Is it worth buying a chartplotty thing?

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mbay

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Was looking at the pretty colours on them yesterday at the local boaty things shop and wondered if it's worth me spending my very hard earned cash and investing in one.

I have 2 GPS units on board and paper charts, a pilot book and common sense which have always got me by up to now.

I know I can download an app for my smartphone or tablet pc (both android) do they basically do the same thing as a £300 + plotter?
 
well, men sailed right round the world for hundreds of years with no more than paper charts, a compass, sextant and chronometer so, clearly you don't need one, but they are useful. The tablet vs. plotter thing has been done to death many times here - do a search and you'll find enough posts to cure insomnia. It really all comes down to your style of sailing - tablets are not designed for hostile environments - if you are planning on single-handing in poor weather, you may find that the plotter lasts a lot longer.
 
maby said:
well, men sailed right round the world for hundreds of years with no more than paper charts, a compass, sextant and chronometer so, clearly you don't need one, but they are useful. The tablet vs. plotter thing has been done to death many times here - do a search and you'll find enough posts to cure insomnia. It really all comes down to your style of sailing - tablets are not designed for hostile environments - if you are planning on single-handing in poor weather, you may find that the plotter lasts a lot longer.
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Ta ...I shall investigate the search function, they do do basically the same thing though right?
 
mbay said:
Ta ...I shall investigate the search function, they do do basically the same thing though right?
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Certainly can do. We have the Navionics application on my wife's iPad and it is certainly good enough to navigate with - at least until the battery goes flat or a heavy downpour destroys it - if that is compatible with your style of sailing, go for it!

Of course, a tablet will have limited integration with the rest of the boat - cannot drive an autopilot and can't interface with the instruments, AIS or DSC radio - at least without some expensive extra hardware that will remove any cost advantage. Again, the extent to which that matters to you will depend on your style of sailing.
 
KenMcCulloch said:
I think it entirely depends on how you use your boat.
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+1 If you mostly sail in familiar waters without winding channels you don't need one.

If you just do the odd dash across the Channel you don't need one.

If you are in the middle of an ocean you don't need one.

That still means that 90% of us adore our plotters. I've crossed the Thames Estuary without even a radio, with Decca, and with GPS alone and the ease of doing it with a plotter has to be experienced to be believed. Usual cautions applying, of course.
 
johnalison said:
If you mostly sail in familiar waters without winding channels you don't need one.

If you just do the odd dash across the Channel you don't need one.

If you are in the middle of an ocean you don't need one.
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I think that's a good summary. The first two apply to me, and mean that while I bought a plotter, I found little use for it except as an AIS display on those Channel hops.

Hopefully with the new boat I will be going further afield, and then it may get more use.

Pete
 
If you're happy with what you have don't bother, it's just more expense. Remember you've got to buy the chart chip as well as the plotter. Then you'll have the temptation to add AIS as well or have a bigger screen or a repeater at the helm...

But if you do go to lots of unfamiliar places they're very handy, I wouldn't be without mine. You could download & play around with Open CPN (free) & see if you like the idea of using one...
 
Yup +1
I dipped my toe in to the fab world of plotting with a cheap ( sorry, inexpensive) one which lives below, on the basis that proper professional mariners seem to err on the side of responsibility and good sense by never missing an opportunity to confirm/know their exact position in relation to hazards..
So I figure if I am tired or distracted it may well be the extra arrow in the quiver that nails the bullseye and not going into the wall( rather tortured analogy, sorry)
 
I must say I wouldn't be without mine, especially in unfamiliar waters. I singlehand a lot and personally think you need in in the cockpit where it can easily be referred to. Doesn't need to have a big screen but does need to be waterproof.
 
I bit the bullit last year and bought a Standard horizon...i think its great for the type of sailing that i do..ie in sight of land at all times.great for the confidence when going into harbour..but out of sight of land i cant see them being much use imo.
 
glashen said:
I must say I wouldn't be without mine, especially in unfamiliar waters. I singlehand a lot and personally think you need in in the cockpit where it can easily be referred to. Doesn't need to have a big screen but does need to be waterproof.
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+1 . After years of being very scathing it was the best thing I ever bought.

- W
 
mbay said:
Was looking at the pretty colours on them yesterday at the local boaty things shop and wondered if it's worth me spending my very hard earned cash and investing in one.

I have 2 GPS units on board and paper charts, a pilot book and common sense which have always got me by up to now.

I know I can download an app for my smartphone or tablet pc (both android) do they basically do the same thing as a £300 + plotter?
Click to expand...

Beware not all tablet nav apps are the same. Some are simple passage planners and don't have the ability to follow a route or integrate with the vessels instruments. However, for the money they make excellent back ups if you keep the tablet in a protective case and find a way of keeping it charged up.
 
I agree. A chart plotter is also very comforting in low visibility and if you are short handed. I also agree it must be in view in the cockpit to be really useful.
glashen said:
I must say I wouldn't be without mine, especially in unfamiliar waters. I singlehand a lot and personally think you need in in the cockpit where it can easily be referred to. Doesn't need to have a big screen but does need to be waterproof.
Click to expand...
 
Prefer paper chart navigation but we also have a stand alone plotter which mounts under the sprayhood at night or in fog when close to the coast. Gives position at a glance without the need for repeated plots every few minutes when stressed.
 
Down load the app its only 30 quid, make sure you have tide tables on the app (I have Navionics its not without fault but work for me), bought one copy of Navionics and have it on both devices ;).

Whats it most used for? looking up tide times in the pub when "passage planning" have I used it as my plotter. Yes and no, a couple of times I have sailed through fog and although my GPS was on below (I do not have built in plotter), I used my phone in the cockpit, as confirmation.

Plotter in cockpit or cabin? For me I really do not know only because there is no where suitable for one in the cockpit. Having the app on your phone and tablet below see which one you use and decide if you really need to spend hundreds. For me at the moment I do not feel the need to...
 
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Onesea how did you manage to get navionics on both devices, when i checked up on play store it appears i can only put the standard version on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S3) or the HD version on my tablet (Asus transformer 101).

I think I've made my mind up (thank you all for your input) I'm heading down the app route for now and see where i go from there.
 
OP
Suggest you check the power consumption in running your app and just how to recharge. And how to use your tablet when everything is wet and bouncy.
For me the tablet can only win as a back up to a proper chart plotter, fully integrated with the ship instruments and powered by big batteries. And located in the cockpit.
 
Resolution said:
OP
Suggest you check the power consumption in running your app and just how to recharge. And how to use your tablet when everything is wet and bouncy.
For me the tablet can only win as a back up to a proper chart plotter, fully integrated with the ship instruments and powered by big batteries. And located in the cockpit.
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I figure on getting a waterproof cover for my phone anyway for when I'm on the boat, already had one phone lost to Davey Jones, as for power the fag lighter socket will charge my tablet or phone just fine. but thanks' for the reply
 
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