Waterproof GPS

[kitenaked]

Any really good waterproof GPS watch suggestions?

[Kyle]

I use a Garmin Fenix and my Fiance the TomTom Multisport. Good info here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13118&hilit=strava

[jjm]

I have an older Garmin 310XT http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner ... 10xt+watch. There have been a model or two since so you can get the 310XT at a good price.



Something to watch out for is how the buttons are designed. Notice how there is a gap for the lap/start buttons and are not sealed like the buttons on the side. I've had issues with sand and/or salt crystals getting stuck in there and making the watch inoperable. It looks like the replacement models still have the same potential problem.

[Yoda]

Any really good waterproof GPS watch suggestions?

Here are two "really good" GPS watches... Suunto's Ambit 3 & Garmin's Fenix 3 (both are rated at 10ATM/100m/330ft water resistance)
http://www.suunto.com/en-US/Sports-Watc ... th-Ambit3/
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the- ... 60512.html

[dwaynej]

Garmin Fenix 2 on my wrist and a Speedpuck on my foil board.

http://www.velocitek.com/speedpuck/

[ozchrisb]

If the speed puck had a race timer in it too I'd be interested, but it's an expensive piece of kite for what it is. I use my Garmin 500 bike computer in a water proof bag under my pdf/rash vest. Cheap at ~$150 for the GPS, plus $30 for a bag. Garmin's waterproofing has always been a little suspect, and most standards don't expect you to be crashing at high speed. I don't really need to see the speed while I'm moving, although maybe I'd be fast if I did? Johnny got an app for his phone that reads out the speed as he's riding so he doesn't need to look at anything.

[seanp2k]

Suunto Ambit 3 Sport user here, works very well for kiting. SiRFStar V chipset in it is one of the best in the industry (Garmin Fenix line also uses SiRFStar chipsets IIRC, not positive about the Fenix 3). The legendary Locosys GT-31 uses a SiRFStar III chipset; this is the two-generations newer version in a waterproof watch.

DCRainMaker.com has deep reviews of all the popular GPS watches. The moves count site is just alright, but it allows you to export your "move" (their term for an individual activity) to KML and other formats (GPX and one other IIRC), so you can visualize them in e.g. GPSResults or GPS Action Replay, which can show you things like a polar graph of your speed at various tack angles.

Lastly, if you need 10hz resolution, look at the Bad Elf Pro. Bit pricey and you'll need to keep it in a waterproof sack, but the watches mostly only do 1hz resolution (1 update per second).

[ryggen]

I use a Polar M400. Works perfectly so far.

[seanp2k]

I almost got a Polar m400, but I ended up with the Ambit3 Sport after carefully considering the u-blox chipset in the m400 vs the SiRFStar V in the Ambit 3 (the "most-accurate" watch in the review, the Polar v800, uses a SiRFStar IV GPS chipset; list at https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.ph ... -amp-Polar ). The accuracy report I found was at http://fellrnr.com/wiki/GPS_Accuracy .

In open water on a sunny day, any GPS chip should be able to get good reception, so I'm not sure how much of a problem this is for kiteboarding, but the windsurfing folks sure seem to have lots of opinions on the matter (Google "windsurfing GPS watches", for example ). The Locosys GT-31 seems to be the gold standard in windsurfing speed, and that's based on the SiRFStar III.

I think pretty much anything would work if you're not trying for a world record. The Polar m400 was also very appealing due to how thin it is; the Ambit 3 is definitely on the thick side for daily wear.