Chart plotter suggestions / sense check please

[JesseLoynes]

Good morning all,

I'm looking for an electronic chart option to fit to our 27ft sports/weekender yacht. (I've searched back, but looking for a little situation-specific advice, and potentially update on info from a year or two ago...)

We've got a pretty open cockpit, no sprayhood, and tiller steered. We normally sail double handed. We've sailed the Solent and some familiar lengths of the South Coast essentially by pilotage and memory with occasional chart checks, but now wanting to explore further, and possible a bit more challenging - off to the Scillies etc. It would be reassuring to have a live chart plot visible.

In anything more than a sunny F2, paper charts in the cockpit are unusable, and shorthanded on an active vessel, scrambling down below to check charts is something to do at intervals, so I'm looking for a chart display for the cockpit.

• Likely to be bulkhead mounted so that it won't get caught with any ropework.
• Likely to be a 7 or 9 inch display - rear cabin bulkhead / front of cockpit is 4 or 5 feet ahead of the helm's seated position.
• Likely buttons rather than touchscreen as completely open to elements
• Likely to be offset to port or starboard of companionway, so perhaps mounted at angle toward centre of cockpit for viewing from either side.
• Currently have 2x Tacktick remote displays for wind/position/speed etc.

At the moment that has lead me towards the Raymarine Element 7 or 9. That's approx £375 or £590 incl Lighthouse charts. Probably more offers to be found.

So any thoughts / confirmations if this is a reasonably sensible solution, or particularly any suggestions for alternative given the info above, that would be very helpful, thank you. Jesse.

 

[vyv_cox]

I don't have any experience of Raymarine, having owned Garmin and B&G in the past. I looked at the spec of your selections and would say they look good. My overwhelming advice is to avoid touchscreen, the most useless technology imaginable aboard a moving boat. Yours appears not to have it, so. Otherwise, go for the biggest you can afford/have space for.

 

[Boathook]

I looked at the Element which did everything I wanted including radar. Didn't buy one as the radar is connected by Raymarine Wi-Fi and most people including my dealer have said that it doesn't work well.

Now looking at the aximon pro that is a hybrid with touch screen and buttons / knobs.

Touch screen is good on smooth-ish seas but the buttons, etc are better in rougher water.

My last boat I had the Raymarine eS9 which was hybrid until the touch screen packed up !

 

[mrangry]

A few years ago I bought the B&G Vulcan 9 and been pretty happy with it, even the touchscreen is better than most I have used when wet. I have it at the helm and as old age takes its course I wish I had bought the 12. Do not be tempted to go down the tablet route as having just crewed on a trans Atlantic crossing with an iPad pro we quickly learned that in sunlight vision is very poor, the waterproof cover was not waterproof and it kept dropping out the connection with the rest of the network.

 

[potentillaCO32]

I bought the onwa 7 inch from uk distributor alves. Very impressed. Has ability to take navionics maps. I like the nmea 0183 and 2000 inregration ability particularly. Bright 1000 nits ( whatever they are ) display

 

[PaulRainbow]

Good morning all,

I'm looking for an electronic chart option to fit to our 27ft sports/weekender yacht. (I've searched back, but looking for a little situation-specific advice, and potentially update on info from a year or two ago...)

We've got a pretty open cockpit, no sprayhood, and tiller steered. We normally sail double handed. We've sailed the Solent and some familiar lengths of the South Coast essentially by pilotage and memory with occasional chart checks, but now wanting to explore further, and possible a bit more challenging - off to the Scillies etc. It would be reassuring to have a live chart plot visible.

In anything more than a sunny F2, paper charts in the cockpit are unusable, and shorthanded on an active vessel, scrambling down below to check charts is something to do at intervals, so I'm looking for a chart display for the cockpit.

• Likely to be bulkhead mounted so that it won't get caught with any ropework.
• Likely to be a 7 or 9 inch display - rear cabin bulkhead / front of cockpit is 4 or 5 feet ahead of the helm's seated position.
• Likely buttons rather than touchscreen as completely open to elements
• Likely to be offset to port or starboard of companionway, so perhaps mounted at angle toward centre of cockpit for viewing from either side.
• Currently have 2x Tacktick remote displays for wind/position/speed etc.

At the moment that has lead me towards the Raymarine Element 7 or 9. That's approx £375 or £590 incl Lighthouse charts. Probably more offers to be found.

So any thoughts / confirmations if this is a reasonably sensible solution, or particularly any suggestions for alternative given the info above, that would be very helpful, thank you. Jesse.

I'd look at the Garmin Echomap range, such as: Garmin Echomap UHD2 75cv No Transducer - UK & Ireland Charts Included (010-02596-60)

Comes with inbuilt Garmin Navionics charts and has buttons.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I don't have any experience of Raymarine, having owned Garmin and B&G in the past. I looked at the spec of your selections and would say they look good. My overwhelming advice is to avoid touchscreen, the most useless technology imaginable aboard a moving boat. Yours appears not to have it, so. Otherwise, go for the biggest you can afford/have space for.

Never had issues with touchscreen, but you do need it mounted somewhere you can rest the heel of your hand if its rough. It's also possible to have a remotely fitted or wireless set of buttons for some of the "better" plotters.

For instance: Remotes | Garmin

 

[vyv_cox]

Never had issues with touchscreen, but you do need it mounted somewhere you can rest the heel of your hand if its rough. It's also possible to have a remotely fitted or wireless set of buttons for some of the "better" plotters.

For instance: Remotes | Garmin

My plotters have always been mounted at the chart table. I had a Garmin 2010, not touch screen, that was logical and simple to use. When my ancient B&G instruments finally gave up I installed a Zeus 2 12 inch plotter with Triton instruments.

The plotter was everything the Garmin 2010 was not - far from intuitive and the touch screen close on impossible. Even after 10 years I still needed the manual. Modifying a route once commenced was particularly problematic, easy on the Garmin, it being easier to rewrite it.

The instruments were superb!

 

[doug748]

For excellent value Aves marine have an Onwa 5in machine on offer for £359, bear in mind this includes charts already loaded and AIS, should you need it in future. This is something like half price compared to other traditional options plus you have UK back up through this importer.

Chart Plotters with AIS.

If you can't live with a smaller screen, there are other models as Potentilla has pointed out.

.

 

[LittleSister]

I can't advise on a suitable current plotter (mine is one of those Noah considered for his Ark), but for chartwork in the cockpit a chart holder is just the ticket, whether for the occasional valuable cross-reference/additional info/larger view supplementary to a plotter, or as an alternative to having a plotter at all. (I navigated over many miles and years using them on my knees in small boats before plotters became available and into my price range.)

You used to be able to buy commercially produced ones in chandlers, but I can't no find any online, but you can easily make your own. This PBO article describes one way of doing it and gives a basic .
Small boat waterproof chart holder - Practical Boat Owner

At a push, you can get one of the waterproof map holders sold to walkers, etc., but the narrow fiddly openings and lack of a 'rigid' backing of these reduces their practicality for sailing.
You need -
- decent size so you can see good portion of the chart, but not over-large (if making your own, also consider what size can be accommodated in a convenient location in your particular cockpit and cabin without being in the way);
- waterproof (and coffee/soup etc. proof!) covering with a wide opening that can be reasonably effectively closed by e.g.
a simply folding flap (fully waterproof seal not necessary);
- a rigid, or preferably semi-rigid, lightweight backing so you can use it on your knees, write on it etc.;
- clips (ideally fixed to the backing) to hold the chart onto the back and keep the opening closed;
- a plastic Breton or other such plotter to calculate bearings from the lines of latitude on the chart if the chart's compass rose is not visible, and to judge by eye, or even draw, lines and distances on the chart
- a hole or something else on the chart holder that you can tie a cord round to stop the holder going over the side in windy or boisterous conditions.

 

[dunedin]

Lots of alternative chartplotter options will meet the OPs needs. But won’t go far wrong with the Raymarine ones proposed in the original post.