Electronic charts- Maxsea

[Zulane]

Hi has any member had recent experience of Maxsea or similar electronic chart plotters? We will soon cross to Caribbean and have the usual nav gear and equipment including GPS, paper charts and Raymarine C120 for inshore work.Why go electronic charts??

 

[DeeGee]

I have been using Maxsea, with CMap NT+/PC on a PC, for some time, but there is also the new Plus, and MaxSea have other charts in their range than CMap. But with the kit you have got, do you need the extra? I only use the PC charting as backup to paper charts with a Yeoman plotter.

Just to reply to your original question though, I find MaxSea to be quirky in the interface, to say the least, but once you have got familiar with it, then is is fine. The use of function keys to zoom in and out, switch various things on and off, then use at sea in orrible conditions is a perfectly reasonable proposition. For me, that has to be the bottom line. I dont know if other packages are better or worse, but Maxsea is OK.

 

[Talbot]

I like Maxsea as well. My laptop has a scroll bar next to the touch pad, and that scroll bar will zoom the chart in and out.

The laptop is good for planning and as a back up to the plotter.

 

[steverow]

Maxsea is really probably the best you can get in terms of functionality and with the range of charts that it will handle.
You could also take a look at the new Maptech Chart Navigator Pro...which comes pretty close.
If you will be sailing American waters, then all the S57 vector charts are now free to download from the Maptech and several other websites.

Steve