Speed Measurement using a GPS
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| There are a few different ways of
checking how well your boat is going, you can be timed
round a course by stopwatch, or your speed checked with a
speed gun. the problem with these methods is that you
require a second person to do this whilst you are driving
the boat. If you usually test on your own, the best
solution is to use a GPS receiver. The one most commonly
used by boaters is a Garmin Etrex, it is reasonably small
and not too heavy. The Etrex can be set to store the
maximum speed obtained on a run, it is best to take an
average of about four runs because the Etrex is not 100%
accurate. The satellites are trying to record a
time/distance measurement on a lake that to them must
look about the size of a postage stamp.
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| The Etrex is reasonably
waterproof but not enough to be used on a boat without
some additional protection. The best thing is to use an
Aquapac or Aquamate cover. these are 100% waterproof and
have the added safeguard that if your Etrex falls off the
boat, the air trapped inside the cover will leave it
floating on the surface. |
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Aquapack |
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Aquamate
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| The dimensions of the Aquamate are 170mm x 106mm, product code AM13, they can be obtained from fellow boater Andy Payne at GTE services for a special boaters price of £10 + P & P. GTE services website | |
I fit my Etrex onto the wing of my boat with rubber bands, the weight tends to make a smaller boat run a bit flat on the water so further back would be better, but wherever it is fitted you can still see if any changes you have done have improved the boats performance or made it worse. |
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