A friend of gCaptain runs the site thewirecutter.com with a simple concept… they search all the best electronics blogs and forums and list only the products that get the best reviews.
gCaptain is working with a ship chandler on a similar concept… to bring you guys a store that contains only the best maritime products. We still have a lot of work to do but to test the idea I searched past forum posts to find gear that’s been recommended by you guys… then I created a mini amazon.com store to sell the gear. Here is the link:
-Click on a category “Gear” in the right hand column (under the Amazon logo) to browse all the product categories. [/B][/I]
Please feel free to browse the store and purchase any of the items. gCaptain gets a small commission for every item you buy but, most importantly, we get to test the idea and see which products you guys are most interested in.
[I]So what do you think of the idea?
[/I]
Also, pelase reply to this thread with any items you’d like us to add to the store. And be sure to check back often as we’ll be updating it in the coming days/weeks.
-John
P.S. The store is powered by amazon so you’re sure to get low prices and fast shipping.
[QUOTE=john;104481]Please feel free to browse the store and purchase any of the items. gCaptain gets a small commission for every item you buy but, most importantly, we get to test the idea and see which products you guys are most interested in.
[I]So what do you think of the idea?[/I]
Also, please reply to this thread with any items you’d like us to add to the store. And be sure to check back often as we’ll be updating it in the coming days/weeks.
-John
P.S. The store is powered by amazon so you’re sure to get low prices and fast shipping.[/QUOTE]
John, I think the only items you are going to find highly sought after by us here aren’t going to be found on Amazon unless they change their policies of selling firearms and ammo.
I personally think you should become an FFL and become a singlepoint source for all of us to acquire hard to find loads and semiautomatics! I am still looking for a low SN# Springfield M1A with all USGI parts. A match grade model would be nice but not an absolute if the rifle is in fine or near fine condition. I do not want one of the new ones with all post ban parts and a synthetic stock. I can go $2k for a sweet example if you find me one.
I am also interested in a nice Garand or anything that has Browning on it regardless of condition.
Are said firearms gonna have the gCaptain logo imprinted in them? I’m still not sure if I want that. It’d be cool but on the other hand, they’d be easier to trace.
Would anyone be interested in writing short reviews on gear you have used. Ie best epirb, best foul weather gear, boots, knives, etc. Things the average mariner needs and typically buys out of pocket. If we get this thing rolling we can offer money for reviews, but don’t go quitting your day job just yet;)
[QUOTE=Mikey;104529]Would anyone be interested in writing short reviews on gear you have used. Ie best epirb, best foul weather gear, boots, knives, etc. Things the average mariner needs and typically buys out of pocket. If we get this thing rolling we can offer money for reviews, but don’t go quitting your day job just yet;)[/QUOTE]
I have a quite a few of the items in your store and I would write reviews. Also do you have suggestion “box” that we can add items to? I have a few things that I think should be added that are better quality and work better. I’m sure others are in the same boat.
[QUOTE=GLMASailor;104531]I have a quite a few of the items in your store and I would write reviews. Also do you have suggestion “box” that we can add items to? I have a few things that I think should be added that are better quality and work better. I’m sure others are in the same boat.[/QUOTE]
Let me send you a pm mikey, I could be interested, I’ve got all sorts of shit that I have been meeting to write reviews for my blog for. We can see if my writing is up to your caliber haha!
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;104552]Let me send you a pm mikey, I could be interested, I’ve got all sorts of shit that I have been meeting to write reviews for my blog for. We can see if my writing is up to your caliber haha![/QUOTE]
Well if you can’t reach my caliber then your in trouble because it isn’t as high as you might think… But don’t worry we have an editor on staff with a talent for turning sailor scribble into readable prose
Just curious what you like to use for your camera on the boat. I have been using a quality point & shoot with manual control options. DSLR and lenses doesn’t go we’ll with my packing light program.
“I expected the Davis Mark III to be merely a teaching “toy”, but to my pleasant surprise I’ve noted how effective this very simple sextant could be as a get-out-of-jail-card should everything electrical fail during an ocean passage (as happened to me a few years ago after a lightning strike). This plastic sextant is very light, will not corrode, and seems unlikely to degrade in prolonged storage on board. The instructions are a useful aide memoir too. It is simple to use (rather than finely adjusting the arm to the sun, it’s easier to set the arm very close to the relevant angle and then let the celestial object gently come to the horizon). There is no drum type of adjustment, simply an (at first sight) rather primitive vernier scale, calibrated to the nearest 2 minutes of arc, but in practice it turns out to be remarkably consistent, accurate, very effective and easy to read. I have three minor provisos though. 1. One is that there is no decent storage box with it (but a simple plastic snap-top with sponge in it would do). 2. Another is that there are rather too many internal reflections in the sight tube for my taste, but matt black paint and a thinner but longer plastic tube pushed inside it improved it quite a bit. 3. The third is that with the slightest of nudges the index mirror loses its alignment (but this seems to apply to all the plastic Davis sextants I’ve met). It is not a significant problem because even though there is surprisingly no adjustment at all on the horizon mirror, adjustment to the index mirror is very quick and simple and effective because of the two knurled screws … no tools required. Besides, I have always taught that it is good practice to do a very simple check on the alignment both before and after taking a series of sights anyway. In summary, I consider this machine to be good value for money both as a backup at sea and as a practice sextant. Too often skippers have a wonderful and very expensive sextant which is quite frankly far too valuable to use on a bouncing yacht, except on very rare occasions … the result is that they tend to be carefully packed away somewhere inaccessible below. I believe this little plastic sextant would be used a great deal more often, and it is quite accurate enough to be genuinely practical.”
Nikon 1 V1 with the 10-30mm lens, 30-110mm, and 18.5mm. If I has to buy it all over again I would get the newest body the V2 and the 10-100mm non powered lens. Then the 18.5mm. Super fast auto focus, small size, and the cropped sensor gives you a crop factor of 2.6 from full frame so for the loss of some low light abilities and ultimate resolution you get extra reach. For 90% of my shooting it is perfect. I keep the body, all three lenses, the wall charger, light hood for the 30-110mm, cleaning kit, filter kit and my iPad with charger in a 1400 series pelican case.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;104653]Nikon 1 V1 with the 10-30mm lens, 30-110mm, and 18.5mm. If I has to buy it all over again I would get the newest body the V2 and the 10-100mm non powered lens. Then the 18.5mm. Super fast auto focus, small size, and the cropped sensor gives you a crop factor of 2.6 from full frame so for the loss of some low light abilities and ultimate resolution you get extra reach. For 90% of my shooting it is perfect. I keep the body, all three lenses, the wall charger, light hood for the 30-110mm, cleaning kit, filter kit and my iPad with charger in a 1400 series pelican case.[/QUOTE]
I have been really considering getting a new Camera. If I am not being too out of line what would a decent setup cost? I am not talking about anything even close to professional just something to use at NASCAR races and Bike Events.
If you don’t mind the size of a full dslr you can find a lot of camera for 700-1000 bucks. A new Nikon 1 V2 with the 10-100mm lens will run you around 950. The best thing to do no matter what camera you get is download some video lectures on digital photography, John Greengo has a great series.
[QUOTE=dredgeboater;104645]Just curious what you like to use for your camera on the boat. I have been using a quality point & shoot with manual control options. DSLR and lenses doesn’t go we’ll with my packing light program.[/QUOTE]
I’m a canon guy (mostly because my wife already has lots of canon equipment) and my go-to rig is a Canon 7D (which I love for it’s waterproof design and durability) and 90% of the time it has my 24-105mm f 4l is usm af lens attached. I love this rig but, you’re right, it’s too bulky for use aboard ship so I bought a Canon G12 when I worked at SHI shipyard in south korea. I loved the camera because it could easily be pocketed (SHI’s security guards are anti-camera nazis) yet has all the features of an SLR. I’ve also dropped it on steal decks more than once and, once, into a nasty bilge (Luckily, I pulled it out within seconds) and the thing still takes amazing photos (and good HD video too!).
This is still my go to camera for taking out to the ship but I would love to pick up the newer wide angle version the Canon Gx1… which is awesome!
If I was a Nikon guy i’d pick up a mirrorless Nikon 1. It’s not as durable as my G12 and the lens protrudes a bit more than I like but… it can be used with any nikon lens! (Canon has a mirrorless camera too, the Canon EOS-M, but I like my G12 so much that I’m not giving it up).
If you don’t know how to use DSLR features (like shutter speed and aperture) then you can still use a G12 in full auto mode but… the Olympus TG-1iHS is your best bet because it takes great pictures, is cheaper, nearly bulletproof and is submersible down to 40’.
[I]Bottom Line[/I]: If you are familiar with a DSLR then get the Canon Gx1… and if you’re not happy with it then I’ll buy it off you!
Right now the store is basically just a front end (it shows only the products we select) of the site Amazon. It’s true there are no real bargains but Amazon’s pricing is certainly competitive and they offer free 2-day shipping anywhere in the USA for members of it’s “Prime” program which is a great option for getting supplies to your next port of call:
But also note this is just the beginning. We are teaming up with a first class chandler and will, if this test store proves popular, be offering gear to gCaptain members directly. Once this happens we will be sure to have some real bargains for you.
P.S. You can find some great deals at Amazon by visiting their outlet. Here’s the link:
