Flybridges and Chartplotters

[SP2]

A simple question for all those with dual station helms.

We have decided to part with Spectrum Too as the increasing age (and size) of the junior crew demands that we need more space and two heads and a place the captain and I can escape to.

Budget and other issues mean we are hunting for a Princess 37 flybridge (SWMBO quite insistant about the upper helm!)

So the question is what do you do about chartplotters at the inside and outside position. Do we have one with a repeater; one at each station; none and go back to a paper chart and compass, etc. etc.

On Spectrum Too I fitted a Navman 5500 and it has been excellent. Would be interested in people's solutions and their recommended kit for such an application.

Oh, and if anyone knows of a P37 for sale in their marina, can you let me know - especially if the owner wants to downsize and have a real cool retro boat.

Thanks,

 

[hlb]

We manage fine with just the auto pilot upstairs. Mind, theres not alot of obsticles round Devon/Cornwall. Maybe if in other more difficult areas often. I'd have a repeater plotter.

 

[No1_Moose]

I know of a Phantom 37 that's for sale!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Definitely worth having a stand alone plotter or repeater on the flybridge because that's where you'll be doing helming from in pilotage situations when you need the plotter most ie close to land. IMHO, you do need a fairly large sunlight viewable screen. I used a Navman 5500 for a while as a flybridge plotter; it is an excellent piece of kit but I found the screen too small and difficult to view in bright sunlight

 

[SP2]

Phantom (P) 37 very nice indeed - however more than SWMBO, accountant and ex-SWMBO would countenance /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[SP2]

Yes SWMBO will be wanting bright sunshine, too. How big a screen do you think is viewable in these situations?

 

[DoubleVision]

Try the Standard Horizon 175 Mike. Fantastic daylight screen and can be bought for £399. I have one and swear by it--far better than alot of dearer ones.
Paul

 

[Hurricane]

Having got a system with duplicate electronics at both stations, I wouldnt use anything else.
There are days that you will want to helm from the flybridge and days that you'll want to helm from inside so IMHO you need instrumentation at both positions. I would also fit a system that repeats so that you can quickly go between the two positions without changing anything - having put a route into one station it would need to be duplicated on the other.

Same thing applies to Radar - in bad vis you can see further from the flybridge so thats where you need the Radar - the converse is that there are some cold passages where you will want to be inside and need to use the radar below.

I may be shot down here but I tend to use the radar as colision avoidance whilst the GPS/Plotter fo navigation.

Either way, IMHO it is expensive and I would want both radar and plotter at both stations - networked if possible.

 

[rosssavage]

Again, I agree with the above - I have a Princess 385 flybridge and have plotters at both helm positions. It is worth shopping around if you're after a pair - I bought mine from Mesltd.co.uk, who did two raymarine rc425's for £400 the pair - very reasonable!

 

[Bandit]

Fly bridges are great in moderate weather and I use mine most of the time.

When it rains heavily, its very cold or very rough you want to be down below in the shelter.

The motion on a flybridge in rough conditions is extreme compared with down below where it is moderate. When you are doing your submarine impersonations you dont want to be on the Fly.

You must have a plotter above and below .

Mine has the main set below with the card in it and the fly is the slave and it works very well.

I had a 10 inch in the saloon and 7 inch on the fly but i changed the fly as the smller screen was too small to use split screen plotter and radar and i found the writing on the small screen too small to read without my reading glasses ( age gets us all in the end) and I found the off with sunglasses and on with reading glasses and Vice versa too much.

I have a furuno GPS, plotter and Radar system not cheap but
very good.

 

[DAKA]

My solution is to have a radar/plotter combo downstairs .
Upstairs I have a Navman 5600 which is portable in that
when it is foggy I take it downstairs and plug it in at the side of the radar/plotter.

This way I have my course / rolling road on display and my radar overlaid on the chart in front of me.

Keeping the Navman portable also allows me to take it home and familiarise myself with all the features.
Also nice to plot a course from inside at night instead of setting at 0530 hours first light !

If you are happy with the 5500 then the 5500 i with the integral aerial would be worth considering and will work fine inside on the dash.
I have not had any problems with the display in sunshine of the Navman 5600.

Auto helm is linked to lower station but can be overiden from the upper helm.

 

[Nickcf]

As pretty well everyone else has said dual station displays are essential in my view. Although we spend 95% of the time helming from the flybridge, the 5% that you can't means that you have to have full nav gear at both locations. I would have thought most boats would already have a dual station setup? If the gear is too old to be usable and needs replacing, then offer a reduced price accordingly.

 

[SP2]

The ones we have looked at so far do not have chart plotters so we are starting from scratch. Some have older radar sets so we have to decide whether a Raymarine type affair is the way forward.
I do see this as something we will need to add to the budget.
However, portable equipment which we move when we go from flybridge to inside may well work, and be cost effective.
The 1970/80's dash set up was not designed for a large plotter screen and that is another consideration.

 

[Nick_H]

There's only two plugs on the back of the unit, only one if you have an integral aeriel, so moving it from one station to another is feasible. Integrated is better of course, i've got an idea standard horizon do an integrated set up and their stuff seems quite robust and good value from comments on here.

 

[SP2]

As always, some really helpful tips here. Many thanks to all.
Regards,

 

[jcmmarine]

We have a princess 37 and are very happy with it

The problem you propose I have never found.

In adverse conditions I drive from below with radar and other navaids to help me.

In good condtions we are up top where the principal navigation is by eyeball backed by a garmim 126, compass, autopilot compass repeat, and cobra DSC radio.

Every 15/20 minutes I go below to check engines and position on the main chart.

 

[stefan_r]

[ QUOTE ]
so we have to decide whether a Raymarine type affair is the way forward.


[/ QUOTE ]

If you are going RayMarine you have to have E series not C...the C is not networkable.

I have an E series upstairs and will eventually get a repeater downstairs. My flybridge is in the Med though.

I have a Raymarine RC400 handheld that I use downstairs if te weather is too bad....nice bug screen, mini-chartplotter. Same maps as the E series too.

I got my E series from www.yachtbits.co.uk (no relation just happy customer) and he even shipped everything directly to Greece.

Will eventually get a second E series....just not desperately required.

Stef

 

[SP2]

Hello John
I suppose we have got used to piloting with the aid of the chart plotter so that when approaching new harbours, rivers etc. we have both the paper chart and chart plotter to hand. Just think that as we make our landfalls from the flybridge it will be reassuring to have the overview the chart plotter gives.
Regards,

 

[jcmmarine]

Hi Mike
I'm just old fashioned ex-sailor who still runs round at displacement speed prefering to navigate on bits of paper.
But I know what you mean about approaching new harbours. A regularly updated electronic Shell Channel pilot would be nice as I find approach pictures very useful.