Which Chart Plotter

[[10753]]

I'm afraid I have no knowledge so I am searching for some views

Basically he is interested in simplicity with the intention of maybe locating in the cockpit. High Resolution and easily readable would be a must.

 

[neale]

The big question is....what's the budget?

Also do you want the plotter to do anything else, depth, radar etc etc

At the budget end you can't go far wrong with a Standard Horizon CP180 or one of the 4 or 5 inch Garmin units.

Easily readable often means bigger screen which comes with a bigger bill. 7 inch is the next level after the above, but you are approaching the £1k mark by the time you add some cartography.

 

[JimC]

Look at a few. Big chandlers often have a selection up and running on display. Different makes of plotter use differing makes of electronic chart and your choice of plotter ties you in to using the compatible chart system, probably for ever because as you cruise further afield and acquire more charts they will come to represent a significant investment and you won't want to change systems. For that reason it might be best to choose the chart system first and then chose a compatible plotter. Myself, I like Standard Horizon plotters, these use the C-Map charts. Other makes of electronic charts are Navionics and Garmin's Bluecharts. Some people like Navionics because they are said to most closely resemble paper charts. Raymarine plotters use the Navionics charts I believe.

 

[wooslehunter]

+1 for the CP180. It does have some quirks if you're used to other plotters. It is well featred & can display AIS targets. It's also waterproof if you're mounting outside.

If you want something bigger, look at the CP300.

 

[tri39]

I'm very happy with my Raymarine A65 , weatherproof in the cockpit w Navionics charts.
The A series should be discounted by chandlers since newer models are coming out.
Decide on mounting posn in boat and then screen size and hunt for discounts.

Sea-Kit.co.uk make it easy to compare models and discounts.

 

[Cloven]

+1 for the CP180. It does have some quirks if you're used to other plotters. It is well featred & can display AIS targets. It's also waterproof if you're mounting outside.

If you want something bigger, look at the CP300.

Looking at the above two, if you are using it in the cockpit I would consider the versions with internal aerials - Standard Horizon CP180i (5" screen) or Standard Horizon CP300i (7" screen). Much easier to install - all you need is a 12v supply and they are slightly cheaper than the versions with an external aerial.

I currently have an older 5" plotter with an internal aerial and although it is fine, I am finding I would like a larger screen but it must be in the cockpit. The largest I can fit in is a 7" screen so I am looking at the CP300i and the best price I can find is £520 (excluding the chart)

Hope this helps

 

[prv]

I went and tried all the models (in my price range, not the huge superyacht ones!) on offer at the Southampton show the year before last. I settled on the CP180i as the most usable for me. So to some extent I recommend that one; more strongly I recommend taking JimC's advice and finding somewhere with lots set up and running and then trying them all.

Pete