MAY 2011 25PRACTICAL SAILOR
O
ver 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 rening a rugged,
battery-operated display designed to
give GPS-based speed data to sailors
so that they can get the best perfor-
mance on the boat.
Although initially aimed at wind-
surfers, the portable, large-digit dis-
plays 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 Ma-
rine. 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 Electron-
ics (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 busi-
ness. 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 dierent approaches in
delivering that data.
PS 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
e products were evaluated based on
three chief criteria: ease of installation,
performance on the water, and dura-
bility. Testers also rated accompanying
soware. Both the RockBox and Pro-
Start oer Windows-friendly soware
that allows racers to download and eval-
uate data. PS also tested Velocitek’s Mac
soware, called Velocitool.
To evaluate installation and perfor-
mance on the water, testers installed the
units on the mast of a 1974 O’Day Javelin,
an Ua Fox design and an early ances-
tor of today’s planing skis. ere are
various third-party mounts, and the Ve-
locitek cradle is compatible with any of
the brackets designed for the TackTick.
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 test-
ing, any automatic shut-o features were
disabled, and the units were le on un-
til 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 sub-
mersion, 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 accom-
panies this article.
Speed Tools Part Two
Velocitek’s new ProStart, successor to the SC-1,
fends o remote-control challenger, RockBox.
A Platu 25 racing in Valencia, Spain,
earlier this year uses the new ProStart.
Photo courtesy of Velocitek
electronics
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