On Chartplotters????

[Viking]

Whats the best chartplotter to use in a cockpit situation.
I was think of fitting a unit on a swing arm, in the companion way, that I could view from the tiller and be swung back when below. So it would have to be small but have a clear screen. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Over to you???

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Dunno about mounting it so far away. Problem is the size, I find myself zooming in or out during a passage, or moving the chart on to see what is coming etc.

I think very soon you will tire of having to get up every time you want to use / look at it.

Luckily for that I have a wheel on a console so mounting was not a massive problem. I do not know how, but my advice, if you are going to use it like I do or many others try to get a waterproof one and find somewhere near your helm to mount it.

No doubt people will answer by saying you could leave it at the chart table you do not need to see it all the time etc. But that IMO takes away the whole point of the plotter, otherwise you might as well have stuck to charts and a h/h garmin 12.

EDIT>> FWIW I use a Geonav 6 plus b/w (very low current!). I am very happy with it in most areas, it is stand alone, waterproof and reportedly floats!. The Navman 5500i is getting good press at the moment.

From what I have seen I prefer Navionics charts, but this is very subjective. The general rule as stated often on the forums is choose your preferred chart format and then go looking for plotters.

All IMHO

 

[Viking]

Ship-Woof.
I have a fishfinder mounted in a similar way which works. There are few sandy bottoms over here and rocks dont move. Most of the nav. over here is eyeball pilotage and a chartplotter seen from the tiller would help finding my way around the many rocks and islands. I did hit some rocks last season. Luckly only at low speed because the detail on the charts (along with my eyesight) were to small.

 

[philip_stevens]

Look at http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article995160.ece for the report of a bulker that hit rocks in Norway, when the rocks were not on the chartploters chart - but were on the paper chart (not being used - this info from another source).

 

[Ships_Cat]

The shoal that was struck was, in fact, shown on the official electronic charts too.

The recent survey referred to in the article you pointed to had identified the danger and the paper and electronic charts were updated in Feb03 and advised in NTM's Mar03 (ie nearly a year before the accident in Jan04) but the vessel was not carrying them. Existing stocks of the old charts had been withdrawn from authorised suppliers in Mar03. I also understand that the area was resurveyed after the loss and the charts found to be correct.

You will find that there is quite alot of information on this on the IHO and Primar-Stavanger internet sites.

What the status of unofficial charts of the area from second party suppliers as often used by yachtsmen (eg C-Map, etc) was I do not know.

John

 

[Anonymous]

I have the smaller Navman (uses C-Map) which is waterproof and has internal GPS. I have arranged two mounts and a socketed connector for use aloft, by the wheel and below, at the nav station. I put it wherever I want it at the time. Usually I have it set to use the yacht's main GPS (via a NMEA interface) but I have the comfort of knowing that I can switch it over to the internal GPS in a couple of seconds.

There have been many positive comments about the Navman range here - try a search on 'Navman' over the last few months and you will see what others have said.

 

[philip_stevens]

Thanks for the update and correction. The report I read was obviously not complete or correct in all details.