A different kind of kayak accessory

[Koz]

I'm NOT the kind of person that buys a new phone every year. It seems like a waste of money to me. I had an iPhone 4, then my next one was an iPhone 8, and recently I picked up an iPhone 13 when when I switched carriers. So when I'm out on my kayak, I don't want to risk having it fall in the lake. I put it in a waterproof phone bag and that bag is placed in my dry bag.

 

With all of that, if my phone rings I invariably miss the call trying to open things up and dig it out. And because it may be work calling me, I can't simply just ignore the call (as much as I would like to do that).

 

So the other week I decided to make things easier for myself and bought an Amazfit GTR2 smart watch that allows me to answer phone calls and read texts on the watch. It's kind of like Dick Tracy (old guy reference) talking into your watch, but it's very convenient when I'm out on the water. It uses bluetooth for that connection, and the range is limited to about 10 feet, so I can't do things like leave it in my office and answer calls while walking around my hotel (that was disappointing). But out on the kayak, it's great. It's also waterproof.

 

Another thing I like about it is that it's Alexa compatible. It says Alexa is built-in but it doesn't seem that way. The only way to connect to with Alexa is to leave the watch app open on my phone, and of course, as I mentioned earlier, the phone needs to be in close proximity to the watch for bluetooth to connect. Still, it's nice to come home, swipe my watch, and tell Alexa to turn on my porch light and lights in the house.  The other thing is that on the watch, Alexa is text only and not voice for any responses.

 

I know some people are wary of Alexa, but find it very convenient in my connected home and that's why I picked this watch over an Apple watch.

 

The watch also tracks a range of fitness items, has weather forecasts, and can even store and play music. There are about 100 different watch faces that you can use and while most of them are blah, there are a few decent ones.

 

Bottom line, I like it and at $199 I feel it's a good value.

 

 

[GTN-NY]

I don’t like the idea of a smart watch but it does make sense while out in the kayak

[flyfisher]

I got an Apple Watch for pretty much the same reasons and couldn't be happier.  while mine has the capability of being a standalone piece, I haven't had the need yet to pony up the extra $10 a month for that feature.  I pretty much always have my phone nearby and the bluetooth range is probably closer to 50' if not more if it is a clear path.  I can even download music to it and play straight from my watch too.

[casts_by_fly]

I have had an Apple Watch for the past 5 years or so (it’s still a generation 2- I too don’t upgrade often).  It’s ideal for me in the yak. My phone stays snug in my chest pocket or dry box. Messages come onto the watch and I can see if they are important or not. Same thing with MS Teams messages. I can take calls, but no one calls me on the water. Not sure if your watch offers it, but my Apple Watch allows custom predefined messages so when you reply you can scroll through a set things you’d actually reply with. 

[Bankc]

I just keep my phone in my pocket.  It's water-resistant.  So I'm not worried about it getting wet.  I am a bit worried about it falling into the lake, but I don't ever let it hover near the edge of my kayak, and I only pull it out while sitting down, so it's never more than about two feet off the floor.  

 

My wife has an Apple watch and she loves it.  I could definitely see it being helpful in situations like this for some people.  But for the price of the watch, I'd rather take the risk.  If it does fall into the water and I lose it, I'll just take that as a sign to upgrade. 

[J Francho]

13 hours ago, Koz said:

I put it in a waterproof phone bag and that bag is placed in my dry bag.

It's a waterproof phone, why all the extra work?  Mine is either in my pocket or in a small Pelican box I keep my wallet, keys, and other stuff in.

[Koz]

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

It's a waterproof phone, why all the extra work?  Mine is either in my pocket or in a small Pelican box I keep my wallet, keys, and other stuff in.

 

It's too easy to have an accident and drop it in the lake when trying to dig it out whether it's in my pocket or a dry bag. I'm not as nimble and limber as I was in my younger days trying to maneuver  around on a narrow kayak. I know my limitations. I also know I'm not the kind of person to go diving in after something if I dropped it into a deeper portion of the lake.

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, Koz said:

 

It's too easy to have an accident and drop it in the lake when trying to dig it out whether it's in my pocket or a dry bag. I'm not as nimble and limber as I was in my younger days trying to maneuver  around on a narrow kayak. I know my limitations. I also know I'm not the kind of person to go diving in after something if I dropped it into a deeper portion of the lake.

There’s a guy named Jeff that will retrieve belongings from the water for a fee. He does scuba and has an underwater drone 

[J Francho]

I guess my point was you could secure it anywhere; that it doesn't need all that waterproof business.

[casts_by_fly]

54 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I guess my point was you could secure it anywhere; that it doesn't need all that waterproof business.

i agree with you for the most part however I had an odd one a couple weeks ago with my iPhone. It was a grey day but not raining. The phone was in my chest pocket of my rain jacket all day except for a couple fish pictures. When I got in the truck and plugged it in, it gave me an error about water being in the lightning connector.  It wouldn’t charge or connect to car play at that point. It took all night for the water to get out and it charged the next day (I blew on it, put a fan on it, etc). It won’t change how I handle my phone (at one point last year I would just leave it  in the floor of the kayak) but just be aware.  I might take an old lighting cord that doesn’t work and cut off the plug. Then leave the plug in the phone while in the boat. It will give an extra finger hold and protect the socket. 

[Choporoz]

I need my phone's camera and one or more apps when tournament fishing,  so the watch wouldn't work, I don't think.  I use and highly recommend Rogue Fishing tethers.  Outstanding product line.  I do have the occasional day when it has been pouring and I can't charge for a while, but it is rare.  If it happened more frequently,  I would get a wireless charger.

[J Francho]

I use a MagSafe charger, worth it's weight in gold.

[Choporoz]

29 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I use a MagSafe charger, worth it's weight in gold.

My foot dragging is only because I assume it wouldn't work through my protective case, though I have no information either way.  Do you charge wirelessly through any sort of case?  Not talking Otter or Pelican...nothing crazy thick, but I do have a shell with a metal disk in middle of the back.

[J Francho]

I have a MagSafe compatible case.

 

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MM193ZM/A/iphone-13-pro-leather-case-with-magsafe-golden-brown?afid=p238|sV0QkSX4Y-dc_mtid_1870765e38482_pcrid_348128263891_pgrid_20669137447_pntwk_g_pchan__pexid__&cid=aos-us-kwgo-btb--slid---product-&fnode=056efd90a2b6f5b70de54408e0fe28a3f95365e1a426fb1f369ffdf28d55c804e6c86aee88b7ef517f6973a1a400852d3d5db7eb14aa0693abe3cfcbcbb19aa3741d357e705c3396b860340ecc3fb60942a0ca738188dbf64c30aacd94b23821c1401909e1fe7639c68ced8a7d9caca6

[GTN-NY]

5 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I need my phone's camera and one or more apps when tournament fishing,  so the watch wouldn't work, I don't think.  I use and highly recommend Rogue Fishing tethers.  Outstanding product line.  I do have the occasional day when it has been pouring and I can't charge for a while, but it is rare.  If it happened more frequently,  I would get a wireless charger.

these work great

[schplurg]

Some weird dude wandered into Boston Market a few days ago and tried to sell me a watch while I was in line. Told him to go away.

 

It had hands on it, like...what are those things? Was kinda nostalgic though having some guy try to sell me a watch. "Psst...hey Mac..."