LandfallVoyages

Little Big Eyes

Okay…I guess they’re not really Big Eyes, but our new BARSKA Gladiator binoculars did a pretty bang up job of revealing last night’s moon, in all its pockmarked glory. We’ve been planning on replacing our binoculars later, rather than sooner. Our first pair is, admittedly, more than a little worse for the wear. Even so, we need an outboard for the skiff a lot more than we need a new pair of binoculars.

When you’re trying to figure out which binoculars to buy, ie: the ones that won’t kill your budget– there’s reams of good information to help you make that choice. Squidoo has some great articles, and so does Boater’s World–you can also check out our Choosing Marine Binoculars playlist over on YouTube. What it all boils down to is this–you’re gonna want: a) something waterproof and weatherproof; b) 7 x 50; and c) binoculars that’ve had nitrogen gas blown all up inside them…helps keep enterprising little critters and mold from colonizing your binocular’s optics and messing up the view.

Our binoculars have none of these attributes. So, why’d we buy them? Well…price had a lot to do with it. At $35 (free shipping, too) they cannonballed themselves right into our lives without so much as a ripple in the cruising kitty pool. Yes, we’ll probably have to replace them in 5 or 6 years. They’ll get dropped on the cabintop, slapped about in storms, and drenched on deck. Moisture will creep inside, mold will grow on the glass and I have every reason to believe the optics will get jostled right out of their cozy little sockets. They’ll be harder to focus when used on a boat that’s bobbing up, down, and sideways with the seas. In short, they’re probably everything you don’t want in a pair of marine binoculars…but still, they’re a heck of a lot better than the ones we had.

Stay tuned for the results of dock trials, skiff trials, and then, finally– underway trials.