Chartplotter Comments

[Young Entertainer 59]

Any one got any good or bad comments on small chart plotters, looking at the 5-6inch range and so far like the Lowerance 5m elite or Advansea C56, by the time you buy charts for the advancsea the price works out about the same.

 

Any one got any other recommendations budget to date seems to be about 1.5 - 2k based on what I have seen

[wheels 543]

All the above and also worth taking a look at the Garmin

[PaulR 3]

For sailing, make sure the "BEARING to NEXT WAYPOINT" continually changes as you tack towards a windward mark. Some systems only show and keep displaying a bearing that you plotted 5 minutes or hours ago.

 

REALLY large numbers are needed when plotter is covered in rain drops or spray and you are trying to read VMG, SOG, COG etc whilst bouncing around as in last weekends SIMRAD race in 30+ with 40+ knots gusts and being laid over a lot, in wind against the tide.

 

We had to revert to use SOTP systems.

[wheels 543]

I can't tell you if any of the Units I have suggested have Pauls suggested features, so you need to check. But another unit to take a look at it Eagle. They are made by Lowrance as a cheaper brand. I guess there will be a reason why it is cheaper, like less features, but I believe the construction is the same quality as Lowrance.

[Guest]

Advance Trident have the Eagle 640C for $1449 inc GST with NZ Chart. This is a combination chartplotter with a fish finder included as well. And they are the sponsor of the B&G Simrad series.

[Guest Rocket]

i-phone

[Fogg 427]

I've really enjoyed my Navman 6.25" colour screen for the last 5 yrs but not sure what the equivalent would now be?

[Guest]

IMOH- Don't buy a cheap Navman if you find any left on special.

 

I did, and it fogged up om it's first weekend out. Has been a constant problem...as was all the previous Navman gear I've had.

 

I've got an advansea Multi- and been very happy with that. nice screen,and no issues.

[Guest]

Speak to Shanson, he just got a Advansea 5 1/2" jobbie. Complete with NZ and Pac Island charts. $2200-2300 there abouts all up. The chart card was a 1/4 of the total price

 

I must say, hope he's knot watching , the lads did pop the box for a suss. Gucci stand thing which look a lot better than others I've seen. Nice looking unit as well, big to see thing but knot too big it takes up room, nice.

[wheels 543]

And we certainly saw how good the support was from the original supplier of Navman/Northstar. If they continue the good service with Advansea, then you won't go wrong.

[Guest]

And we certainly saw how good the support was from the original supplier of Navman/Northstar. If they continue the good service with Advansea, then you won't go wrong.

 

With you there wheels.......!!! No probs at all from Absolute.

 

I think on the whole they have been let down by Nafman.

[Gappy 9]

go with the lowrance so easy to use and reliable

[Young Entertainer 59]

forgot to mention if you have navmana and want to replace it sailors corner offer a $200 tradein deal on the advansea range, did this when I replaced my mulit and offered it again on the chartplotter

[shanson 0]

Speak to Shanson, he just got a Advansea 5 1/2" jobbie. Complete with NZ and Pac Island charts. $2200-2300 there abouts all up. The chart card was a 1/4 of the total price

 

I must say, hope he's knot watching , the lads did pop the box for a suss. Gucci stand thing which look a lot better than others I've seen. Nice looking unit as well, big to see thing but knot too big it takes up room, nice.

 

HEY!

 

now it's second hand!

 

they certainly look like one of the best out there, on my old Garmin GPSMAP185 the bearing never changed, you had to reset the waypoint.

 

SHANE

[tuffyluffy 76]

Do you really need a marine chart-plotter?

 

I use a laptop with a remote fold-down screen that is mounted just in front of the companionway, with a wireless mouse in my pocket. 17 inch screen with a whole lot more functionality (watch DVD’s, weather-faxes, internet etc) and it’s a fraction of the price, bout $700 all up I think. Seaclear software is free, and so are the image charts from LINZ. Works great and being able to watch a movies, download weathercharts etc from the cockpit or salon is a bonus.

[Deep Purple 511]

Get an iPad and the navionics app

[wheels 543]

iPad setup looks interesting. What are the drawback???

While a computer setup is good in some respects, I like the idea of a "proper" unit as you don't have to worry about bootup time, proper shut down, the chance of a "blue screen of death" or some form of lock up and it is protected from the environment. Plus a computer is very power hungry, where as a dedicated Unit is made to be as power economical as possible.

[unpc 5]

Just been through this exercise. It can get complicated.

Firstly look at where you are going to mount it. They were all too big for my pod. Secondly look at how it mounts. Some need access from the rear. Sometimes mounting eg gaskets are extra for flush mounting. Thirdly sometimes the leads feed in vertically and some horizontally taking an extra 2-3".

To me it makes sense to be able to see it when at the helm.

Then technically there are still low resolution ie 320 X240 pixels around whereas some are up to 640 x 480. It needs anti reflection coating on the screen. Size matters to some extent, like how far away will you be from the screen. Some of the cheaper ones don't have high sensitivity internal aerials and won't function very well if mounted vertically and more so under a hardtop.

The fishfinder adds to the cost but would be useful for many, particularly a reasonable quality one as the cheaper ones are really little use. If you are going to do a bit of fishing you might as well do it where there are some, particularly as you won't be zapping here and there in a yacht.

Then you get into transponders. A transom mount may not be suitable for your stern. The alternatives of throughhull requiring a haulout, and inside hull are more expensive. Although you can bed down a transom transducer in the hull you may need a longer cable do avoid interference from the keel.

The latest ones have NMEA 2000 networking v outdated 0183. This may not be of much use to many, but for others means you can link up various instruments including wind, radar and ASI at a saving but probably only really relevant for a limited group.

Then you get into the charts. Another expense. The basic charts built in on one package are probably okay but lack detail. It depends on how you want to use it, how familiar you are with the area, and such things as visibility rain etc. You may not need one at all but in other places and conditions it could be very helpful, particularly if someone else has to take over and it truns out that they have no sense of direction and are shortsighted - steer for that island what island?

All this technical stuff changes every few years. You may not need the latest wizz gear but even some of the cheaper stuff is expensive even if outdated.

As it happens I bought a Lowrance HDS5 after looking at Garmin, although I had a quite good handheld. More $$ but 2 main advantages I can see the screen while steering in close and unfamiliar territory. Second I combine sailing and fishing so it made sense to make that time more productive, instead of passing over fish and then stopping in a barren area.

It depends on one's budget, and what one needs but doing one's homework on the internet seems a good idea to me.

[khayyam 68]

ipad+navionics would seem to have a lot to recommend it. except for susceptibility to water, of course. has anyone used it? or have any idea about the cost?

[Battgirl 23]

tuffyluffy your setup looks interesting at that cost. What do you use for your gps input and laptop comms? Cheers Cathy