why do boats still use knots?

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From what I know the vast majority of nautical travel is measured in knots. It just feels a little ancient for this world of technology. Wether it’s a ship or amphibious craft the speed is always knots. We have pretty reliable GPS and satellite nav nowadays even to the point you can buy a GPS speedometer for less than $50 for your car. I completely understand the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philosophy but surely it would make life just that little bit easier for sailors and captains to have their speed in MPH/KPH?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Your GPS will give you coordinates like 32° 10′ N, 10° 0′ W.
How far is the coordinate 32° 11′ N, 10° 0′ W?
You can work out how far that is in KM.
But I can tell you right now that it’s ~1 nautical mile away.

That’s why Knots are a thing, it’s easier to work with coordinates.
Coordinates GPS still gives you.

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