Keeping Your Goodies Dry

This is a classic case of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. Electronic gadgets DO NOT like water. At all. Now I admit that I might be a nut-case, but I know we all bring electronic devices out to our boats. Cell phones, iPods, cameras, iPads, you get the picture. The trick is to keep them dry, and for the bigger boats, that might mean that the most vulnerable time is the trip out to the boat. An easy and low cost solution is to get dry bags designed to such a purpose. These are less capable then the ones designed for kayaking and canoeing, but are less expensive. For instance, that bag holding my iPad was less then 6 dollars at a sporting goods store. In a pinch, or for guests, it is a great idea to put some zip-lock bags in your boat bag. It might not survive a total submersion, but it will most likely save someones digital camera if it gets hit by a big splash.

Amazon has a wide range of dry bags, you can see them all HERE.

Another approach is to use water resistant equipment. One reserver for pros, gear you can use in the water is getting my common. Some device SAY they are waterproof, but how can you tell? 'Waterproof' is just a marketing term that holds no weight. Look for the so-called IP rating. IPx4 means a device can withstand splashing. IPx7 means it can withstand submersion in a meter of water.

Several cameras and phones are now waterproof, and might make sense on boats that get wet, like the scows or cats.

For cameras, very popular are the Pentax Optio cameras - highly rated. HERE
For GSM Cell phones (T-mobile or ATT) the Sonim XP3 phones work well. HERE

If you are interested in a REAL waterproof HD video camera, check out the GoPro link HERE.

But what if your gadget gets wet? You are probably lost, but try this:

1) Do NOT attempt to turn on
2) Take out battery
3) Remove any accessories
4) Rotate device in all directions to drain any water.
5) Towel dry
6) Place in a bowl of dry rice, in a oven at 120 degrees overnight, maybe the next day

Replace your battery and turn on. It MIGHT work, but in fact will never be the same. Speakers, mics, are the most at risk.Do not attempt a warrantee claim, as the manufacture will know water has entered, because they place water-sensitive discs inside these device that turn color if they have ever been wet. But maybe you will get SOME use out of it.

One more thing - Waterproof does NOT mean that is will not sink!! All the waterproofing in the world does not help if the device falls in the water away from shore.