diapason
New member
Any recommendations for a straightforward chartplotter - internal batteries - to use on a Wayfarer on inshore waters?
Chart Plotter for Wayfarer
- Thread starter diapason
- Start date
bedouin
Well-known member
How about a smartphone / tablet in a waterproof case?
Not perfect but I am not sure you will find a dedicated unit with as good a combination of display resolution and battery life
Not perfect but I am not sure you will find a dedicated unit with as good a combination of display resolution and battery life
jakeroyd
Active member
For a Wayfarer i would not reccommend a smartphone in a case , for two reasons.
It is veulnerable to damage or getting wet.
The screen is difficult to see in daylight.
I would get a handheld navigator with charts.
It will be more robust , visible in sunlight and waterproof.
I have both (on a small cruiser) and it's very often the proper handheld that gets used.
I have a Lowrance one but there are many from Garmin etc which all have charts and can be bought relatively cheaply.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...&_nkw=garmin+gps+map+marine+handheld&_sacat=0
If you only want to plot waypoints get something like a Garmin gps 12
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...0.H0.Xgarmin+gps+&_nkw=garmin+gps+12&_sacat=0
More than once I have had to toss it down on a wet seat and attend to a small problem, thrashing feet and piles of rope etc.
It is veulnerable to damage or getting wet.
The screen is difficult to see in daylight.
I would get a handheld navigator with charts.
It will be more robust , visible in sunlight and waterproof.
I have both (on a small cruiser) and it's very often the proper handheld that gets used.
I have a Lowrance one but there are many from Garmin etc which all have charts and can be bought relatively cheaply.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...&_nkw=garmin+gps+map+marine+handheld&_sacat=0
If you only want to plot waypoints get something like a Garmin gps 12
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...0.H0.Xgarmin+gps+&_nkw=garmin+gps+12&_sacat=0
More than once I have had to toss it down on a wet seat and attend to a small problem, thrashing feet and piles of rope etc.
northwind
Well-known member
Garmin 78
mrming
Well-known member
Another vote for Garmin GPSMap 78. Small, waterproof, floats and runs on AA batteries. Simple to use and with the added benefit that you can use HomePort to passage plan on your laptop before exporting routes and waypoints to the device.
bedouin
Well-known member
I find it hard to describe something with a display resolution of 160x240 as a chart plotter 
I have both a Garmin 12 and a fixed GPSMAP (one of the larger models) but I would not dream of trying to use either without reference to paper charts.
They are great as GPS - and the "charts" on the GPSMAP are a nice feature but not really good enough for navigation.
Even with those on board if piloting single handed in unknown waters I will wear my smartphone round by neck in a waterproof case. Small enough and light enough not to get in they way - no need to toss it down anywhere.
Yes it is not ideal but don't knock it unless you have tried it.
I have both a Garmin 12 and a fixed GPSMAP (one of the larger models) but I would not dream of trying to use either without reference to paper charts.
They are great as GPS - and the "charts" on the GPSMAP are a nice feature but not really good enough for navigation.
Even with those on board if piloting single handed in unknown waters I will wear my smartphone round by neck in a waterproof case. Small enough and light enough not to get in they way - no need to toss it down anywhere.
Yes it is not ideal but don't knock it unless you have tried it.
diapason
New member
Thanks for your help. I have to confess that I'm wary of the 'phone. My iphone is unreadable in sunlight and the battery goes in very short time when it's being used. Even stand by is only a day if I'm lucky. The Garmin's look good, and I've seen a secondhand Garmin 176 on ebay which looks ok and runs on batteries. Hope to have the boat ready to launch next week, so will need to get something soon.
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mrming
Well-known member
One of the Garmin jobs and a laminated paper chart should serve you well. As Bedouin says, these things have tiny screens so they're not good for passage planning. Better to do that in advance either on a laptop or with a paper chart and then input the routes / waypoints into the device. A smartphone is handy as a backup and the screens are much better, but you don't see many charging outlets on your average Wayfarer.
diapason
New member
Thinking again about the Garmin 176c I've seen, are G1 series data cards still available? (I will, of course, also have paper charts).
