BlueChart, Navionics or C-Map?

[Medskipper]

This is probably a comparrison question that MBM could do in the Mag, maybe they have and I didn't see it?

I have a Garmin chartplotter with Bluechart and I have used a laptop with C-Map charts and I just can't make up my mind which is best.

I want to purchase a new plotter at the show so over to you guys, which charts are the best to have? Price, detail and compatability all should figure in your decision, although detail would be top of my list, I guess many will be bias as they love what they have and know their own charts well. But have any forum members had experience of all three?

All the best

Barry

 

[Frontier]

If you can get to one try Marine superstore,

I got a Cp1000 from the Port Solent one, they were very helpful, and they have the various types on demo, so you can compare.

I went for C-Map megga-wide on the CP1000, I think it's fantastic. But you may prefer a different type. Try them is best, then take into consideration comments on here.

web page

I have no connection with the store, but visited it quite a lot, the guy on the GPS's was really helpful.

D

 

[steverow]

C-map everytime.

Steve.

 

[Medskipper]

Well ok, but why? what is it that makes the difference for you?

Barry

 

[peteandthira]

I can't fault Navionics, especially now that they have produced wider-area charts with no price increase. Not seen others though, these came with the boat.

Pops

 

[jimg]

I think it is more important to find a plotter that you feel is easy to use and go with what ever it comes with.
I have used Navionics and C-Map but what interested me more was the features, such as how easy to input a route, etc.

 

[benjenbav]

I can't comment on Navionics. But I like Bluechart and recently had a chartplotter which was running C Map replaced with a Garmin unit.

For me the comparison was unfair, however, and I wouldn't suggest everyone would want to make the same change.

I have run Bluechart for 5 years on different systems and so I am much more familiar with it than C Map which I only used for six months during which time I was still running Bluechart on a handheld unit.

The chartplotter which I was using to drive C Map had a very slow redraw facility compared with the Garmin 3000 series unit with which I have replaced it.

What I wanted was the ability to run the software on my pc at home where I can look at everything on a 19" screen which is not swaying about and then transfer route and waypoint data onto the boat's chartplotter and back it up onto a handheld unit. This effectively meant that it would be necessary to pick one system rather than trying to mix and match. Because I was more familiar with Bluechart, it was the obvious one to choose plus a datacard programmer to transfer from the pc onto the chartplotter's card.

 

[Hurricane]

A feature I would find fairly high up the list.
A method of entering routes onto a PC.

Until, recently, I only found a way with C-MAP using PC Planner but recently I see that the Raymarine PC software can be used royalty free to do the same thing for both C-MAP and Navionics.
I checked the way that the Raymarine PC software works with my C-MAP charts/interface and that seems to work - I cant see why it wouldnt work with Navionocs and their chart reader - it would be interesting to see if anyone else has done this.