dkd 3 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Hi all, This is now about my third attempt to do this .... internet keeps dropping out, joy. I am trying to decide what Chartplotter to fit to the boat so in an attempt to make a smart decision ( not possible sometimes) I am interested in what others have fitted and why. make, Model, etc along with pluses and minuses please. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites
tuffyluffy 76 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Aren’t chart plotters last decades technology? I didn’t think anyone bought them anymore. Why not look at the tablet/smartphone/laptop options? 10 times the functionality at 1/10 the price. The only drawer-back that needs some consideration is your waterproofing requirement, if any. Link to post Share on other sites
too_tall 15 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Aren’t chart plotters last decades technology? I didn’t think anyone bought them anymore. Why not look at the tablet/smartphone/laptop options? 10 times the functionality at 1/10 the price. The only drawer-back that needs some consideration is your waterproofing requirement, if any. Yesterdays tech? Not so sure about that. We just installed a B&G 8" multi display which is a very advanced plotter. It also drives the autopilot, will display any of the sailing instruments we choose, displays radar, and controls the entertainment system. We can slave a tablet or smartphone off it to do everything other than give full control of the autopilot. It is far more versatile than trying to use a waterproof case enclosed tablet in the cockpit!. Expensive, yes, but far nicer to use. Link to post Share on other sites
tuffyluffy 76 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Aren’t chart plotters last decades technology? I didn’t think anyone bought them anymore. Why not look at the tablet/smartphone/laptop options? 10 times the functionality at 1/10 the price. The only drawer-back that needs some consideration is your waterproofing requirement, if any. Yesterdays tech? Not so sure about that. We just installed a B&G 8" multi display which is a very advanced plotter. It also drives the autopilot, will display any of the sailing instruments we choose, displays radar, and controls the entertainment system. We can slave a tablet or smartphone off it to do everything other than give full control of the autopilot. It is far more versatile than trying to use a waterproof case enclosed tablet in the cockpit!. Expensive, yes, but far nicer to use. Luddite, so it does everything my 13" laptop does (with Raymarine software loaded) but I bet it doesn't monitor your home security system, download grib files and movies, let you clear your work email, check weather forecasts, run backup navigation software and play HD movies on a remote screen, provide AIS and enable to you "work from home" when your actually away on the boat? So how does vinyl play at 20 degrees of heel? Link to post Share on other sites
Battleship 100 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 We won a BandG zeus 7" as a spot prize at the coastal and I am pretty impressed by it's usefulness, it has some very impressive features, even showing laylines to a mark. I have used laptops, tablets and smartphones for years but am now a convert. I still have a laptop on board which is great for trip planning, checking the weather etc. On a dark rainy night when it's blowing like sh*t I know which I would rather be using. Link to post Share on other sites
eruptn 95 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Hi dkd I've been brought up on the Garmin range, started on the Grey screen models and now have nice colour models. They interface well with NMEA183 and 2000 so you can have all sorts of data displayed. To really help, are you after a unit at the helm, or nav station only, do you want it to talk to other items etc. Link to post Share on other sites
Battleship 100 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Agree Eruptn, really like the garmin stuff. If I was buying one a lot would depend on the existing instrument package as they all need to talk to get the most out of the system. Ours were nexus instruments but thanks to Garmin buying Nexus there is now a NMEA 2000 bridge available cheaply so almost all the instrument data can be made available to our BandG plotter very cool how well it works compared to the bad old 0183 days. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Well, first let me say it can be done both ways, PC or plotter. A good way to interface a PC based system to everything is the Vesper Marine XB8000 AIS, as it has USB, NMEA0183, NMEA2000, and WIFI. It is (uniquely I think) a multiplexor as well, so all ports send and recieve, including info received from other ports. So, you can have NMEA 0183 instruments, NMEA 2000 AP, NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 plotter, and a PC/laptop, all talking like they were designed to go together! Other multiplexors are available, as are NMEA0183 - NMEA2000 converters, starting at about $150. EVERYTHING the BandG zeus can do can be done on a laptop as well. I've has layline info (from the boats actual performance polars) on my PC for about 7 years. That was using Nobeltec. The same data will shortly be available on OpenCPN - for FREE. Sort of my next project to get working... Link to post Share on other sites
ab1974 1 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 IT - can all of the OpenCPN information on your laptop be then (i) replicated on a tablet (android or apple) - similar to the raymarine apps and (ii) controlled by a tablet? Ideally I would like to run the laptop as the central hub and then have a tablet linked in out at the helm station to use as a chartplotter? Currently I have an iPad in a Lifeproof case which works well (though not with wet fingers). Link to post Share on other sites
dkd 3 Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 Morning all, Interesting from all but I have a issue with laptop/tablet as prime nav aid, mainly maybe from years at sea but slaved, agree there is a place. In Aust. we have to have GPS fitted for Cat3 (Laptop/tablet dont fit under "fitted" hence my search for 'Plotter against just a GPS . And for now the search will continue and when get home will try to make the smart decision ..... Thanks and look forward to comments Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 AB1974, yes, absolutely. There are many apps to allow you to control a PC from any type of tablet.... Have a look on the apple store or google... Remote control apps. I use a remote control app on my cell as a mouse for my cockpit screen, but it can display the screen as well, it's just too small on the phone! DKD, interesting, as many of the modern plotters ARE PCs, just custom installs of Linux, and touchscreen interfaces, so you can't see the other stuff. No reason you cannot build in a Laptop, although a plotter fitted to a bracket is no different. I have an issue with a tablet as a primary nav tool as well, but a laptop fastened down is no different than a plotter IMO. Neither is a "Fitted GPS". Personally, I use a GP32 Furuno as the GPS, which is "fitted". So is the one in the AIS I guess, but not the handheld or the other 3.... Computers and screens can be ruggedised versions, and waterproof, same as some plotters if required. My Laptop is not, but my cockpit screens are. MOST plotters are not waterproof, just like a laptop... Link to post Share on other sites
tuffyluffy 76 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 In Aust. we have to have GPS fitted for Cat3 (Laptop/tablet dont fit under "fitted" hence my search for 'Plotter against just a GPS . Im not sure what the AU definition of "fitted" is, but I have a permanently mounted GPS antenna on the pulpit that plugs into a permanently mounted laptop docking station in the nav station via a USB plug. My boats alloy so I had to get the antenna out of the cabin. I think I bought the stand-alone antenna on trademe. Link to post Share on other sites
ab1974 1 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Thanks IT Do you mean something like one of these Apps? http://www.pcworld.com/article/230840/i ... _apps.html Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Yep, you got it. Sorry I can't recommend one for Ipad, I don't use Apple... Link to post Share on other sites
mattm 98 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 MOST plotters are not waterproof, just like a laptop... not sure I follow what you mean there IT, which plotters are not more waterproof than a laptop? Link to post Share on other sites
philstar 61 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I had a long hard think about dedicated chartplotter vs laptop/notebook/phone. At the end of the day, sailing at night or when re-anchoring in a storm I want a dedicated waterproof instrument in the cotpit ready to go and attached to the boat battery. I went for a basic garmin chartplotter for around $500 off trade me. Works perfectly and have never had any regrets. Lots of people upgrading to fancier electronics with nice fishfinders attached so good units available second hand. I also use it all the time as a speedo when racing so I have boat speed on both sides of the boat. I have a chart plotter program on my phone as a back up, never used it yet. We also carry a laptop for kids movies etc when we're cruising. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 mattm, ok perhaps I should rephrase that to some! There are many plotters out there installed inside in yachts and fishing boats that have no IP rating - quite a few with trackballs etc. I guess that these are getting on now (so am I ! ) and the newer, touch screen ones tend to be more waterproof. The good plotters are now IPX7 or higher, which means they can be installed in the cockpit, and that's great! Of course, no-one advertises their plotter as "not waterproof", you have to read the specs, so finding current examples is time consuming. Look for IPX0 or 1. Waterproofing IMO, is not so important down below. Your electrical system is not waterproof! Either way you decide, my point is you CAN have waterproof for both PC and Plotter based systems if that is what you require. There are a couple of Panasonic toughbooks on Trademe at the moment, ex lease, for under a grand for a 12" display.... Some people will always use plotter based systems, and that's fine, they work well. I'm just trying to point out that there are options! Link to post Share on other sites
sailfish 0 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Our boat had nothing in the way of electronics so we went garmin. I'm a computer programmer by day and computer hater by night, so went with ease of use over trying to figure out why my computers usb is not working for some stupid reason, or if I forgot to plug it in and it hibernates at the wrong bloody time. Some times I'm my own worst enemy with the dam things. So we went: Garmin chartplotter 4010. Garmin wind sensor Garmin Autopilot GH12 Garmin Quatix watch Garmin nmea2000 wireless sender unit for the watch. Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF with AIS into the chartplotter on nmea 0183 External camera input into the chartplotter, hooked it up works wicked, never used it again. Things that worked amazing were the autopilot and auto routing features, everything just talked and worked out of the box. Wind hold worked extremely well in the middle of the ocean, just like self steering gear but using a million times more power. Sat overlays on the maps were great, but we were only shown this near the end of our trip. Great for reef passes. External monitor in the cockpit for the chartplotter (mounted below in the saloon) and putting maps onto the big tv is really nice. Used a remote from the cockpit to control the chartplotter down stairs. Garmin watch now gets all info from chartplotter (aws, heading, routes, even controls the autopilot (which we put the main unit out on the helm so is like carrying another one around with you!!) and has made us go out of control several times. Turns out you don't leave it on the autopilot screen (on the watch) and fiddle in the engine room bumping the buttons on your watch. All sorts of fun and games happen very quickly while you're in the worst possible place. It has MOB feature which is great, places a MOB marker on the map when you fall off the back and the wireless looses its range. (less than half the length of the boat) I tested it. I'm glad we went down this path and wouldnt look back. My wife is extremely comfortable with plotting courses, engaging the autopilot and checking the routes. She would not do this on the computer I suspect. She hates linux and I refuse to use windows and neither of us understand mac. We plan on replacing our 1995 Radar with a garmin one and our 1886 depth sounder with garmin, freeing up space those two dinosaurs take in the cockpit. I've heard mixed reports about the garmin radars though and our 1995 furuno picks up mussel boys and was pretty awesome on our trip. So I'm a little hesitant with upgrading that part of our system, but the overlays on the chartplotter look wicked for verifying your charts. I'll stop now. Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 We plan on replacing our 1995 Radar with a garmin one and our 1886 depth sounder with garmin, freeing up space those two dinosaurs take in the cockpit. I've heard mixed reports about the garmin radars though and our 1995 furuno picks up mussel boys and was pretty awesome on our trip. So I'm a little hesitant with upgrading that part of our system, but the overlays on the chartplotter look wicked for verifying your charts. I'll stop now. One of the tugs I work on has a Garmin plotter with sounder and radar. The radar is avg to good based on past experience. It is not the broadband unit, which I have heard good things about but never used. Your old radar is probably better that the new versions, vey disappointed with that brands performance Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I also ment to add that I put in a 3g broadband radar, overlaying on my PC, for $1700 nzd. You won't be able to do if for that price on a plotter based system.... Link to post Share on other sites
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