find them discounted.
http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/Fishfinder-Chartplotter/HDS7-Gen2-Touch-en-us.aspx
The touch charting is very intuitive, and way above the former Garmin plotter that I finally dumped.

We have the 9" version of the Lowrance device, and combined with their radar overlay, it's a great navigation package.

Loren

Untie the boat and go!

Shaun said:

Hello,

We have been invited to go on a cruise (with boats coming from all over the west coast) from Seattle to Anacortes WA in the San Juan Islands in a couple weeks. It will take two days going up, three days there and two days coming back. We have never over-nighted outside of a marina before. Our boat is a 1974 E27. Our boat sat in a marina under a tarp for 25 years so it has all original instrumentation. The ancient, original depth sounder still limps along, but it belongs in a museum. The knots indicator no longer works. The compass works fine. That is our whole electronics 'package'.

We will need some basic electronics for wind, boat speed, and depth. I would like to spend under $1000 if possible. What are my options, or what should I be aware of/looking for when I shop for these items. It would be nice to get some sort of package deal. Am I being realistic on the price? Wireless or wired? Etc, etc...

I don't think I would feel comfortable without these basic instruments on such a trip. The Puget Sound off Seattle is all deep so we can zip around with no problems, but the San Juans are tricky and have hidden hazzards. Also, we may be cutting across the east end of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, so we may hit squalls, big swells, and weather there. I feel we need some utilitarian instruments, but nothing fancy. . Any tips, tricks and advise is welcome!

-Shaun

Click to expand...

Hi Shaun,
Having been sailing in the San Juan's/Puget Sound/Gulf Islands for the last 55+ years I understand your concerns. It is a beautiful place but sometimes not easy or friendly. In my early days we sailed with a depth sounder that we only turned on when close to shore. We didn't want to take a chance of running down the battery so that the engine would turn over and maybe decide to run. More than a couple of days sailing all the way because of no engine. Checking the tides and looking for wind lines became a crucial part of no engine sailing. But the skill stays with me to this day.

Things are different today but the rocks are still in the same place. I would go with an iPad so that you have a very good chance of knowing where you are and a good depth sounder. All the good mfgs make good ones. And they all will run you about $500 +or -. There are lots of used high quality depth meters out there. Autohelm, Datamarine, Raytheon and others. Used could get you by for maybe 100-200.

don't sweat the wind speed. Reef early, shake it out later if light wind persist. Wind meters aren't that accurate and you are the best judge. Look at what other boats have up as you see them sailing. If you have to look at a wind meter to decide what sail to use, then put up something smaller than what you were thinking.

boat speed indicators only depress you since you think you should be going faster. Look at the water and enjoy the ride.

now in our mid 60's we do a lot of sailing with a reefed main and a #3 jib (100%) on a roller. I use a sock with a smallish asymmetrical chute and a ratchet block on the down haul. We have a 15 knot limit (steady whitecaps) with the chute up. This lowers the stress factor for my wife and I and keeps her enthusiasm up for flying the chute. It a lot more fun when everybody is having fun!

As Guy Stevens has commented about big boat sailing, the 39, although manageable, can be a handful at times for a couple of old geezers. But we're still at it. Did an 800 mile cruise last summer. The same holds true for any boat of any size. Overpowered is overrated for fun factor. Keep it simple. You are not going too fast in a sailboat, but when not sure - SLOW DOWN.

This reminds me of one of my favorite boat names "Reef or Madness".

Get a good paper chart, binoculars, cruising guide, untie the boat and go have some fun!
Experience is a great teacher.

best regards
Dal Farias
E-39 Stillwater #36

On the cheap

You can achieve what you are after and not break the bank. It will not be as fancy... but very functional. First-- make sure you have the proper charts for the area... and tide charts. This area is beautiful... but can eat your boat if you are not paying attention. Along with the charts, you need to have parallel rule and divider. You said you have a good compass on board.

Depth finder-- you can get a hummingbird fish finder-- gray scale screen. It will give you all you need in a depth finder-- actually a little more-- shows contours of the bottom-- and sometimes fish! Price is under $100

Next, get a hand held gps. Look for one that you can do sightings with to take bearings. Mine records the bearing when I push a button. Use this feature to do bearing fixes. Mark them on your charts and keep track of where you are. Then use the GPS and see how good you are at taking fixes. Price on these should be $100 TO $190. It will also give you speed over ground.

Wind speed ??? Wind is there or it is not. If it is there... sail accordingly to your ability.... reef or set smaller sail if at all uncomfortable with the amount of power. You only go at hull speed anyway....you are not racing .... enjoy the time and spend an extra 20 minutes on the water under sail.

If you didn't understand about taking fixes, what a parallel rule is used for....... get some training before you go. (I received my CYA training in the Gulf Islands off Vancouver) That area has some currents that change dramatically with the tides. Know how to use the tide charts as well.

Did I mention to make sure you have the proper charts???

Enjoy it. It is some of the most beautiful sailng in the world.

Phil

Shaun,
All the replies sound like good advice.
Personally, I use a Garmin handheld GPS chart plotter ($350) with the Micro SD BlueChart chip ($125). This gives me a chart with depths and my current location on a small color screen. Additionally, it gives me longitude at latitude, speed over ground, compass heading, odometer, average and max speed in knots, time of day, a "breadcumb" tail of where I have been, and more. While most of my travels are not far, I sail mostly is on a river with sandbars and shallows to either side of a shipping channel as well as the SF bay.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-water/handhelds-wrist-worn/gpsmap-78sc/prod63603.html

For depth, I bought a $100 "shoot through the hull" unit (no thru hull) meant for a power boat. The transducer is silicone sealed to the hull in a bath of mineral oil. The unit works quite well as I have run a ground several times and scarred the crew when traversing known shallows.Seriously, the depth sounder is great for anchoring and is a good sanity check against the charts.

I have used this combination for the last 10 years. While I would love to have a large color screen chart plotter and all the bells and whistles, my needs don't require much more than my budget can or want to afford. BTW those GPS "breadcumbs" have saved me many times sailing in fog, night, and unfamiliar waters ways (cuts, sloughs, etc.).

Good luck on your trip.

This is a lot to think about. A fish finder/plotter and GPS combo sounds like a cheap reliable way to go. Fish finder/Chart plotter combo with or without transducer? A transducer would be handy if we have to shelter in a small bay or cove, yes? Thanks for all the help!

-Shaun

fish finder uses a tranducer

For myself, the depth sounder was the minimum. (Having spent all of my "disposable" income on the boat itself.) I got by for a couple of years with an ST-40 sounder and my iPhone as chart plotter. (Plus the compass and charts, of course.) I "glued" the transducer to the inside of the hull with wax (toilet bowl ring) for a year, before I hauled the boat and drilled a proper hole.

Eventually, I collected the rest of the instrument suite. However, I recently came across an even less expensive solution that I've been using with my kayak. The vexilar "sonar phone." It's a little tow-behind transducer about the size of a tennis ball that sends a wifi signal to your iPhone or iPad (or android thing also, I suppose). You can have a "fish finder" app and a "chart plotter" app going at the same time for less than $150.

The wind instruments all seem to be unreasonably expensive. You can get some of the data from a "hand-held weather station." Such as a Kestrel 2500. But of course, you'll need to get direction from your windex and it won't interface with an auto tiller. Still, it's a pretty good tool to have in the inventory.

Go on Ebay and grab a Garmin 540 s chartplotter. You should be able to get one with the Blue Chart for under $500. Then pick up one of their depth transducers (maybe $100). This will give you speed, depth and superb navigation with the charts.

Cruising

stillwater said:

Hi Shaun,
Having been sailing in the San Juan's/Puget Sound/Gulf Islands for the last 55+ years I understand your concerns. It is a beautiful place but sometimes not easy or friendly. In my early days we sailed with a depth sounder that we only turned on when close to shore. We didn't want to take a chance of running down the battery so that the engine would turn over and maybe decide to run. More than a couple of days sailing all the way because of no engine. Checking the tides and looking for wind lines became a crucial part of no engine sailing. But the skill stays with me to this day.

Things are different today but the rocks are still in the same place. I would go with an iPad so that you have a very good chance of knowing where you are and a good depth sounder. All the good mfgs make good ones. And they all will run you about $500 +or -. There are lots of used high quality depth meters out there. Autohelm, Datamarine, Raytheon and others. Used could get you by for maybe 100-200.

don't sweat the wind speed. Reef early, shake it out later if light wind persist. Wind meters aren't that accurate and you are the best judge. Look at what other boats have up as you see them sailing. If you have to look at a wind meter to decide what sail to use, then put up something smaller than what you were thinking.

boat speed indicators only depress you since you think you should be going faster. Look at the water and enjoy the ride.

now in our mid 60's we do a lot of sailing with a reefed main and a #3 jib (100%) on a roller. I use a sock with a smallish asymmetrical chute and a ratchet block on the down haul. We have a 15 knot limit (steady whitecaps) with the chute up. This lowers the stress factor for my wife and I and keeps her enthusiasm up for flying the chute. It a lot more fun when everybody is having fun!

As Guy Stevens has commented about big boat sailing, the 39, although manageable, can be a handful at times for a couple of old geezers. But we're still at it. Did an 800 mile cruise last summer. The same holds true for any boat of any size. Overpowered is overrated for fun factor. Keep it simple. You are not going too fast in a sailboat, but when not sure - SLOW DOWN.

This reminds me of one of my favorite boat names "Reef or Madness".

Get a good paper chart, binoculars, cruising guide, untie the boat and go have some fun!
Experience is a great teacher.

best regards
Dal Farias
E-39 Stillwater #36

Click to expand...

Hi Respected Sailors
Dals remarks work in New England too! Relaxes me just to think about it on a overcast August Morning.
Best Regards
Pat
1981 E28+

Rick R. said:

Go on Ebay and grab a Garmin 540 s chartplotter. You should be able to get one with the Blue Chart for under $500. Then pick up one of their depth transducers (maybe $100). This will give you speed, depth and superb navigation with the charts.

Click to expand...

I have a 546s with the depth transducer and it works quite well. No need at all to drill a hole in the boat as it works just fine shooting through the hull.

Basic Wind Indicators

Strategically placed tell-tales. The most basic, yet still the best, of all wind indicators. Don't leave the dock without them!!!

Did you go and what did you use?

Did you make the trip? What did you decide to use for equipment? Fill us in:nerd: