First Chartplotter

[johnalison]

Our plotter is bulkhead flush mounted in the cockpit. It never crossed my mind to have it down below. Why bother with all the info if you have to go below to get it. Look at your ‘plotter’ as just another big instrument display. You may not need full screen chart all the time, you can put speed, wind, and/or depth on display, maybe with your networked displays on the other side of the companionway. Tacking up a shore line, that is a real asset.

The plotter in the cockpit is clearly desirable, but the advantage of having it below is less with tiller steering, when you would have to leave the helm to operate or maybe even view it, depending on the boat. Plotters were not waterproof unless bulkhead mounted when I fitted my first one 24 yrs ago, so my solution was to fit in at the chart table and have a graphic repeater in the cockpit displaying up to four parameters, and later a tablet as well for occasional use. No solution is perfect but this works fine for me and suits the boat.

 

[Refueler]

The plotter in the cockpit is clearly desirable, but the advantage of having it below is less with tiller steering, when you would have to leave the helm to operate or maybe even view it, depending on the boat. Plotters were not waterproof unless bulkhead mounted when I fitted my first one 24 yrs ago, so my solution was to fit in at the chart table and have a graphic repeater in the cockpit displaying up to four parameters, and later a tablet as well for occasional use. No solution is perfect but this works fine for me and suits the boat.

Then again - add tiller pilot as both my boats have - and chart table is again back on the books !!

Tillerpilot - its one of those items that I cannot imagine being without now.

 

[doug748]

I'm considering buying my first chartplotter. My yacht has ancient un-networked instruments, but I wish to upgrade them at a later date.

The Raymarine Element S units seem good value (my budget is limited), but I have a number of questions:

Can i connect via its WiFi to a tablet, and perform waypoint adjustments to it, or just view what it is currently displaying?

There are various chart formats available - which would be best for me - no racing - south coast/Solent marina hopping - (wife/children/dog..)?

Navionics charts without updates appear to be available very cheaply on EBay - any opinions?

Should I be looking at a different brand?

Thank you for your responses - be gentle with me.

If you have a smaller, older boat think carefully before spending a stack of money that you may well have to leave behind if you decide to move on. It would be quite easy to spend 3 grand and be little better off, it may help if you race but I have seen very basic boats do well with a committed helm.

If you do have a boat of modest value, I would keep what is working, and fit an inexpensive, smallish plotter, with AIS, under the sprayhood above the companionway. Failing that a tablet, as mentioned above, though it's not my personal preference.

OTOH if you have bought an old Swan and money is no object, then network two plotters + instruments and repeaters and work towards including radar at some point. PaulRainbow probably has the best overview.

So really it just depends - Good luck with it, let us know what you decide and why.

.

 

[fredrussell]

My 92HD updates are free at present via that crap Active Captain mess !! Logon - logoff - logon etc. !!

Tip : To waterproof a tablet and still keep touch screen ... Clingfilm. carefully smoothed across screen - folded round sides and set at back.

I have used clingfilm to waterproof keychain video cameras ... and other electronics .... the film is thin enough to not affect lense etc.

I'm considering using it to stop my 92HD from having its fits !! My 92HD is mounted into the fwd stbd bulkhead in cockpit ...... If it rains - water splashes - all is fine - 92HD carries on working fine. But if water runs down from cabin top to cockpit - it flows over the screen and throws a fit ... I have to switch off and restart it ... I thought about a sun shield as its crap to read in sunlight as well - but clingfilm may be enough for the water problem ... the tablet in the shade solves the other.

OP could indeed wrap all his stuff in clingfilm or he could just buy stuff that is waterproof in the first place - you know, like a piece of equipment purposefully designed to be fitted on a boat.

 

[Dellquay13]

OP could indeed wrap all his stuff in clingfilm or he could just buy stuff that is waterproof in the first place - you know, like a piece of equipment purposefully designed to be fitted on a boat.

Being of very modest means, and sailing in rainy west Wales, the clingfilm tip is useful to me. I am glad it was suggested. I have to consider options that don’t carry the ‘Marine’ price premium.
I have an old waterproof plotter under my sprayhood that I can just reach from the tiller, but the inexpensive used tablet I recently bought will get the clingfilm cover.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Then again - add tiller pilot as both my boats have - and chart table is again back on the books !!

Tillerpilot - its one of those items that I cannot imagine being without now.

We have a tiller pilot, also networked. Instill like my MFD where I can see it. On the South Coast, there are few opportunities to leave the cockpit. Even taking a pee is at your peril sometimes.

 

[Hacker]

@PaulRainbow whats the practical difference between the EchoMap and the GPSMap?

 

[Refueler]

OP could indeed wrap all his stuff in clingfilm or he could just buy stuff that is waterproof in the first place - you know, like a piece of equipment purposefully designed to be fitted on a boat.

Question is whether he budgets for Marine priced tablet or normal priced tablet and 10p's worth of clingfilm ?

There had to be someone trying to be smart .....

 

[Touching Cloth]

Thank you for all your responses.

My initial thoughts were a chartplotter at the helm, and a roving tablet.

A roving rugged tablet with a decent mount at the helm sounds like a good compromise, although the brightest that I have found have a 500nit display, unless I pay a lot more than a budget (1000nit+) chartplotter.

If I bought a Garmin Echomap with built-in "BlueChart g3 charts with Navionics data", what else would I need to be able to view on my rugged-or-clingfilmed tablet?

Would those charts be detailed enough to show me where my visitors berth was?

Thank you.

 

[fredrussell]

Being of very modest means, and sailing in rainy west Wales, the clingfilm tip is useful to me. I am glad it was suggested. I have to consider options that don’t carry the ‘Marine’ price premium.
I have an old waterproof plotter under my sprayhood that I can just reach from the tiller, but the inexpensive used tablet I recently bought will get the clingfilm cover.

I can assure you that I am of as modest means as yourself, which is why if I buy something I try and make sure it has the best chance of surviving the rough and tumble of a boat cockpit, to be used by me for a good long time. You can get a proper waterproof case for a tablet for £10 from Amazon with a lanyard etc - that has to make more sense than clingfilm surely?
Actually, I can go one better than that, PM me your address and you can have my old WP case I used to use with my tablet.

 

[johnalison]

Then again - add tiller pilot as both my boats have - and chart table is again back on the books !!

Tillerpilot - its one of those items that I cannot imagine being without now.

Of course, I have had tiller and wheel pilots for over forty years, but having current information at the helm is certainly more pleasurable, if not actually essential. I first had this with a Decca repeater in the cockpit but I now have the repeater over the companionway. A plotter screen under the sprayhood would be possible, and friends on a similar boat have this, but the disadvantage for me would be that it would sometimes get in the way when dealing with the nearby lines, and it might be that at some angles of heel it could be awkward. It depends on what kind of sailing you do. For me, setting a route and following instructions on the repeater works fine. If I did more rock-hopping I might think otherwise, but I still have the iPad to fall back on.

 

[Bobc]

Thank you for all your responses.

My initial thoughts were a chartplotter at the helm, and a roving tablet.

A roving rugged tablet with a decent mount at the helm sounds like a good compromise, although the brightest that I have found have a 500nit display, unless I pay a lot more than a budget (1000nit+) chartplotter.

If I bought a Garmin Echomap with built-in "BlueChart g3 charts with Navionics data", what else would I need to be able to view on my rugged-or-clingfilmed tablet?

Would those charts be detailed enough to show me where my visitors berth was?

Thank you.

If you're interested, I have Garmin GPSmap 550 that you can have for a couple hundred quid. Already has UK charts installed.

 

[Alicatt]

@PaulRainbow whats the practical difference between the EchoMap and the GPSMap?

1) number of inputs/outputs, the Echomap does not have a screen repeater output (HDMI?)
2)Echomap is not directly compatible with the radar
3)No input for CCTV on Echomap but is on GPSMap
4)Price, Echomap is a lot more pocket friendly

Just some things off the top of my head, I have an Echomap UHD95SV

 

[onesea]

One question what size boat?
We have put a large plotter screen on the chart table however it is clearly visible from the companionway.

Our depth sounder is on the bulkhead in the cockpit and often blocked by one or other of us. We felt a chart plotter in the cockpit would be an expensive back scratcher.

Ask me at the end of the season. When we have had a year to play, if I still rate the set up.

@Refueler i have opted for Wifi, again anyone can log on for wind, AIS position etc (All NMEA Data). they can even control the Autopilot.

It also means my cockpit £45 7” tablet can get GPS position from that.

Anemometer, 12” Plotter (with transducer and class B AIS) and Ariel Splitter and Wifi NMEA running a mix of NMEA 183 & 2k was Less than £2k and could be cheaper. However this set up suited us.
The only thing to watch is current draw it all mounts up we draw about 1.5amps all up and running but that’s a big screen to power.

Regards to apps, with extended out of home waters planned we are running Navionics on Plotter, Navionics on phones & tablets, also MemoryMap Charts as I like Raster Charts on out phones/ tablets.

Once I have worked it out I will have CM93 charts on qtVlm and OpenCPN to play with as well.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

1) number of inputs/outputs, the Echomap does not have a screen repeater output (HDMI?)
2)Echomap is not directly compatible with the radar
3)No input for CCTV on Echomap but is on GPSMap
4)Price, Echomap is a lot more pocket friendly

Just some things off the top of my head, I have an Echomap UHD95SV

I have a GPSMap 1223. Mine is all touchscreen, I like that. It also has prearranged virtual instrument layouts, but it’s not compatible directly with advanced echosounders, the echomap I think is?

 

[johnalison]

One question what size boat?
We have put a large plotter screen on the chart table however it is clearly visible from the companionway.

Our depth sounder is on the bulkhead in the cockpit and often blocked by one or other of us. We felt a chart plotter in the cockpit would be an expensive back scratcher.

Ask me at the end of the season. When we have had a year to play, if I still rate the set up.

@Refueler i have opted for Wifi, again anyone can log on for wind, AIS position etc (All NMEA Data). they can even control the Autopilot.

It also means my cockpit £45 7” tablet can get GPS position from that.

Anemometer, 12” Plotter (with transducer and class B AIS) and Ariel Splitter and Wifi NMEA running a mix of NMEA 183 & 2k was Less than £2k and could be cheaper. However this set up suited us.
The only thing to watch is current draw it all mounts up we draw about 1.5amps all up and running but that’s a big screen to power.

Regards to apps, with extended out of home waters planned we are running Navionics on Plotter, Navionics on phones & tablets, also MemoryMap Charts as I like Raster Charts on out phones/ tablets.

Once I have worked it out I will have CM93 charts on qtVlm and OpenCPN to play with as well.

There is no substitute for experience, so good luck with that.

 

[Alicatt]

I have a GPSMap 1223. Mine is all touchscreen, I like that. It also has prearranged virtual instrument layouts, but it’s not compatible directly with advanced echosounders, the echomap I think is?

Even the Echomap needs a converter box for the forward scanning sonars, the UHD 95SV does connect to the likes of the GT-56 sideVu, I have the GT-54 clearvu, sidevu, and chirp, not been fitted yet to the boat, will do so soon when we lift her out to get the hull painted and antifouled. My Echomap has 4 programable buttons for what ever function you want to assign to them, but 99.9% is touchscreen activated.
I too have preinstalled virtual instruments but my engine etc, is 45 years young as is everything else onboard, so no communications as standard. The UHD-95SV will interface with an autopilot, it's really the Radar and the HDMI that the GPSmap has that the Echomap soes not.

Oh, just remembered, the GPSmap has 2 SD card slots for the charts/Active Captain where the Echomap has only the one.

This is my plotter: Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 95sv | Chartplotter
Transducer: GARMIN (GB) | All-in-one transducer | GT54UHD-TM
and I have a Standard Horizon GX2400e VHF with AIS and NMEA2000: GX2400E - Standard Horizon
But this is all really for our next boat, it's a bit overkill for our little Casper, for now I'm using an Aldi Android Tablet for Navionics etc. as can be seen here:

 

[Refueler]

I can assure you that I am of as modest means as yourself, which is why if I buy something I try and make sure it has the best chance of surviving the rough and tumble of a boat cockpit, to be used by me for a good long time. You can get a proper waterproof case for a tablet for £10 from Amazon with a lanyard etc - that has to make more sense than clingfilm surely?
Actually, I can go one better than that, PM me your address and you can have my old WP case I used to use with my tablet.

Nice one ...

But dunno why you seem so miffed about a simple suggestion to 'test' waterproofing a tablet ...

Just to illustrate a situation :

You probably have seen or have the lockable plastic cases for sport DV cameras - such as SJ and GoPro ... they say are waterproof to 30m depth ...

I have at least 4 of them ... came with various DV cameras ... GoPro Hero 4 ... SJ4000 etc.

Not one of them actually stopped water entering even at shallow depth. I was using the SJ4000 to check my keel after hitting the rocks ... camera was at no more than 1m. In water for maybe 2 - 3mins ... water leaked into case.
My GoPro - as you know - they are not cheap rubbish ..... used for similar previous - same result.

Now if I want to do similar - I put camera in its case - then clingfilm .... NEVER had one drop get in.

 

[KimB]

Knobs and buttons ?

Hi we are looking to replace our chart plotter with an Axion , the main unit being on the chart table and a roving cheap tablet. What are your thoughts on the main unit having buttons or should we stick with the no buttons option?

 

[onesea]

There is no substitute for experience, so good luck with that.

Yup enough experience without plotter.
Long story it started a replacement for a old dead GPS, I don’t feel the need to see the plotter all the time,
There was once a time when a position on the chart every hour was enough.