Which laptop? slightly boaty?

[Obi]

Can you clarify why your wife wonders "why you should need a tough book"?

If you are at sea its damp and bouncy, this is not the environment a normal laptop is designed to operate in - there is no debating that point. Additionally no warranty for a normal laptop will cover you with an unregulated power supply - i.e. shore power uk or elsewhere, let alone an invertor.

The reason for a Toughbook? I would have thought this was self evident. Especially if you are going to be using your laptop as a navigational tool. All other electronics are specifically designed to weather the marine environment, your laptop is not. So if its providing a critical function then it makes perfect sense to buy something designed for the environment it is intended for. I dont use a tough book, but I very very nearly bought one. But then I dont use my laptop for aything other than email & net.

Let me just clarify, no laptop built for domestic or business purpose is designed to tolerate more than a few years of being moved around -gently! It is certainly not designed to operate in a permanently damp environment.

 

[Richard10002]

Let me just clarify, no laptop built for domestic or business purpose is designed to tolerate more than a few years of being moved around -gently! It is certainly not designed to operate in a permanently damp environment.

That will be why my Toshiba Qosmio survived 3 years and several thousand miles on board the boat in a variety of conditions from UK to Malta via Biscay and Gib. ditto my Samsung NC 10 1 year including the 2500 mile trip from Malta to UK.

On many occasions whilst I was being thrown from pillar to post, and soaking wet, the laptops continue to run without complaint. Clearly, they need to be out of the open, and secured, but the general environment does not seem to have had a detremental effect on either.

I would guess that all of the people on the Liveaboard forum, and many others here, use their laptops onboard successfully for several years.

 

[Quandary]

My wifes laptop

Thanks for all the info.
I suppose I could buy a toughbook as suggested but I would also have to buy a nice new large screen laptop for her, but as she generally comes sailing with me it seemed a good idea to use one which primarily meets her needs but which can continue to be run of the boat 12v. converted to 19v. when I am navigating or looking for weather on broadband. I like looking at a decent area on the chart at high definition and this is one of the advantages of the laptop over a chartplotter.
I have a desktop pc plus some macs but one can have too many computers.
I think the suggestion above tying down the fault to overheating and to the foam bed may indeed be the cause.
However the fan is definitely still working though the desk does feel very warm under it, currently the laptop starts in the morning, runs for about 10 mins. then blue screens, then when restarted it runs all day without problem. The blue screen messages vary , a few carry the message KERNEL_DAMAGE_INPAGE_ERROR but not every time. I had thought of replacing the hard drive for about £60 but then the overheating might also have affected the motherboard?
If it does go in the bin it will have to be replaced with something with a good screen and a decent keyboard, she is a touch typist and I have not told her that her problem might have originated on the chart table, an Acer might be better than a Dell?

 

[Obi]

Quandry, it should be well worth removing the screws on the bottom, and cleaning out the fan if you havent already done so - as suggested by Tizwoz2. Ive had blue screen errors before that were fixed that easily.

As for Richard10002, it doesnt matter what yours or other peoples experiences or opinions are - laptops are not designed for this environment - and that was my point. For many years i owner an outsourcing business providing hardware support for a large IT consultancy. Most laptops dont even last more than a few years of the rigours of office life, being moved from one desk to another, to the car, the home! All component connections eventually work loose, joints on PCBs come apart, if you add moisture into the equation then it is a recipe for trouble. I suppose though it really is down to the individuals approach to looking after it.

 

[Stoaty]

My IBM thinkpad has so far lasted 10 years and is still going

So is mine. I am amazed by its resilience. Not only have I used it as my chart plotter for 10 years, it also spent five of them rattling around in my van every day. It's had orange juice poured over it and it's been dropped down the stairs. On top of that it's still on it's second battery.

 

[emnick]

Laptop

I will second the NC10 or N110, I had a Vodafone mobile modem that I used for internet access on the boat. My daughter nicked my laptop when hers broke down. I went to PC world, upgraded the mobile broadband and got the Samsung N110 had to pay £74.99, and increased from £15/ month to £20/ month (24 months) so all in all under £200.

Battery life is fantastic I have charged it once since I got it and it still tells me there are 2.5 hours left!.

Hope to speak to memory map and load all my charts next week.

Small and light. As said you will need to add a DVD drive (Ebay @ £34 )

Good luck with it.