Lowrance 3600ci and NauticPath charts

[roger]

I'm just learning about my new Lowrance 3600ci plotter and its (included) Nautic Path Europe North Chart.
I'm pleased with the plotter but concerned about the chart.
IT covers an enormous area with very considerable detail but there are some odd and potentially serious omissions.
There does not seem to be any information on bridge clearance hieghts - though bridge withs are given.
Equally there does not seem to be any info on clearing hieghts for power cables and that is very worrying.
Less seriously, guest harbours are indicated very vaguely. This is odd when the product is aimed at the leisure market.
Some of the info is out of date. There's one short passage where the chart indicates lit conventional buoys but in reality there are unlit spar buoys. This fault is also shared byt the official Swedish current issue charts though.
On the positive side though I've set up a route for one complex passage with 100 + buoys and 20 + lighthouses and as far as I can tell they are all there [cant check precisely as all the charts are on the boat]
The question remains - is the chart good enough to rely on? Of course the blurb that comes with the chart says it isn't.
" For their own safety, users are advised to consult official updated nautical charts for navigation purposes".

 

[Whitelighter]

Charts are updated all the time. If you were to rely solely on the chip, you would need to buy a new one every year.

I use the plotter as a back up for paper charts when boating in new water for the fist time.

 

[Sans Bateau]

I have now used a 3500c for the last season and have also found some anomalies with Nautipath.

But, like jezbanks, wisely says, its a back up. Or more correctly it should be backed up with paper charts. The way I use mine is as an aid to pilotage in unfamiliar waters, its right in front of me at the helm. Using mark 1 eyeball referencing what is on the plotter compared to what is around me.

 

[Guest]

A £135 Nautipath card ... compared to the number of Navionics / CMap NT cards etc. to cover similar area ? Could you imagine the cost ? And in fact you would still have a lot of the errors ....
The card is a good card and serves well as an aid. The ommissions you mention - clearance heights .... surely I cannot believe you would trust a plotter to tell you clearance heights ?? I for one would be consulting various publications as well as phoning HM to check ...

Some people use the nautipath card for general and buy a Navionics for smaller area and some say greater detail ... why not if you do get better detail. But I again question wisdom of trusting any plotter chart ... same actually with any chart - paper or not. As Etap says - Mk1 eyeball .... and I add - ask about destination ..... don't trust a card or bit of paper .... ask the HM etc. or others who frequent that place ...

 

[Richard10002]

I did a trip from Glasson Dock, (Lancaster), to Lagos, (Portugal), calling at Falmouth, Bayona, Lexioes and Cascais, and found the chart extremely accurate.

Some of the buoys in the River Lune were in different places, but the channel shifts, so no chart would be accurate. The Marinas at Bayona were a bit out of date, but Mk 1 eyeball sorted this out.

My biggest issue with it, (not sure whether it's the plotter or the chart), is that you have to zoom in to about 10 miles and less to get any detail.

If I had a choice of charts and plotter down below, versus a waterproof 3600i at the helm, the 3600i wins hands down.

(I use Imray charts at the chart table).


Cheers

Richard

 

[roger]

Thanks for the opinions folks. We will have paper charts for the areas we sail in on board. I just don't trust things electrical to go on working. Nevertheless, in the Swedish islands knowing bridge and power cable hieghts is vital - just as important as knowing where the rocks are. I dont know whether the omission is just an accident on NauticPaths part or deliberate. There must of course be selection in the info displayed. However the omission of said hieghts seems odd. It is a relatively small amount of extra info with a big safety weighting.
In these areas it is absolutely essential to have the plotter on deck, visible from the helm; there just isn't time to go below.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

At least Nauticpath shows bridges. On the Navionics chart they are not shown until near maximum zoom, and then only as faint grey shading. Caused a few nervous moments this year in the Dutch waterways!

 

[duncan]

can't comment on the bridge heights and power lines - interesting as to how any of the electronic charts might show these........comments?

re [ QUOTE ]
Some of the info is out of date. There's one short passage where the chart indicates lit conventional buoys but in reality there are unlit spar buoys. This fault is also shared byt the official Swedish current issue charts though.


[/ QUOTE ] sort of answers itself really. If the official paper charts show something I would expect electronic charting to do so as well - there are only so many underlying data sources!

The lack of pontoon definition in some marinas is noticable and frustrating at times - but they are there for the most part where the ports are large and complicated ie when you are actually navigating around them!

I actually have one cliff missing on mine - wonder if it's the cartography or my particular chart is corrupted a bit. this causes me much more concern! For those interested it's at St Albans (St Aldeheims?) Head in Dorset - cliff section simply goes missing on the screen.

 

[Sans Bateau]

[ QUOTE ]
actually have one cliff missing on mine - wonder if it's the cartography or my particular chart is corrupted a bit. this causes me much more concern! For those interested it's at St Albans (St Aldeheims?) Head in Dorset - cliff section simply goes missing on the screen.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that the Jurassic Coast, or is that a bit further West? Could account for the cliff disappearing, maybe the chartwear can see into the future and is more up to date than you think!

 

[duncan]

part of the jurassic coast yes............ /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

if it could see into the future it would tell me where and when I am going to hit something if it was any good.......

but yes - the cliff/coastline thick line is missing as you approach from the East.

 

[mapron]

Richard, Take a look at the depths/drying heights on Bernard Wharf near Glasson. They should be DRYING up to 5.5m (alongside River Wyre). Nautic Path shows them as DEPTHS ( ie not underlined). I thought this was not acceptable and sent back the Nautic Path in favour of Navionics. Allan