Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX

I was sailing on the Canadian Westcoast (Vancouver - Gulf Islands, Sunshine coast) and bought a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx plus the Bluechart for the area. I was slightly aprehensive before the purchase about the screen size and level of detail on the maps, but after a little getting used to, I was really VERY impressed. Having been used to large paper charts (expensive) this is a great deal. You can plan before a rough course, and have a good "large scale view) and easily zoom down to great detail, and be certain as to where you are, down to a few meters. The rocks and shallow areas are clearly marked, dropping anchor is make easy in places one have never been to before. It's really cost effective as the paper charts to cover the area would have been easily the double the cost, and finally the ease of use makes the old charts nearly obsolete. I still would keep some trace on paper in theory, but by the end of the 2-3 weeks sailing, I was quite happy with just the hand held GPS a... Read more

I liked the 76S that I bought several years ago so much that I wanted another in the same series when I upgraded. This is so much quicker, and it has so many new features, especially greatly increased memory, and it cost considerably less than the 76S. The one thing I've found lacking is that the tide feature the 76S had only comes with another $120+ of marine software for the 76CSX. We live near salt water and it adds to the usefulness when we're camping if we know what the tides are doing. Is there anyway I can download this into my new GPS?

This was my first hand held GPS. I have used only one time for fishing. I entered coordinates for under water structures and it took me right to them. Fishing wasn't that good but I can't blame the GPS for this.

Great overall product. Very rugged, good battery life, great support. Small complaints: small screen, slow processor at times, button interface is slow entering input. No surprises really though. I love it.

I was looking for a water proof GPS unit to take both tour kayaking & backpacking. Looked around for at least a year then bought this one. Having logged over 100 mi. paddled this season I can say that it works well in water. I typically mount it under the forward deck lines & secure it with a clip. No water problems so far, it's been pounded by many waves. -I'm more worried about heat from sun than the water. Having the compass navigate a course on water has come in handy, I sometimes paddle in fog or bad weather. Match my heading to the bearing of the next way point & I'm going the right way. It can tell me distance left to go, time remaining at current speed, etc. I have found that for the compass to work well when traveling at low speeds some settings need adjustment but after that compass is reliable and self adjusts for magnetic variance. I save all my tracks to an SD card in the unit. When I get home I upload the tracks to the computer, where on the larger screen I can see e... Read more