Okay, a little holiday fun. With this being the first holiday season with the kiddo (AJ) I have had to stick close to home. Lucky for me I have a high speed internet connection that can bring the wares of the world to my front door. Even though I have not had many opportunities to go anywhere I have still been able to research and orchestrate my latest accumulations of “stuff” or “junk” as most reasonable people would refer to it.
Product #1- The Garmin gpsmap76CSx. I have never owned a GPS unit until now. I have had experience with a Magellan Meridian on and off for the last couple of years. It baffled me. If I had read a manual for it may not have been that way but I never availed myself to it. So, I
really have nothing to compare to. I did a great deal of research on the web and I must say most of the info was either incomprehensible or just crap. Finally, I went to the Cabela’s in Ft. Worth, TX after narrowing down my choices to a few units. The gpsmap 76CSx being one of them. It was selected for its Marine capabilities, and this was the one I was leaning to. After about 5 minutes with the GPS experts at the GPS counter I was sold. It was a very pleasant experience. The Unit came with a very helpful quick start guide and a very lengthy but interesting manual. Which I have read…most of. The color screen works well in daylight and the auto off backlight will save your batteries. Once the Compass was initialized it was quite accurate. The controls are very intuitive and had a homey Windows feel to them. The Magellan I used was a few years old and the Garmin is proof of idiot proof evolution in gadget ware. We took both units into the field and the performance was, well, pretty equal. At times the Magellan was superior. The only complaint from me is that I do not know how to use it and the monochrome screen is a little hard to use in the sun. I enjoyed using the Garmin and the software and controls worked well for me.
The verdict? I like it and it was quite useful on our excursion. Four stars.
Product #2- 1954 DuraCraft 14ft v-hull boat with a 1971 Evinrude 6hp Fisherman. Another internet find. This one from the North Texas Duck Chat. One short trip Bowie, TX and three bills later this 
bad boy was all mine. The neighbors looked worried as it basked in all it’s dented OD green glory in my driveway. In the end it has displaced my wife’s car in our tiny car-hole. I have had her out twice and she only takes in a little water through the plug, never enough to matter. Using the above GPS I clocked her to a top speed of 7.3 mph. I think that is like 2 knots. For the purpose of navigating the sloughs and shallows of Lake Ray Roberts in search of ducks it is the perfect tool for the job.
The verdict? The dents make it look mean… Five stars.
really have nothing to compare to. I did a great deal of research on the web and I must say most of the info was either incomprehensible or just crap. Finally, I went to the Cabela’s in 
bad boy was all mine. The neighbors looked worried as it basked in all it’s dented OD green glory in my driveway. In the end it has displaced my wife’s car in our tiny car-hole. I have had her out twice and she only takes in a little water through the plug, never enough to matter. Using the above GPS I clocked her to a top speed of 7.3 mph. I think that is like 2 knots. For the purpose of navigating the sloughs and shallows of Lake Ray Roberts in search of ducks it is the perfect tool for the job. 