What second hand Garmin Watch on a budget for regatta sailing?
Posted by eiskorn@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 8 comments
Hi! I have a friend who has a I believe quattix 4 (?) I am fascinated by it. I have an applewatch 5 or so, but I rarely use it for sailing as it was laggy.
What would be a good option to look out for when looking for a second hand Garmin that can do all the sailing related stuff? Doesn’t have to be top notch.
I know nothing about Garmin watches.
eiskorn@reddit (OP)
I just found out that the friend has a Quatix 6.
justtoreadthenews@reddit
Garmin Instinct. I love mine. Use it a lot to sail. Rugged (no silly touch screen). Good battery. It is like a Gshock with GPS.
pattern_altitude@reddit
Seconding the Instinct. Got mine (1st gen) refurbished on Amazon.
eiskorn@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the advice! I see it comes with a lore simple display. Can it do all the fun-regatta stuff anyway? Like tacking angles, lift/header, starting line, time to burn etc? Laylines..
primeight1@reddit
What do you want it to do for sailing?
eiskorn@reddit (OP)
Good question! First of all, I really like all the tacking assistance, layline display, and theoretically also the VMG features.
The connection to the boat’s instruments is super cool as well, although for me that’s more of a secondary advantage.
Are there any Arduino, open-source, or DIY projects that connect Garmin watches to non-Garmin systems? Like some kind of NMEA server that can communicate with the watch or translate data for it?
planeray@reddit
The Quatix watches often sell for a premium over the Fenix line. The only sailing things you miss out on is a dedicated MOB button and ability to connect to certain Garmin chartplotters.
You can 100% load all of the same sailing apps and potentially save yourself some money/expand the second hand pool. I've got a Fenix 7 with solar, which lasts ages on the battery, and I can turn the touchscreen of it off for sailing. Also has Garmin pay on it, but that's very bank dependent.
12221203@reddit
Fenix 6 Pro here works great and will run just about anything I have sailing and boat apps and one we built to aid a blind sailor with the haptics.