Chartplotter Laptop Software Recomendations

Croak

Croak

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My old Magellan GPS has finally given up the ghost.

I Think I am going to buy a small handheld with a PC cable and connect it to my laptop,

I can use it as the handheld for day cruises and the laptop with some chartplotter software for longer trips.

Is there any software out there that anyone can recomend for the computer? I am sailing in the Irish sea but may go round England and Wales in a couple of years time.

Or, should I buy a Chartplotter.
 
You'll get lots of suggestions! I've tried all sorts, but for passage-making on a small boat you really can't beat a deck mounted plotter. However, I went down the laptop/GPS approach with RYA/Admiralty charts as a cheap and simple intro to electronic nav. some years back, and for a chart table system it worked very well. I've just got the Imray digital chart ID30 for West Coast UK and Ireland, and I'm very impressed by what it does for the money (£30). I just use this for passage planning, but it would certainly meet your needs IMO. SeaPro Lite has all of the UK for around £99, but I find it very clunky to use. Imray has my vote.

If you go the plotter route, look VERY carefully at screen resolution and chart detail readability. They are NOT all the same!
 
If I had my time again, and could have either a plotter at the helm, or a PC solution below, I would take the plotter at the wheel every time.

Standard Horizon and Lowrance do fairly cheap models with internal aerials and with good resolutions, (I think the Lowrance 5in screen has a better resolution than the SH180).

With the Lowrance, whilst the cheap Nauticpath charts are OK, I would probably upgrade to Navionics charts.

I actually have both, but only use the PC based option because it has C-Map charts, whereas the Lowrance has the Nauticpath. If I had Navionics, I wouldnt need the PC solution.

Just my 2 pennorth, based on a 2 year trip from UK to Malta.

Richard
 
Using Mapsource Tracker on my laptop , When I connect to the GPS , I lose all the detail and get a blocky coastline. Is This normal or am I doing something wrong ?
 
Bluedragon

I was not aware of the Imray digital charts, they look quite good. But do you have to but new tidal data each year as well?
 
The Imray charts are current for two years, but work beyond the expiry date and require a new tiday almanac each year. The tide prog covers all of the UK + the English Channel. I only use it as a back up system and it does seem to work well. My laptop is connected to a USB mouse, which is much cheaper than a "hand held" and works off a common power supply, I get a good signal inside the cabin of the boat. There is no degridation of chart quality with the gps running and, if funds are available, I will try to connect it to an AIS engine this summer.
 
My (monohull) is not a lot longer than your cat. I went for a laptop-based solution over a chartplotter for budgetary reasons - I already owned the hardware. Clicky.

But you do have to accept compromises, for example on power consumption and positioning - if you want to see the screen from the helm, you run (on a small boat, especially) the risk of seawater slopping in through the open companionway and giving your valuable computer a bath.

If I had the budget, I'd buy a Toughbook tablet pc with a built-in GPS (about £700 used on eBay) and load it with some nav software, but then of course you're in chartplotter price territory, albeit that you'd still have the cost or inconvenience of installing the plotter and the screen might not be huge at that price.

I deal with the compromises by using the laptop in a position that renders it visible from the helm, when weather conditions permit it to be used at minimal risk to its well-being. In practice, that is much of the time that I use the boat. The back-up arrangement for any other time is a handheld Garmin chartplotter that I already owned - it's waterproof and can therefore be used in the cockpit in any conditions.

Both the laptop and the back-up handheld have their own GPS (and in the case of the laptop, AIS) receivers independent of the boat's fixed system, so you get some redundancy which can be reassuring. That said some chartplotters also run off internal GPS receivers, so a similar result can be achieved.
 
I can position the laptop inside and view it through the window at the helm. Although I won't have access to the keyboard. Do I need access to the keyboard, Do the computer programs keep the boat in the same place and move the chart?

I am planning to run the laptop with a handheld GPS so can use that on its own and be in the same position as I am now.
 
I have downloaded the seapro lite demo, (and the free one).

The Demo looks good. I think that is the basics that I will need.(The free one is ok for nothing but no detail)
 
OK, The disadvantages of the laptop are that You cant see it from the helm, Weather exposure, power use.

But I would get a large screen and would have the computer on board.

So I need to compare The software and the charts that are available.

Are there any recomendations for any other systems. (than SeaPro)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Are there any recomendations for any other systems. (than SeaPro)

[/ QUOTE ]

I have used SOB since 2006 and find it works well.

http://www.digiboat.com.au/

It uses C-Map charts, which are excellent, and I use the cartridges via a reader, (which was about £120 ouch!!).

My laptop sits on the saloon table, and I can see it from the helm - I can even plug the TV into the laptop and, if I duck down, I can see a massive pic of the plotter on the TV /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Every now and then I, or someone, has to go below to press some buttons on the keyboard, but that isnt too onerous.

I still prefer the plotter at the helm, and wouldnt be without it.
 
I have been using Chart Navigator and laterly Chart Navigator Pro for the past two years and can fully recommend both versions depending on your requirement for bells and whistles.
 
Croak, if you've got the computer, you're going to buy a handheld anyway, then for £30 more (if you go the Imray route) you've got a system you can try for a season. That's what I did, then bought a helm-mounted plotter the following year when I'd got some first-hand experience of E-plotting. I don't like the SeaPro interface that much, and what I really like about the Imray charts is that you can download the chart corrections and they show as little information boxes on the screen. It's the first time I've seen that! Check them out before you go with SeaPro IMO.
 
I looked at the imray digital charts.

I cant work out weather they are just the charts, or do you get the program to run them with the gps. (so you get your boats position etc on the chart)

Is there a demo I can download?
 
I don't think they can display gribs...but I'll check.

Croak - as said, the plotter program is included with them. The registration process is a little ambiguous, but after that all worked well. There are two versions a) without tides at £29.xx and with tides at £39.xx I think. I got the basic version without tides, but if I was going to run the program as a live navigator, I'd probably go for the tidal version. However you then have to buy new tides every year, even though the charts have no cut-off date. After year 2 (2009 at the present time) I don't think you can update them. So not perfect, but at 30 quid at good place to start IMO. It'll help you identify what you want when you're ready to spend more money /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif No demo version as far as I know though.
 
Thankyou for all the replies, Food for thought.

Thinking in a circle, Can I use a Handheld Chartplotter , say a Raymarine RC400 GPS , Through the laptop to give a bigger screen, or use it as the GPS for a chartplotter installed on the laptop.
 
On my fishing vessel I use a PC and a 19 inch lcd screen. I use Seaclear which is a free programme. I have digital admiralty charts on cds. The mouse has been replaced with a Logitec roller ball screwed down to the dash. The other commercial fishing vessels use a similar set up with bought [expensive] programmes that don't appear as good as the admiralty charts and seaclear.

I have a JRC chart plotter gps as back up. Unless you spend several thousand dollars a chart plotter is very limited.

For my yacht I have an old Toshiba laptop with seaclear and a gps puck. The puck gps are about 25 dollars on ebay. I don't have a handheld but intend to buy something like a Garmin 72 as a back up and to mount in the cockpit.
 
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