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I almost bought a 76Cx after getting lost kayaking in the Florida Keys a couple of times last year, but just before entering my order, I looked at the 400c. I'm glad I did. It has been a joy to use, and adds another dimension to kayaking backwater areas. I found the display easy to see in sunlight, as ambient light makes it more visible without battery sucking backlighting. I can usually get at least two 5 hour trips on a set of batteries with some to spare. I leave it turned on the entire trip in order to record my track. The track often helps redraw my charts when the GPS and other charts do not match the terrain, which can often happen in the sketchy areas back in the mangroves.
The thumbwheel "Rock and Roller" is a breakthrough with easy thumb operation at the top of the unit where it should be. With just it and two other buttons, one doesn't have to search for the right button. I had discounted the tide function, but then found it to be almost as helpful as the navigation, as tides can vary almost 180 degrees between the bay side and the ocean side of the Keys. When the water is often only a few inches deep or gone completely at low tide, this is often a determining factor for the areas I frequent. The 400c quickly gives a tide readout for several tide stations in the vicinity of a planned route. However, I can't seem to get predictions for other than the current day.
As others have commented, Garmin needs to put some more effort into their manuals. It took awhile to figure out some of the functions, and I'm not sure I have it all yet, but it's been fun "discovering" how things work anyway. One thing that seems to need work is the tracking archiving. The unit creates a nice track of each trip, but does not seem to provide a way of ending it and archiving it, at least without the computer connection. It will stay recorded on the map until it is erased, but I haven't messed with the disc and cable that comes with it yet so there may be a way. The compass works fairly well, but seems to need calibration (rotate 720 degrees) each trip. It also has to be level to read correctly.
Overall, I am delighted with the 400c. I'll probably get the terrain and route planning chips for it later, but it has provided all I need to this point. The last Garmin unit I owned was a Garmin 75 that got me down the New Jersey coast at night and up the Delaware River in thick fog (although with Radar assist) on a sailboat coming down the intracoastal. They still seem to have it together. |
