Orca chart plotter

[MattS]

Has anyone installed an Orca Core on a sailing boat? Interested in whether it’s actually a viable alternative to Raymarine / B&G yet?

seems they’ve recently added laylines and other bits, so they’re definitely targeting sail as well as power market?

Orca | Core - Your next chartplotter

I currently use tablets with Navionics / Imray Navigator, which is fine.

But wondering if this is a step towards a more robust install, without so much up front expense (given you can use your own devices with it, at least at first)

 

[Refueler]

I for one am interested in all forms of 'alternative' ... this looks interesting ...

I have said it before and some shoot me down for it - but I honestly believe - as in many other areas of life - open integration / coupling will be the way forward. Those Brands that stay proprietary and hanging on in protectionist style will fall by the wayside.

 

[ylop]

I for one am interested in all forms of 'alternative' ... this looks interesting ...

I have said it before and some shoot me down for it - but I honestly believe - as in many other areas of life - open integration / coupling will be the way forward. Those Brands that stay proprietary and hanging on in protectionist style will fall by the wayside.

Refueler, largely I agree with you, but it is interesting to note how Apple manage to buck that trend with largely closed standards / proprietary approaches. They do that (or at least market it on the basis that) it will all just work nicely together. I think both arguments are valid but in my experience of marine electronics you have the worst of both worlds - proprietary interfaces AND the pain of configuring / set up / UI designed by electronic engineers not users etc.

I assume that nobody entering this market is building systems and OS from scratch - and it will be a reskinned version of Android under the hood?

 

[scottie]

Do you expect them to take a bite out or the market.?

 

[FWB]

The ORCA Charts are free to use on a tablet/phone, nice design no need for the rest of the set up.

 

[MattS]

but I honestly believe - as in many other areas of life - open integration / coupling will be the way forward.

Completely agree!

I assume that nobody entering this market is building systems and OS from scratch - and it will be a reskinned version of Android under the hood?

That's my assumption too...

The ORCA Charts are free to use on a tablet/phone, nice design no need for the rest of the set up.

For me it would be for the integration of other instruments etc. e.g. AIS, wind instrument, autopilot control to my tillerpilot

 

[MattS]

Being a techy (and a heavy Apple user I hasten to add!) I am always interested in new challenger entrants into a market like this. I know that a younger company without the legacy baggage could do something genuinely disrupted if they get it right, so I am strongly tempted to take a punt on the newbies over the established brands...

My concern with this is the need for a subscription to get many of the value-add features, including Autopilot control (which does feel like the sort of thing that would be considered a non-cloud feature...).

Once you've bought into a subscription-based service, you really don't have much choice other than to suck up the price increases!

 

[MattS]

Actually, I've just read that it wouldn't support my tiller pilot anyway - so that's a bit of a non-issue...

 

[Refueler]

The ORCA Charts are free to use on a tablet/phone, nice design no need for the rest of the set up.

I just googled Orca Charts and I could not find free download. All I could find was Order Orca System at 1499 quid which incl's Charts ....

Link to free download ? Just to see how good ??

 

[FWB]

I got it for free. See Orca | The Orca CoPilot App is now free
and ‎Orca: The marine CoPilot

 

[MattS]

This is the link to download it from the Apple App Store if that’s any use ‎Orca: The marine CoPilot

Edit: Oops sorry repeated link!

 

[FWB]

Trying to post screenshot but says file too large.
Anyone know what max size is allowed?

 

[Daydream believer]

Do you expect them to take a bite out or the market.?

Too subtle for some

 

[Refueler]

This is the link to download it from the Apple App Store if that’s any use ‎Orca: The marine CoPilot

Edit: Oops sorry repeated link!

Not an Apple person sorry ..... but will have a look at Android sites ... if they do it.

 

[Refueler]

I got it for free. See Orca | The Orca CoPilot App is now free
and ‎Orca: The marine CoPilot

Offline charts are NOT free .... according to the links you give. Only if you have the full Orca gear.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I for one am interested in all forms of 'alternative' ... this looks interesting ...

I have said it before and some shoot me down for it - but I honestly believe - as in many other areas of life - open integration / coupling will be the way forward. Those Brands that stay proprietary and hanging on in protectionist style will fall by the wayside.

Such things will appeal to a very small group who for many reasons wouldn't buy a proprietary chart plotter. They will have the knowledge and tenacity to figure out and install the various work arounds to work with most transducers with the exception of radar. However they will never find application in the mainstream or as OE.

 

[FWB]

Offline charts are NOT free .... according to the links you give. Only if you have the full Orca gear.

Well I have the Orca charts and they were free. I don’t have any other Orca gear.

I guess it was for one week only. I’m not usually lucky!

 

[Refueler]

Well I have the Orca charts and they were free. I don’t have any other Orca gear.

I guess it was for one week only. I’m not usually lucky!

Have you looked at the links you gave ... maybe I missed something there ??

 

[Refueler]

Such things will appeal to a very small group who for many reasons wouldn't buy a proprietary chart plotter. They will have the knowledge and tenacity to figure out and install the various work arounds to work with most transducers with the exception of radar. However they will never find application in the mainstream or as OE.

Many other areas of 'life' said similar - only to see their worlds change .....

 

[TSB240]

Has anyone installed an Orca Core on a sailing boat? Interested in whether it’s actually a viable alternative to Raymarine / B&G yet?

seems they’ve recently added laylines and other bits, so they’re definitely targeting sail as well as power market?

Orca | Core - Your next chartplotter

I currently use tablets with Navionics / Imray Navigator, which is fine.

But wondering if this is a step towards a more robust install, without so much up front expense (given you can use your own devices with it, at least at first)

I was interested enough to download the online only free trial charts

It looks very similar to savvynavy another app based navigation package that was late to the market in comparison to navionics.

I don't see that it offers anything more in terms of functionality than

399 gets you a very nice portable display
You have to spend a lot more on their nmea 2000 hub before you can start connecting