chartplotter for small boat.

[steve yates]

would you buy an old simrad cp32 or a new lowrance 4m? Or neither and just go with the garmin gps and echo sounder units that came with it? Bearing in mind I'm learning navigation as I go.

(my original plan, but just seen a potentially cheap simrad that might be worth a punt? )

thx.

 

[TangaraToo]

We don't have a CP on our boat (9mtr), just use cheap tablet (£79) and Navionics software. Also have Navionics on smart phone as a back up. Combined with a weather app and a tides app it gives me all I need.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Go for a cheap tablet(make sure it has gps) and put Navionics app on it. Hudl2 is recommended and Navionics HD is about £38 for the whole of the UK and Holland, so under £200.

 

[johnalison]

I don't mean to be patronising but if you are still learning navigation, you perhaps ought to stick with the basics for a couple of years, even doing passages without GPS, and you won't regret the confidence that this ability gives you. Plotters are excellent, but need to be used sensibly.

 

[pmagowan]

I don't mean to be patronising but if you are still learning navigation, you perhaps ought to stick with the basics for a couple of years, even doing passages without GPS, and you won't regret the confidence that this ability gives you. Plotters are excellent, but need to be used sensibly.

I would advise having the plotter, or some capability on a phone or tablet as a backup but it is well worth getting out the paper charts and a plotting ruler if you want to learn. It is fine to take a short cut when you know how to do it properly but if you use a plotter before you learn how to navigate properly then when the batteries fail you are up a creek and you might not know which one!

 

[steve yates]

Totally agree about learning with a plotter and paper charts, I have bought them and started already.
But I do want some kind of electronic aid too as I'll be singlehanded most of the time and when its all starting to go wrong, I want as simple and as fast solutions as I can get

Actually the tablet idea is a good one, I got a cheap 7" android tablet from amazon the other week with this in mind, thats probably enough to get me out of trouble when I screw up my proper navigation.

 

[Kelpie]

I don't know how small the OP's boat is, but a tablet is likely to be more vulnerable in a smaller boat.
I'm very happy with my Garmin 451, it's pretty small, and, crucially for a small boat, is bulkhead mounted and waterproof, so not liable to be dropped, stood on, or drowned.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I don't mean to be patronising but if you are still learning navigation, you perhaps ought to stick with the basics for a couple of years, even doing passages without GPS, and you won't regret the confidence that this ability gives you. Plotters are excellent, but need to be used sensibly.

I am in tottaly agreement with John , leans to navigate first you won't regrete it , it so easy to just turn on the plotter . And the day the GPS or plotter dies you will be glade that you have .

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I don't mean to be patronising but if you are still learning navigation, you perhaps ought to stick with the basics for a couple of years, even doing passages without GPS, and you won't regret the confidence that this ability gives you. Plotters are excellent, but need to be used sensibly.

That all sounds wonderful, but I expect hardly anyone new to sailing does that now. Plotters are cheap and reliable. Not knowing where you are is a thing of the past.

 

[mawm]

OTOH -buy a plotter and keep away from the sharp edges. You can still practice all your passage planning and navigation on paper.

 

[Stemar]

I don't know how small the OP's boat is, but a tablet is likely to be more vulnerable in a smaller boat.
I'm very happy with my Garmin 451, it's pretty small, and, crucially for a small boat, is bulkhead mounted and waterproof, so not liable to be dropped, stood on, or drowned.

While I agree with those who suggest learning the trade without relying on a plotter, it is a useful backup for those "Oh Sh!t, which buoy is that?" moments, or if fog comes down.

I have a small boat (24ft), and a Hudl with Navionics suits me fine. It normally lives below, but if I need it at the helm, it lives in a waterproof map bag left over from my hiking days. I don't think I've ever used it to plot a course, but more as a chart that tells me where I am.

The backup is a Moto G that also has Navionics (no extra charge, and I can synchronise between the two when wife's available. Could probably also do it with Bluetooth, but haven't bothered to figure out how). The Moto G isn't sold as waterproof, but I understand it has a coating that keeps water from doing damage. After a couple of uses in heavy rain, it does seem to work.

 

[steve yates]

Thanks guys, I'll stick with the little haehne tablet I bought with navionics and the bulkhead mounted gps, that's plenty I reckon. I think I'm just getting that boat disease thing, where you start to buy bits and fix bits instead of actually getting the thing wet.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Thanks guys, I'll stick with the little haehne tablet I bought with navionics and the bulkhead mounted gps, that's plenty I reckon. I think I'm just getting that boat disease thing, where you start to buy bits and fix bits instead of actually getting the thing wet.

A problem I have found with displays not intended for boats is that you cannot turn the brightness down sufficiently for night sailing. However, for those starting out, that might not be a problem as night sailing is likely to be a future activity.

 

[steve yates]

Not planned night sailing anyway

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Not planned night sailing anyway

Good plan. It's cold, ungodly, and often dark.

 

[lw395]

Not planned night sailing anyway

You're missing a lot!
Maybe it's something to work up to, but I wouldn't rule it out for too long.
Even if it's just arriving at beer o'clock in September, night sailing can be among the best IMHO.

 

[Sandy]

Good plan. It's cold, ungodly, and often dark.

Best time of day....

The stars are amazing.