Instrumentation

[Brian Denney]

We are looking for the best option regarding multi-purpose instrumentation. We want sped, heading, lift / header, depth and compass. What have you had good luck or bad luck with. Absolutely need to stay class legal. Any links to product would be great.
Thanks - Brian

[Gregg Henning]

Love my Rockbox!!!  http://www.rockboxsailing.com/

[Kuy]

Brian,

I'm pretty new - so I defer to the seasoned vets. But, here are my thoughts:

I really like my Rock Box Blue (http://www.rockboxsailing.com/). I can't say with 100% certainty that it's class legal, but I assume that it is, since you can disable VMG, etc., as per class rules. The non-class-legal features come in handy if you're racing non-class/handicap, as well as for simply learning to sail faster while not racing.

It would be interesting to know if there are strong preferences among other units, like Velocitek ProStart based on functionality, as opposed to personal preference, brand, aesthetics, etc. Seems like the basic functionality is available in several units on the market.

As for the Rockbox, I really like the large screen, the display that works with polarized sunglass lenses (no splotchy black marks), and the versatility of different screen configurations. Also, there are constant firmware updates available, which either add new functionality (based on customer feedback), or improve existing functionality. I'm a bit of a geek - I really like that the RockBox is based on a development platform and that it's constantly being improved.

Keep in mind that all of these units are GPS-based. I would be interested in knowing what some of the more seasoned vets think about replacement of a magnetic compass. I still see a need for a real compass, if for no other reason than, when you're at the start, and you have your electronics set to "race start" mode, you likely won't have enough room on your display for all of the necessary info, including speed, heading, count-down, etc. Better to put speed/countdown on the electronics, and have your compass handy for (real) heading.

On a side note, I am not convinced that the Velocitek Speedpuck actually works according to claims (in particular, the Doppler-shift speed measurements). Any thoughts/comments?

Kuy

[grossmak]

Looked into this pretty carefully, and recently purchased velocitek prostart. 

For training, I considered going with B and G instruments triton package b/c it was wired wind-speed, direction, electronic rate compass, and through-hull for speed/depth.  This package would allow calculation of true wind angle (not class legal) which you could practice with and then deactiviate for a race by unplugging wire to the mast head unit.  This seemed like a lot of fuss, and too much expense (> $2k) for something that fell into a category of "wouldn't that be cool" but not practical on the race course.

Another advantage of the velocitek vs other packages for boat speed is you don't need a through-hull fitting.

[Travis Gregory]

If you go with velocitek, make sure you get the latest version that addresses the issues with the screen when looking at it with polarized sun glasses!
 

[Brian Denney]

Thanks for the info guys.
Brian

[grossmak]

Thanks Travis,

Just took my velocitek out of the box before installing, and put on my prescription polarized sunglasses which I use four sailing and was disappointed to find the screen view to be sub-optimal.  Looking on line, non-polarized sunglasses work with velocitek which I may switch to if they will not take the computer back.  I could not find on velocitek a version of prostart which fixes problem.  They did fix it for the shift which is compass only.  One option would be combo velocitek shift with boat speed delivered from another device.

Sadly, I am back to the drawing board.

Ken

[Travis Gregory]

Hi Ken,

Sorry I was not more clear, by latest I meant the Shift.  Noticed that they addressed the polarized issue with that model as well.  I think you can turn off the illegal feature.  Might be a good question for the class rules crowd on whether that would cover it.