Over the years I have come to see a vast array of The Global Position System is used
by a very large group of paddler's. With the price of GPS
units falling below the $100.00 mark they are now
affordable by most. The system is, for the
most part, wonderful. Especially now that Selective
Availability has been turned off. I say for the most part
because they're wonderful when they work. When they don't
work you have a large amount of paddler's stumbling around
without a clue as to where they are. I say when they don't
work because subjected to the marine environment in a
kayak,
without proper precautions, all electronics are prone to
fail. Example "waterproof" does not mean submersible, you
don't believe me? Try it. Accidently turned on when stuffed
into a dry bag etc.It is my opinion that the vast
majority of paddler's using GPS units can not plot a basic
course on a chart. Everyone who ventures out on a body of
water, even within sight of land, should have a basic
knowledge of the use of their compass and charts. Every
paddler should be equipped with their own compass and set
of charts for the area they are in. The compass is
preferably deck mounted but a hand bearing one worn around
the neck will suffice. The chart should be in a
"waterproof" case either on the deck in front of the
cockpit or on the sprayskirt. COMMUNICATION The two principle means of
electronic communication on the water are VHF Radios and Cellular Phones.In my opinion VHF radios are the
preferred means. The emergency channels are constantly
monitored by not only the
U.S.Coast Guard but
all commercial vessels in the area. Channel 16 which is the
emergency channel should also be monitored by every private
boat on the water. The VHF radio's signal is limited to
line of sight but the radios are constructed to better
withstand the marine environment. Cellular phones are fine
to have on board but only as a backup to a VHF
marine radio.
electronic navigation equipment used by various
paddler's.