Well, ya'll had your chance a couple of weeks a go. Don't worry though, summer is on it's way. Ya'll can stay with Mom or we'll hook ya'll up on the lake. Just let us KNOW when ya'll are coming into town.

Robert & Demi

The Crashbox K I N G has spoken. And from what I've saw and heard he is Undisputed! To get in and out of the bars in the Keys with crashboxes takes a whole lotta feel for the boat and experience. Robert has both of those going for him. The cigarette and the cocktail comment is true. He also had some REALLY GREAT TEACHERS!

I have to take my vote back. I don't know where the hell I'm going.

I use piltoting and dead reckoning with maps and then back it up with gps

Old school with alittle new wave added in. I learned this from my flying days. My old school instructor wouldnt let you use the gps until you learned to use the maps along with time /distance and all the rest of whats already been mentioned

I rely heavily on my color chartplotter on the Chesapeake Bay. Helps me avoid shallow waters, crab pots and pull up marina/restaurant info easily. I can download routes and waypoints, etc... If the GPS fails to work, then I have backup paper maps. Plus I know the bay pretty well. Red Right Return is stuck in my brain too. Also, stay in the middle of the small creeks and rivers.

If you're doing a poker run, then all that "old school" stuff is out the window You're going balls to the wall. Do you really trust the guy in front of you? You don't have time to look at a freakin' paper map. A chartplotter right next to your gauges will keep ya out of trouble and on the right route to the next card stop. I've seen to many times folks following other folks who don't know where they're going.

Open waters are a different animal. I'd rely on the compass and then use GPS to help find bouys.

Do you have enough hours on a vessel to obtain a 100 ton license. Are you going for commercial license. Masters?

I can attest to this fact!!!!

I learned to navigate from my father on our sailboat [sic] as a kid. If you can navigate a sailboat, you can navigate anything!! My compas is really damn close to the heading my GPS says.... off my less than 2*... which given the distances I normaly boat, that's not going to b e off by much at my destination... it gets me where I need to be that's for sure. I too use the GPS more for a speedo than anything... but it can come in really handy in the dark or if there is fog.

Its nice to hear alot of you know how to navigate.
My father thinks HP boats, along w/ most other boats don't know chit.

Most of the other boaters in general don' know chit.

I grew up on the west end of lake Erie, before GPS, and you just HAD to know how to navigate. I've been out of the water for a few years, or on water that has visible landmarks everywhere, so I'm sure my "skills" are a little sloppy.
Quite honestly, when I bought the GPS, for what I needed it for, it was more confusing than a chart and compass. I used it for speed (of course... ), but I never even set waypoints or anything, I already knew where I needed to go.