Advice needed Plotter or Not.!!

[markcw]

Had my RNLI sea safety check a few weeks ago and all was well, no issues at all, boat and equipment ship shape.

But the only thing mentioned is i have not got an electronic chart plotter or electronic compass, we only have a Garmin depth sounder and some paper charts plus a normal glass compass. I have been looking at the prices of the chart plotters like Garmin but to be truthful 349 quid is out of my league, some of the eBay items are still 250 quid second hand.

I have been looking at a the free chart plotter software for lap tops, Have downloaded sea clear but finding a usable map for were we boat is impossible and using the program is not the easiest of thing to master.

We mainly use our 21ft wellcraft cuddy at Torquay-Weymouth, and now our confidence is growing we would like start making passages, etc torquay to Dartmouth or weymouth to pool, is there any other alternatives that i have not looked at or missed, other than buying a very expensive iPhone.

Any advice greatly appreciated

mark w

 

[Barry Jones]

The boating world is becoming obsessed with chart plotters.

How did we ever manage without ??

The problem with laptop software is that you have to be inside the cabin using it and laptops are very power hungry - drawing 7-8 Amps or more at 12VDC via a suitable converter.

You can continue to use paper charts and you can navigate with a hand compass and using lights and marks or you can buy a basic handheld GPS which will work off 12V and give you a Lat/Lon readout or simple route structure to follow.

The benefit of a chart plotter is that you can have the charts in the cockpit with you.

TBH I think I would save up for a secondhand one off Ebay if you are going to start coastal trips in unfamiliar waters - what price safety ??

 

[lisilou]

Hi Mark.
For what it's worth, we've only just worked out how to use our plotter which came with the boat. It never bothered us not using it and so we never missed it because we knew no different. We worked from the paper charts and compass which did us just fine.(having said that, we never went far afield, probably because we didnt have the confidence of the plotter). Now knowing how to use the plotter, I have to say it's greatly improved our enjoyment of boating. We go further afield because it simply gives us more confidence. We still do the paperwork first then tap it into the plotter, stick it in 'highway' mode and off we go. Much more relaxing and enjoyable simply coz your eyes arent constantly glued to the compass. (this is only our 3rd season so still learning our way around). Anyway, I would not be without it now and would save up to buy a good one. Just my opinion but hope it helps.
Lisa

 

[markcw]

Ive been told that the Garmin are good, have just been looking and found a Garmin Gpsmap 421 or a 521but it says us version, would be right in saying that all i would need is a UK version map

What are the main things i should look?????

 

[Solitaire]

But the only thing mentioned is i have not got an electronic chart plotter or electronic compass, we only have a Garmin depth sounder and some paper charts plus a normal glass compass. I have been looking at the prices of the chart plotters like Garmin but to be truthful 349 quid is out of my league, some of the eBay items are still 250 quid second hand.



We mainly use our 21ft wellcraft cuddy at Torquay-Weymouth, and now our confidence is growing we would like start making passages, etc torquay to Dartmouth or weymouth to pool, is there any other alternatives that i have not looked at or missed, other than buying a very expensive iPhone.

Any advice greatly appreciated

mark w

Mark, you really don't need an expensive chart plotter. I use and always have with me a Garmin 76 H/H plotter that can also be mounted on a unit and a cable that plugs into a 12volt socket for longer runs. It is B/W - it does not use loads of battery power as it is not powering a colour screen. I bought one (I have 2!) on Ebay for £85! It will do everything you want and has been very useful when on deliveries the expensive stuff has not worked!

It is a discontinued product but if you can find one then it is a great bit of kit.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/alt-image.do?pID=164&img=productImageLarge


https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=164&ra=true


Ebay is selling one - although it is the map version for £95! This is the more up to date version with maps, but still a good price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ctg/Garmin-GP...A2%7C39%3A6%7C72%3A4908&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#



Good luck.

 

[ian38_39]

We also boat on a very tight budget and looked around the budget end of the plotter market to find the cheapest that would do the job.

We ended up with a Standard Horizon CP180i which was a great piece of kit for the money and was well up to the job but sometimes a little difficult to read due to the small screen size, upgraded it about 18 months ago to a Standard Horizon CP300i and have found this fantastic, screen is now plenty big enough for all the boating we do.

Don't forget that if you do buy one you will also need at least a local area chart @ around £100 and yearly updates will cost you around £75. Bit difficult to amend them with a chart pen.

Overall still wouldn't be without one, especially as we boat on the East coast where lots of the areas are drying with lots of little channels to follow. have found the accuracy incredible.

As an alternative navionics do a full version of their chartplotter software for any android phone for £15 and it is very good indeed, free chart updates and every chart for the UK, yes you need a GPS enabled phone with a decent screen size but you no longer need an iphone.

 

[Elessar]

Had my RNLI sea safety check a few weeks ago and all was well, no issues at all, boat and equipment ship shape.

But the only thing mentioned is i have not got an electronic chart plotter or electronic compass, we only have a Garmin depth sounder and some paper charts plus a normal glass compass. I have been looking at the prices of the chart plotters like Garmin but to be truthful 349 quid is out of my league, some of the eBay items are still 250 quid second hand.

I have been looking at a the free chart plotter software for lap tops, Have downloaded sea clear but finding a usable map for were we boat is impossible and using the program is not the easiest of thing to master.

We mainly use our 21ft wellcraft cuddy at Torquay-Weymouth, and now our confidence is growing we would like start making passages, etc torquay to Dartmouth or weymouth to pool, is there any other alternatives that i have not looked at or missed, other than buying a very expensive iPhone.

Any advice greatly appreciated

mark w

You don't need one. They are nice to have, no more. Increasingly few boats don't have them but they are not a necessity. If you enjoy boating without one, then forget it!

On my last boat the plotter was on a bracket outside, so I took it home for security. I often forget to bring it with me. Did it spoil my day? Of course not. Yet friends with me would be nervous.........

 

[lisilou]

What are the main things i should look?????

My knowledge is very limited so all I can tell you is: ours is a Standard Horizon 180 which is very simple to use and has a decent sized screen. I personally would look for ease of use and clear, uncomplicated display which this is. I have no comparisons so there maybe even better options but as a new user, the cp180 provides everything we could need. Worth saving up for maybe?? Oh and the Cmaps required, will set you back a bit too.

 

[benjenbav]

As Solitaire says the Garmin 76 is a great bit of kit. I bought the 76map 9 or 10 years ago when it was cutting edge and I still have the same unit which I use as a back-up to my back-up.

 

[markcw]

just found a chart plotter garmin 128 but will this be easy to understand as it will not so me were i am to on a map, i understand it will just show my GPS postion.

How good are the GPS trackers????? rather than a colour screen plotter that show a map

 

[Solitaire]

just found a chart plotter garmin 128 but will this be easy to understand as it will not so me were i am to on a map, i understand it will just show my GPS postion.

How good are the GPS trackers????? rather than a colour screen plotter that show a map

The 128 is not strictly a chart plotter - it is a GPS and where we all started before we had fancy maps. I guess that from your question, an understanding of basic navigation is somewhat new.

You can build waypoints from your paper chart, load the coordinates into the 128 and then build a route. The latitude and longitude display will allow you plot your position on a chart. i used a 128 for many years and was all I needed. Even now when doing a long trip I don't have the chart on all the time, I rather use the rolling road which is available on the 128.



You should always plan a route on a paper anyway and not rely solely on electronics.

 

[kashurst]

as many have said you don't need a plotter per se, they are a useful tool but too often become a security blanket and an excuse not to plot a course on paper before you go. If budgets tight I'd spend the money on a GPS that you can connect to a DSC VHF radio and a pilot book for the area you sail in. This would give you a GPS position at any time in case you get a bit disorientated at sea, and adds an extra safety layer as the DSC VHF radio knows where you are just in case of an emergency.

 

[Sneds]

I have a Standard Horizon 180i and "wouldn't leave home without it!"
The Bristol Channel also has lots of drying areas and this piece of kit has allways helped keep me in deeper water.
Wouldn'y pay £250 for a 2nd hand one as new ones are not a lot more and you'll get a warranty.

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/produc...180I-StandardHorizon180i&utm_campaign=Froogle

 

[omega2]

Electronics not required

If you are able to navigate with a chart and pencil, along with a reliable compass then you have no need of a chartplotter, and the guy who pointed out this ommision is probably not as with it as you are, some of these nit pickers want a good kick up the you know what. You should have asked him what would he do if his "electronics" went down!!

 

[Sneds]

If the electronics go down at least you'll have an exact posistion of where you are/were.
If the technology is there use it, I say. Any aid to navigation has to be a plus.
You wouldn't "turn off" the ABS on your car would you?

 

[markcw]

Thanks for all your replies,
Some very good valied points, i have done my RYA level 1 and 2, so im ok in useing a paper map, i have been refreshing myself lately, but i find there are so many things to remember, and just thought from the RNLI visit that may be i should add a plotter, as it took me about 3-4 minites to give my position on test, but like the inspector said i may only have a minute to get of the boat, so the nearest thing to grab in that situation would be my handheld vhf and the family, giving my position would be very hard in that time with the stress levels.

but for me the cost is a huge factor, but replaceing my paper maps will also cost me.

Wish i could have some of the 168 million smackers that the lottery winners got, how nice would that be.

 

[whisper]

Thanks for all your replies,
Some very good valied points, i have done my RYA level 1 and 2, so im ok in useing a paper map, i have been refreshing myself lately, but i find there are so many things to remember, and just thought from the RNLI visit that may be i should add a plotter, as it took me about 3-4 minites to give my position on test, but like the inspector said i may only have a minute to get of the boat, so the nearest thing to grab in that situation would be my handheld vhf and the family, giving my position would be very hard in that time with the stress levels.

but for me the cost is a huge factor, but replaceing my paper maps will also cost me.

Wish i could have some of the 168 million smackers that the lottery winners got, how nice would that be.

Another vote for Garmin 76 Handheld - perfectly adequate if you are able to use paper charts. Also, of course, you can take it and your HH VHF with you if you have to "abandon ship"

 

[hlb]

You dont actually need anything but a chart. But if the ****e really hits the fan, an auto pilot is very useful, coupled to a chart plotter. Just send the boat out to sea, till it calms down. Other wise, you will be so worried about finding position, you wont have time to look out the window.

Anything that will stop you hitting things is good.

Christopher Columbus discovered America, or was it the West Indies. Cant remember.

Not much good if your looking for Cowes.

So yes. you can sail to New York as long as you can see the stars at night.

With a mobo it's more or less A To B else you'll run out of fuel.

Im with the RNLI a chart p;otter really makes a difference.