Went for a paddle this morning, wasn't to bad in length and workout.
After watching the robbie naish video about the longest ride, it got me thinking.
Just wondering if anyone is using GPS watches.
It would be great way to log your distance, time and speed.
Any advice on Brands and Models??
Ive seen some have odometers for your feet.
Anyway you could put it on your paddle for stroke rate??
cheers
I have a Garmin Forerunner 305. It works fine for what I bought it for. It is water resistant to 1m. I use it all the time cycling and a fair number of times kiting and once in a mega windy downwinder. They are about $160 on ebay.
R. Naish was using the Garmin Forerunner 310XT. They are waterproof to 50m (dunno if you get a GPS signal at 50m). They cost $300 on ebay. I would buy this one if I was buying a new one.
Here is a track of an upwind run I did kiteboarding while you guys were doing a downwinder. If you see a kiteboard somewhere between Brighton and St Kilda in a northerly then it will be me. 
Some stats:
Total distance 53.69 km
Total time 2:17
Max speed 41.4 kph
Average speed 23.4 kph
Average upwind leg: 500 m
Average upwind ground: 160 m
Best upwind gain 450m
310 xt garmin with heart rate monitor is excellent its wirless connection to your computer this little beast does eveything from speed to comparing the last time u paddled there to telling you if you worked out hard enough ONE excellent trainig partner
I use the Garmin 310 and it's excellent. Paired with the heartrate monitor and going home to wirelessly upload to my Mac (or PC) and waterproof to 50m which means plungeproof when you fall off as opposed to 1m waterproof who fail under the plunge test as the pressure of the velocity equals a much deeper rating.
Great for training or just tracking. IMHO.
I've had the Garmin 310XT with HR monitor for about 18 months now and and it's great, you can log distance/time/speed etc. and also set up interval workouts etc. to plan a training session and then just adjust your effort when it beeps.
I've never had any trouble with the watch itself, but the buckles on the watch band tend to wear out over time and a couple of months ago, the buckle on mine just fell off - it was at the end of a race and i was lucky enough to notice and catch the watch before it sank! I know of quite a few others that this happened to also, so just be careful!
Best solution a friend in Hawaii suggested was to get a sports wristband for it - it's a velcro strap that replaces the wrist band - it's very secure and more comfortable than the standard wristband - and it only cost me $6 - so definitely worth the investment. Not sure where to get them in Oz as i bought it in Hawaii, but maybe Rebel or Amart would have something similar. I'll try to post a pic when i get home.
Apparently Garmin have a new 910XT coming out soon that's also waterproof and said to be slightly smaller for those who don't like the chunky size of the 310XT. I don't know any details and haven't seen the new model, but it might be worth looking into if you're planning on investing in one.
Hi Peeps,
I just placed an order yesterday for the Garmin Forerunner 310XT with the HRM. With the flatwater training and paddling I'm doing now I need to be able to determine which board is faster and how hard I'm working, distance, and speed so I can improve.
Can't wait. Damn flat water raceboards are addictive! 
DM
PS. Just got confirmation my 310XT is on it's way! Happy Paddler!
A new Garmin got launched yesterday and it looks like it will be able to count strokes/ rate plus a bunch of other stuff that this type of device can do.
Check it out here
highlytunedathletes.blogspot.com/
Dave
