photo–David watching the Elephant Seals at Drakes Bay in Sept 2010.

May 27, 2017 OK, I just saw the sales at West Marine on Anchors (up to 40% off) and Binoculars (up to 60% off) for Memorial Day and had to revive this 2015 post with new pricing information.

UPDATED POST from 12/2/2015. As most boaters know, the least expensive version of any bit of kit aboard is usually just so-so and we’re always looking for a nicer version of whatever it is.  Spend, spend, spend. But, there are exceptions. One of those is the West Marine Tahiti 7×50 waterproof binoculars with compass. They’re actually cheap–right now on sale at $223.88 which is amazingly inexpensive. We got ours in late 2006-early 2007 timeframe while sailing Stargazer and really thought we’d be getting a more costly pair of binoculars down the line. We look at new ones from time to time but we just haven’t found reason to replace these. So, yes, I love it when “cheap is good” since that so rarely happens in boating-related equipment.

These have plenty of light gathering capabilities, there’s a compass in there so it’s good for piloting purposes rather than also using a hand-bearing compass.  These also have the little marks — they call it a rangefinding reticule– which is a net of fine lines or fibers in the eyepiece of the binocular or other optical device used for sighting and taking other measurements.  The point is it allows you to use a set of binoculars to figure out how far you are from something if you manage to remember the formula for using the reticule to calculate range and you’re not too tired to take on the mental arithmetic.  I do note that a few days into our watch-standing when I’m beginning to have that zombie feeling, I’m likely to want to pull out a calculator or write the calcs on a scrap of paper rather than do them in my head.

Here’s the rundown on the specs and the sale which ends on the 6th of December:
WEST MARINE Tahiti 7 x 50 Waterproof Binoculars with Compass
Model # 14361273 | Mfg # TAHITI-N
Terms of sale: Reg. $299.99 Sale price $223.88 (Order online but ships to Store or home for FREE)

Fully multi-coated lenses allow for transmission of more than 90% of visible light. Anti-reflection coating optimized to your dark-adapted eye allows for improved twilight and nighttime viewing. Filled with dry nitrogen gas to prevent internal fogging, and tightly sealed for a long life. Internal Finnish compass and rangefinding reticle allows them to work as a high-accuracy bearing compass. 27.4mm eye relief. BAK-4 prisms deliver sharp images and reduce glare. Padded neck strap and buoyant Cordura® case included.

Magn. x Objective Lens Dia.: 7 x 50
Focus: Center
Waterproof: Yes
Prism Type: BAK-4 Porro
Light Transmission Efficiency: >90%
Field of View @1000yds: 350′
Eye Relief: 27.4mm
Compass: Yes
Rangefinder Reticle: Yes
Weight: 40oz.
Warranty: Limited lifetime