I wrote this in response to a friend looking for a kayaking watch:

 

I got the Weather Pro watch from Speedtech for Xmas one year:

http://www.speedtech.com/asp/product.asp?product=73&ph=search&keywords=watch&recor=1&SearchFor=any&PT_ID=all

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tells wind speed peak, average, in knots, m/s, mph.
Barometer - variable units of measure, with nine your history trend (good for predicting weather changes)
Altimeter - variable units of measure
Alarms - multiple.
Stopwatch - normal
Sail race countdown timer
Normal countdown timer
temperature - variable units of measure.
Compass showing magnetic north.
Works on wriststrap or lanyard

From my experience, very waterproof and pretty rugged.  A little bulky.  Bright backlight that I've used on occassion as a flashlight in my sleeping bag to find things.  Wind meter is pretty accurate.

Only downside is it eats a battery a year. 

The company has a very good reputation for service and product reliabilty in the sailing community and from tests in Practical Sailor.

I refer to it as my "spy kids" watch :)

I've had a couple of expensive watches sink into the deep blue sea when bands broke during rescues, so you do need to ask yourself what your risk/cost ratio is in this situation.

What do you want a kayaking watch to do?  Here is my list of must haves:

1.  Timer/stopwatch.  I like to keep track of time on water, time of trip legs, etc.

2.  Countdown timer.  Good for a number of things - naps, lunch breaks, timing a distance/time navigation run.  Snooze alarm.

3.  Waterproof.  Read the specs.  Some I've looked at are only waterproof if you don't push the buttons while they are underwater or wet.  that won't work for me.

4.  Non rusting.  The fewer metal parts the better - stainless or otherwise. 

5.  Able to be read in the dark - all functions.  Whether by backlighting or Indiglo.

My thoughts on temperature functions - useless in most cases except:  1.  At camp to see how cold it is.  2.  with watch fastened around paddle shaft and stuck down into the water a couple of feet and held there for about ten minutes to detect water temps.  Most of the temperature functions of the watches I have seen have a really slow sampling rate - some 1 sample ever 5 or 10 minutes, others only when you push a button.  The temp is not accurate if the watch is wet and exposed to wind, or under a coat, etc.  Many watches also use a bimetal band of metal that by flexing register the temperature.  These, if exposed directly to the water, may rust.

Tide guages I have seen only account for tide at one location.  You will still need to look up the variance from place to place as you travel in your kayak, and remember the offsets from the location you set for to the location you are paddling.  I had one watch with a "tide ring" on the bezel that you could set.  that did not work particularly well.

I go to a chain discount store, find a timex or casio in plastic that has functions 1-5, and usually pay under $50.  My current one is a Timex Atlantis 100.  I still have a Timex Reefgear that survived for many years (has temp) that finally lost one of the buttons, but is still watertight and workable.

The hammock with the two sleeping bags worked very well last night, even though the temps only got down to 26 degrees F.  I was very warm wearing a polypro shirt, 100 weight fleece pants, a balaclava, and a 100 weight fleece jacket inside the 20 degree bag that was in the hammock on top of a ultralight air mat, all of which was inside the twenty degree bag zipped around the entire hammock setup.  I suspect that if I had used my zero degree winter bag, and substituted a blue closed cell foam pad for the ultralite, my possible comfortable low temp rating would be much lower.

 

By the way, here is the photo that we used in our holiday card this year:

 

I built a $4 ripstop nylon hammock using Risk's instructions http://www.imrisk.com/testhammock/testhammock.htm.  Zipped my old "20 degree" bag around it, added a windshield reflector between the hammock and the bag, and an air pad between the hammock and me.  Will probably supplement it with a sleeping bag inside.  Weather prediction for tonight:

 

Tonight: Partly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low near 16. North wind between 8 and 13 mph.

 

This combination, with a tarp, is bulkier than carrying my typical winter tent, but is lighter by several pounds.

 

 

Detailed trip reports are a great source of information.  This site was recently put up by a paddling friend of mine:  http://mywebpages.comcast.net/chipwalsh/Patux/Chips_Patuxent_Paddles.htm