Velocitek ProStart Wins Practical Sailor Best Choice Award
31-May-2011 Over the past three years, Practical Sailor has been following the rise of a small company that caters to the speed freaks among us. Since 2005, Velocitek has been re ning a rugged, battery-operated display designed to give GPS-based speed data to sailors so that they can get the best performance on the boat.Although initially aimed at wind- surfers, the portable, large-digit displays soon gained a following among sailboat racers, particularly those in small, fast, cutting-edge classes such as the Flying Moth. While the earliest ver- sions focused only on speed, Velocitek soon added heading data (course over ground), and in 2007, its SC-1 debuted a distance-to-line feature, giving racers the perpendicular distance to the line. In October, Velocitek introduced a new version of its GPS speed-tracking tool to replace the SC-1, so we decided it was time to revisit this topic.
What We tested
For this comparison, Practical Sailor looked at the ProStart from Velocitek and the RockBox from Rock City Marine. Velocitek is headquartered in Ha- waii, and Rock City is based in Michi- gan. e ProStart comes on the heels of the company’s successful introduction of the SpeedPuck, an easy-to-use sail- training device released in December 2008. PS reviewed both the SpeedPuck and the Velocitek SC-1 in February 2010, along with the Speedwatch, a wireless knotmeter from JDC Electronics (www.oceanequipment.com) and the SailClever (www.sailclever.com), a smartphone application that also uses GPS info to provide performance data.Initially developed by two avid sailboat racer/engineers in Detroit for their personal use, the RockBox quickly gained a following among local racers, prompting the launch of a small business. In April 2009, Rock City Marine upgraded its firmware to add more functionality, including seven new way- point-based functions (velocity made good, distance to waypoint, etc.), which paralleled those found in most marine- oriented GPSs. Both the ProStart and the RockBox use GPS satellite signals to monitor speed and performance, but they take very di erent approaches in delivering that data.
Practical Sailor did not get the chance to test the Nauteek (www.nauteek.com), a product that performs similar functions to the RockBox, nor did we test a similar prod- uct that falls in this category, the Tack-Tick T070 Race Master (www.tacktick com). PS plans to review these products in a future article.
HOW We tested
The products were evaluated based on three chief criteria: ease of installation, performance on the water, and durability. Testers also rated accompanying so ware. Both the RockBox and Pro- Start o er Windows-friendly so ware that allows racers to download and evaluate data. PS also tested Velocitek’s Mac so ware, called Velocitool.To evaluate installation and performance on the water, testers installed the units on the mast of a 1974 O’Day Javelin, an U a Fox design and an early ancestor of today’s planing ski s. ere are various third-party mounts, and the Ve- locitek cradle is compatible with any of the brackets designed for the TackTick.
Th e on-the-water evaluations took place over the course of three days, and the units were rst tested independently and then together while sailing on the Javelin. Sailing speeds ranged from 1 to 9 knots.
Screen visibility was compared in bright sunlight, both with and without sunglasses, and at night. For battery testing, any automatic shut-o ff features were disabled, and the units were le on until the battery signal indicated an empty battery. For the durability testing, the display components went through our usual routine for handheld electronics: Placed in the oven at 140 degrees for 30 minutes and in a freezer at 15 degrees for four hours; subjected to ve minutes of direct jet spray (approximately 45 pounds per square inch) from a garden hose; and dropped on each side on a berglass deck from 3 feet height.
Only the Velocitek is rated for submersion, and it was dunked in three-feet of water for 30 minutes. All of the units passed the durability tests. Comparison data and test results in the other areas appear on the Value Guide that accompanies this article.
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Speed Tools Part Two by Practical Sailor (424 KB)
