Plotter advice

[StefanSG]

I am looking at older chart plotters to use in the cockpit, on a trunnion mount. I have depth speed and wind from NASA (which use NMEA) and gps from a Standard Horizon VHF. I would like to do passage planning on OpenCPN on a laptop on the nav desk below. I am looking at Raymarines, which have NMEA and Seatalk, some of the colour models are indoor only. Can anyone advise or recommend (hoping to spend max £250) on something older that can receive waypoints/routes etc from OPENCPN, is big and bright enough to be useful in the open, and will talk nice to my other instruments? Or do I need to spend more and get WiFi ? Or am I better off with a rugged tablet and an NMEA to WiFi bridge ? Thanks in advance.

 

[jwfrary]

A tablet in a waterproof case probobly has more functionality that a 250 pound plotter with a questionable amount of life left in it.

If your thinking of open cpn then I would recommend taking a look at open plotter, with a bit of work and some DIY electronics skills a pretty decent job can be made for 100 pounds or so using a raspberry pi 4 2 GB and a cheap touch screen. The pi can send nmea over wifi to the tablet, on which if you use android can also run open cpn, or repeat the pi display. The Pi can also collect loads of other data, the possibilities are pretty wide if your willing to put the time in to get to grips with it.

Its will all run directly from 12v using a 12v to usb converter which are easily available, as long as you make sure its powered down nicely it will be reliable.

 

[prv]

I’m a fan of modern plotters, but I agree with Jon that a modern tablet is going to be better than an old plotter if you’re on a budget. If you’re looking at things that aren’t waterproof, they must be truly ancient!

Pete

 

[jwfrary]

I’m a fan of modern plotters, but I agree with Jon that a modern tablet is going to be better than an old plotter if you’re on a budget. If you’re looking at things that aren’t waterproof, they must be truly ancient!

Pete

My thoughts exactly.

You might be lucky and pick up an a7 raymarine, for about that money, but the touchscreen pretty rubbish and they dont like transferring routes much unless your using up to date navionics ( I'm guessing not givin your budget)

 

[jwfrary]

Dont forget if theres any cables missing most of those are 50 quid a go and anything modern lower range wise will only have nmea 2000 so expensive adapters required!

 

[StefanSG]

Dont forget if theres any cables missing most of those are 50 quid a go and anything modern lower range wise will only have nmea 2000 so expensive adapters required!

This is the advice I need ! Thanks !! But is a home brew plotter going to be more reliable than a 20 year old Raymarine unit ?

 

[Wing Mark]

About 20 years ago, we used to use a GPS repeater in the cockpit to give SOG and COG and direction and distance to the next waypoint.
So it might not actually be necessary to connect the 'plotter' in the cockpit to the system at the chart table.
Being on a budget that means a cheap tablet in a waterproof case might do for the cockpit pilotage.
It also means you have two independent systems for reliability.
My feeling is that I don't want to totally rely on consumer tablets on a boat, and neither would I completely trust any marine electronics once they get to a 'certain age'.
Also secondhand plotters with out of date charts feels like a risk to me.

A lot depends on what you want.
People want different things, they probably do their nav and pilotage quite differently.

Personally, I 'm also bearing in mind that my partner needs her reading glasses to use a phone or tablet with small writing on it, so a GPS repeater with big numbers on it might be very useful.
The Nasa is just over a hundred quid.

Where I'm coming from is memory of many years ago, sailing into a port in a rain squall, very little visibility, very grateful for my nice simple, waterproof GPS with two key waypoints in it.
Stuff can also get very wet in a small boat sailing in mist and drizzle.

 

[prv]

This is the advice I need ! Thanks !! But is a home brew plotter going to be more reliable than a 20 year old Raymarine unit ?

Probably, yes. Certainly the Raymarine C-series in particular tend to have the screen die when they get to a certain age.

Pete

 

[Deleted member 478]

Check out this thread
My COVID-19 Lockdown Project: 10” Android Car Stereo to Navionics Chart Plotter

 

[jwfrary]

This is the advice I need ! Thanks !! But is a home brew plotter going to be more reliable than a 20 year old Raymarine unit ?

Probobly equal,but inherently more fixable.

I would recommend you acquire a proper classical gps for the position source. Something like a furuno gp 32 or other standalone gps . This would provide position and you can upload your route fairly easily over 0183.

Tablet in the cockpit for when things get a bit tight. Open Plotter at the chart table.

You would need for a basic system.

Screen. the official raspberry pi 7 inch is probably easiest for a noob. Or the wave share 7 or 10 inch are usable.
Pi 4 2 gb works fine.
Serial 232 (or 422 ) HAT depending on the type of gps you acquire.

Less than 100 quid.

You could even drive the external nasa screen described in another post.

In fact I have an old raymarine multi you can have for a donation to the RNLI. And the postage!

 

[Wing Mark]

How important is 'uploading routes'?
Depending on what sort of sailing you do, maybe not very?

Say I'm going from Lyme Regis to Lymington.
Do I need a 'route' or just some waypoints to help me not hit England?
I don' want to be a fixed distance from any headland or follow a fixed track, I will be SAILING and go where the wind takes me, using the plotter to avoid hazards.