What sensor would I use to get the speed or velocity of my Arduino based nav system?
On small recreational sailboats there is a small propeller on the bottom, when it turns it dials a speedometer, the faster it turns the faster the ship goes, a similar setup should be possible. With a small propeller and 2 ball bearings and an optocoupler, (same principle you got in the scroll button on your mouse, you should be able to pull it off with minimal resistance since there is no physical parts.