Nav in the cockpit

[Phoenix of Hamble]

As I'm planning a new nav set up, with the long postponed introduction of some proper navigation electronics, wondered what most people are doing wrt nav info in the sometimes hostile environment of the cockpit (hope my wife's not reading this!!!!)

I quite like the idea of using PC based chartplotting, because of the ability to add other data sources to one view, eg GRIB, radar, instrument displays etc etc, yet do all the pre-boarding route planning and prep at home, but also because of the benefits of having a PC on board for E-mail, weather forecasts, and just generally keeping up to date with the world...

I also have a PDA with a GPS jacket currently used to get me from A to B on the public highway, but was bought originally with a view to being able to use as a backup GPS/plotter eventually....

I'm however, aware of the benefits of having some of this plotting capability on deck, but don't think that the PDA will have enough battery with the GPS jacket to run without sorting an on deck power supply... and that makes me nervous..... and a non waterproof PC is clearly a non starter. On top of this.... we often sail two up, and my wife will helm in close quarters if she has to, but prefers me to do it, and I want to be partially self sufficient at the helm and nav table as much as possible (imaging I'm sailing single handed - and thats close to the actuality)

So what do you other good folk do?... do you just keep the PC at the chart table, and work as we always have done, given that with the old school approach, paper charts are not that keen on cockpits either!..? or do any of you use a PDA on deck?.... constantly?, or only when in close quarters/restricted visibility?... or have you been very 'plush' and put in a waterproof chart plotter as well?!!!!!!!.... ( and if so, how on earth did you afford two sets of the charts?!!!! - or do you use a common format? - which?)

I'm going to replace the instruments at the same time, for some NMEA compliant stuff, so perhaps the new bluetooth multiplexer that I have read about helps?

But I'm not rolling in cash, so budget is important here....

Finally, I am confident in my abilities to continue as we always have done, with good old fashioned paper and support from an old handheld GPS, but I'm not a luddite, and do recognise the safety and relaxation benefits that newer nav technology brings with it...and want to benefit from some of it...

I have formed some of my own opinions around this subject area, but just interested in whether or not others have addressed this challenge, and if so, how?


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[Sunnyseeker]

Laptops are great with a little printer. we used the laptop as we closed harbours then switched to markI eyeball, with a print off of the harbour plan from the laptop.
If it was particularly tricky a quick glance at the blip of us on the PC would help sometimes.
We had real charts as well but an A4 sheet in a plastic wallet was all we needed, sometimes we'd print two at different scales back to back.
We had two supposedly water proof handheld GPS's fail using them outside in rain showers and spray, so dont use anything important outside if we can help it.
The laptops been great and has survived a few waves that have made it down the hatch its usually under a piece of plastic.
It also did all the weather fax/RTTY from an SSB again we'd print off important charts for planning. And you can then give wetaher charts to other cruisers who dont have weather fax.
Bets electronics were the 1991 fixed GPS not the new ?waterproof? models.

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[rwoofer]

I'm going through the same thought processes, but I'm tending to a Navman with internal aerial and C Map charts and the C-Map planning adaptor and software so that I can do the passage planning on a PC at home or at the nav station.

The odd paper chart will be my backup system.

The only thing that is making me hesitate is that I have a raymarine radar and it would be good to get radar and chartplotter in the cockpit, but a) much more expensive b) uses navionics charts which seem less supported and I have not seen a PC planner for them yet.

RB

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[MainlySteam]

I use a laptop at the chart table on a sail boat. Do not find that any problem at all at sail boat speeds. Obviously, in a power boat travelling much faster it is different and it is useful to be able to see the chart all of the time.

John

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[Talbot]

I use a Navman 5500 plotter with C-Map. Intend to add the laptop element later for longer term planning, but will use either the C-map ctg reader for the laptop, or (as a member of C-Map Club) purchase the appropriate CD (at a reduction of abt 60%).

If you sail virtually singlehanded (as I do), the benefit of having the plotter visible from the helm is incalcuable. It also uses a lot less power than the laptop, its waterproof, and has an ability to turn the light down so that it is useable at night without affecting your nightvision. - bargain.

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[Gordonmc]

A few weeks ago I started a thread looking for a nav software system that I could use on a GPS enabled PDA. Winchart Planner was the only one I was pointed at and the cost of the licence plus more for the charts put it beyond me at the moment.
Then I went back to the OxiExplorer website, and found a PDA version with shareware (free as a demo) which works with an imported electronic or scanned Raster chart. The only problem is the size of files as the 128mb external memory chip uses the same slot in the jacket as the gps. I can get an area covering about a third of an Imray chart, but then have to download another from the laptop. I am still playing with the set up and am close to buying the full version of the software, about $33US.

The PDA, a iPAQ 3660 goes under the sprayhood with a 12v feed from an auxilliary socket and it hasn't come to any harm. A seperate handheld GPS with external aerial stays below with the paper charts.

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[charles_reed]

Tho' I normally sail single-handed I've resisted the temptation to have navigation-readout in the cockpit, tho' I do use a PC for planning and recording purposes with dedicated chartplotter at the navigation centre.

The laptop PC is usually packed away on passage.

If you want to go down the route of PC navigation (having worked with them I'd not consider them sufficiently robust or reliable for a mission-critical operation), I'd suggest looking at the Panasonic Toughbook range of laptops - these are found in various levels of waterproofness and shock resistance. They are, however far from cheap.

Your alternative is to use a dedicated chartplotter in the cockpit. Though many are splash-proof, only the Garmin range is, to my knowledge, rated as water-resistant to 10m.

I know it's possible to have on-deck navigation, but cheapness and waterproofness appear to be mutually contradictory.

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[Phoenix of Hamble]

Humhh.... seems that I'm not the only one frustrated by a lack of compatibility....

My current thinking is to buy a small and cheap chartplotter that uses C-Map NT+ cartridges to go in the cockpit, and then a PC package with a USB to C-cartridge reader for the Navstation, where I can also use the radar and download weather etc...

This way I get the laptop at home for passage planning, and the benefit of a fallback to the cockpit chart plotter in the event of PC failure....

I have found the following software for the PDA.... http://www.globenav.com/
that seems to use C-Map charts... I'm going to download the eval, and give it a try.... it doesn't get around the problem of waterproofing the PDA, but I guess forms a very useful emergency route.....

Gosh how things have changed.... here I am thinking of 3 levels of electronic failover before hitting the paper!


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[pvb]

Water resistance...

Recent Garmin and Navman plotters are all rated at IPX7, which is in practical terms is fairly waterproof. Garmin claim that this rating equates to immersion in 1 metre of water for 30 mins, although I believe the standards police would consider that to need an IPX8 rating.

I use a Navman Tracker 5600 in the cockpit, and it's an excellent unit which represents superb value for money.

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[johna]

It is disappointing that Raymarine have changed chart types for the new C series instruments but the previous series using C-Map + are still available and therefore an option.

When I bought my boat it had a Raymarine Chart plotter using C-Map I have added radar unit so now I have both radar and chart plotter at the chart table and in the cockpit.

Came out of Bembridge in early morning fog a few weeks ago the split screen format of radar and chart in the cockpit made it so easy to identify the buoys from the radar blips and the sycronised curser facility on the chart.

Also have laptop on board linked to GPS for monitoring and planning using Neptune Plotter/Planner software. Electronics used extensively now but still mark up the paper chart on longer trips. Navtex is via paper roll so should I dump it for an electronic version. Why it still works well even if the warnings do wake you up in the middle of the night.

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[MarkV]

Another option to Winchart is memory map, the chart coverage is not as good and raster rather than vector. There was a free CD with a magazene recently that had a trial copy and some sample charts. the web site is here http://www.psalmgear.co.uk/Armor1.htm also has waterproof boxes. The memory map software also allows the use of OS maps, useful for creek crawling if your into that sort of thing.

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[Phoenix of Hamble]

MarkV,

I've already downloaded and tried the Memory Map software, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed... its very easy to use, runs very well on my iPaq 3970, and it is intuitive and simple to plot waypoints and access other useful functions....

However, i'm not comfortable with using the PDA as my full time cockpit solution due to its lack of proper waterproofing, and need for power supply for any sensible longevity, so to get something in the cockpit I really need a dedicated chartplotter....

So, my problem is that while Memory Map works very well with Maptech BSB4 format raster charts, it does mean that I either have to find a plotter that runs with BSB4/Maptech (the PC Nav is less of a problem... there seems to be pretty good support for BSB4/Maptech on PC's), or accept that I'll have to buy two sets of electronic charts which given the price and the fact that the PDA is a 3rd level fallback isn't realistic...

I hope that the market 'games' over format resolve themselves soon, and that all the manufacturers hurry up and standardise.... its really going to make electronic nav more realistic for many more...

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[Sunnyseeker]

Re: Water resistance...

My two backup Garmin units (waterproof?) failed due to water/moisture ingress, sent back to Garmin they said they were un repairable and offered to sell me a new one! They were out of their warranty period. Conclusion from this is that Garmin were not surprised (if it was a one off they may have replaced the units) and as two failed at the same time (almost) that this is the type of failure to plan for. I had assumed two waterproof hand helds, were a good level of backup should the fixed unit fail as it did...I juts keep them all dry now!

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[pvb]

Older Garmin handhelds...

Older Garmin handhelds, like the 45 and 48, were nowhere near waterproof. They were claimed to be rated at IPX4, which is just about "splashproof" in most people's vocabulary.

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