Laptops used as chart plotters

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oct 14, 2010
2
Catalina 36 Stratford CT
Laptop vs Chartplotter

I use bot. I have Garmin MapSource loaded to my home PC. I do all my cruise mapping and emergency route/ Port of Refuge mapping at home then download to my Garmin Chartplotter. Works out great! I also have it loaded to my Laptop for en route changes
 
Jan 26, 2008
50
Hunter 31- Deale
iPad chart plotter

I have two. Navionics and Charts and Tides (along with ActiveCaptain). The ActiveCaptain is free -It displays 4 colored icons: Marinas,anchorages, local knowledge and hazards.

Great if going into an area for the first time. We sail a Hunter 310 and it was invaluable regarding hazards (shoaling in the channel approaching Knape Narrows).

Very current easy to update.

I use in conjunction with my Garmi. Gps.

Coast Awhile
 
Sep 29, 2008
36
Hunter 33 Toronto
Microsoft Streets and Trips comes with a USB "Puck" which works with almost any computer based charting programme. I use Fugawi, and a webcam, which draws less current than a laptop, because of the smaller screen. No problems reading the screen anywhere, and it will run off a lighter plug with the correct adapter with Windows 7, XP, Vista or whatever.
 
Sep 25, 2008
56
Hunter 376 San Rafael
Pragmatically, you need to be water proof in the cockpit. I use the laptop at the chart table on long voyages with The Cap'n software. Others I know use Rosepoint and other charting software. As noted above, you can download free updated charts from NOAA.

I also use a Smart Radio AIS receiver, which integrates with the software to show me the big ship location and data. In the cockpit, aside from the radar & chartplotter, I have the Standard Horizon Matrix DSC VHF radio with AIS receiver built in. It is a great combination.
 

JVB

.
Jan 26, 2006
270
Schock Wavelength 24 Lake Murray, SC
Search for "computer navigation" on the Catalina Capri forum
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
and you will find several threads.

Think about using your notebook computer made into a plotter while hiking uneven terrain in the rain. That's a lot like sailing in rain and waves. Do you really want a notebook computer in those conditions ? If you want a reliable plotter that you can use on deck any time buy a made for the purpose chart plotter.
 

JMM

.
Feb 9, 2011
34
Hughes H40 Semiahmoo,WA
Radar Overlay for non-charplotters

For those that are doing radar overlay on their non-chartplotter setup -- what are they using -- and what are the current options available? Is there an option to get radar overlay on a tablet .. i.e. ipad or android ?? I really like the idea of an ipad vs a chartplotter -- easy to own a few ipads and have one as a backup ... would still be a lot cheaper than most chart plotter set ups and you could use it for other stuff and the off season.

A laptop below that also works with an Ipad would also be great combination. We currently use laptop based navigation (Coastal Explorer) on an HP netbook that has pretty good readability in sunlight, but an Ipad in the cockpit would be much better.

We need to replace our old non-functional radar unit -- so am looking into our options.
Jim
 
Jun 16, 2010
495
In search of my next boat Palm Harbor, FL
I use my iPad w/ the Navionics app. I built a bracket to mount it down below, where I can see it. If I bring it up and use it in the cockpit, I put it in a gallon freezer ziplock bag (to cheap to buy a waterproof iPad pouch)
 
Jun 2, 2004
16
Beneteau 400 Miami
Chartplotter MFD

I do like to use PC laptop as main chartplotter while sailing. I prefer to use top of the line MFD / Chartplotter like the Simrad NSE 8 or 12. Very bright in daylight, very fast processing with no lag and very user friendly. These units use Naviconics Charts and IMHO they are the best. Couple this with a wifi adadpater on the boat and an ipad 2 with iNavix you got the best of both worlds. Use the ipad as back up and at home to create waypoints then send those waypoints to the main marine charplotter like the one I use the Simrad NSE-8 and it is a fast and easy way to route plan. Service from Simrad and or Navico is good... PC based tech support is not good, PC/s are not stable and not highly readable in daylight... the ipad is great in daylight but you can get an inexpensive cover for it that is water proof. I am in the marine business and service boats here in South Florida and see alll types an install all brands of equipment... we like all the Navio line the best, B & G, Simrad, Lowrance... all work great on sail boats.
 
Jul 24, 2009
1
Hunter Passage 450 The east coast
A PC driven nautical software - that works.

Hello,
I bought software for my laptop PC called "Coastal Explorer 2011". It runs great on Windows XP or 7. It will not run on any kind of Unix, Linux or Solaris. But it runs great on Windows software.

I bought the "Coastal Explorer" from Rose Point http://rosepointnav.com/CoastalExplorer2011/default.htm. I get the charts from the folks at [Coastal Explorer] CE and they get the charts from NOAA. I can also download and apply the charts from NOAA directly. I have also purchased new charts from a European company that made them for the Bahamas. They work great too.

I create my own paths with waypoints and I my 45 foot Hunter Passage never bounces off the bottom or hits any trees. <- Joke.

The software has a way to hook up to my Raymarine Autopilot using serial cable and uses the public protocol [NMEA] to communicate to with the Autopilot. In other words the PC drives the sailboat.

The Autopilot has three buttons of importance. "Standby", "Auto" and "Track". Track makes the wheel follow the path in my PC. Auto - can be used for one direction, but it can be changed by other buttons. That is not needed when going by your PC, Coastal Explorer hand-made waypoints and lines on your chart. Standby allows you to go to manual steering.

Rose Point is the seller I used [Rosepointnav.com]. The Coastal Explorer software at one point was $399.00. I tried using the "Maptech" software but I could not get it to work. There charts are good but there navigation software would not run for me.

I also bought a Navigation GPS from Rosepointnav.com - $99.00.

And I also got help from both of the companies later in the game to purchase a USB-Serial 9 pin transformer. The newest PC I had did not have a 9 pin serial connector. The piece you use for that is available in two types. One type works and the other does not by design they are totally different. Ask Coastal Explorer folks they will guide you to the correct path. Mine cost $12.00 [not much money for an important unit]!

With the thing mentioned above you will save a lot if you already have a laptop, [compared to buying expensive navigators and inconclusive items from the companies available when I looked] and have access to free charts plus you can use your Internet connection to get other sites info pasted into Coastal Explorer. Now that is really important when you are far from the Internet at sea!
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
As I see this there are two camps. The chart plotter at the helm and the chart plotter at the nav station. The question then becomes why would you want a chart plotter at the helm? You are not doing route planning there are you? It is not controlling your autopilot from there is it? If you are just going to use it to "know where you are" there are much easier and cheaper ($$$ and energy usage) ways of doing that. Your autopilot or GPS can directly output the lat-long and you can place a "sign here" post-it on your (still required to be carried) paper charts. If you want all the speed and wind info, well that is already available from those instruments that supply the chart plotter that info. On long passages otto is going to be conning thehelm anyway so who is the plotter displaying dat to? Probably cheaper to just by a repeater for the info you want at the helm than to go with a full blown marine chart plotter, computer or Ipad. Certainly it will last longer and not fall off the helm and break at a critical moment. Not that your chart plotter is going to pull your butt from the fire at a critical moment in any case.
Seriously folks are you trying to dock the boat blindfolded with a chart plotter? Probably not but several are talking about using this gps moving map thing as a backup to my primary moving map thing. That makes a triple redundant system (paper charts, gps 1 and gps 2). And it is not the redundancy that most sage counsel is talking about.

Course, when the high power WiFi (lightspeed inc.) guys turn on their right next to the GPS freqs high power network it is going require buying all new GPS receivers anyway so you might want to call your congress man and the FCC before you commit to a large expenditure for a GPS.

Now if you leave the chart plotter at the nav station it is protected, does not need to be sunlight readable, provides a nice place to have the mouse to plot you route and navigation stuff like that. You can have a real live keyboard and monitor that doubles as a TV/DVD, hook it up to the autopilot for “one button” waypoint advancement (Raymarine does this, I can’t vouch for others), power it off the ships mains, secure it so it does not fall to the cabin sole during the wind gust….. lots of stuff. Additionally, your marine grade gps is probably going to fare better than a commercial one when the high powered WiFi is turned on as it meets the stringent international standards (tech stuff that normally goes un-noticed till something craps out) of navigation equipment. I don’t think a single one of these marine gps units has a Bluetooth or wireless feature to allow a no wires ipad/computer at the helm to interface with out wires. And if you have to have wires what is the point?

So my question is this, why would you want a chart plotter at the helm.
 

JMM

.
Feb 9, 2011
34
Hughes H40 Semiahmoo,WA

So my question is this, why would you want a chart plotter at the helm.
Perhaps if you sail in an area where radar is an asset - so you can have radar overlay -- at the helm -- either on your chartplotter -- or the other display device you choose to use at the helm.
 
Feb 3, 2008
34
Hunter 36 ARZAL
I have a FURUNO Multi function (GPS,Chart Plotters and Sounder) linked to my AIS Radio VHF (to get the GPS location on my radio) it is also linked to my laptop where I get all informations in real time. I can cross these informations to calculate the best way.For security reasons, the AIS radio gives in real time the ship location on my laptop.
I also use a USB GPS antena plugged on my laptop wich gives an extra GPS signal in case of failure with the FURUNO one. I have my Android phone with the latest Navionics Chart so I can't get lost !!! Finally I plan to buy a 10" android tablet to keep it close to me to get more details.
 

Rick D

.
Jun 14, 2008
7,132
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
So my question is this, why would you want a chart plotter at the helm.
I guess it depends where you sail. If I were in the Sacramento Delta, it might be handy. Where I am now, there is a minimum 12 miles between ports and it's open ocean (other than some drilling rigs). So, I have both my chartplotter and netbook (also running AIS) at the chart table. In fact, the radar used to be there too, but when I replaced it, I put it out. The Furuno radar gets waypoint info on the display via NEMA output from the ten year old Raytheon plotter, so I have all I really need at the helm.

About the only time it might be handy to have on the helm is coming into the Port of Long Beach from the south at night or dense fog. That's a challenge and usually involves the helmsman on radar, someone on binocs and night vision scope and someone below on the netbook and plotter. That's because of some unlit mooring cans, anchored barges, oil rigs, fish havens, bait barges, ship and commercial traffic and everything backlit by all the city and port. Actually, not sure it would help to have it at the helm then either.
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Handy

Going down to the keys and think it was Biscayne Bay and had to go down a channel at night and the markers did not have any light and real shallow water all around me according to the charts and boy was real nice looking at the chatplotter showing me the way,I never touched bottom once and the hawk channel at night and even the ICW at night a few times with the chartplotter showing the markers when they did not have lights.
A chartplotter at the helm and I would do it again for sure.
Nick
 

Rick D

.
Jun 14, 2008
7,132
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
My dell laptop has specs for 14.8 and 11.?volts,I take it you are suggesting tht they be plugged into the 12v system .Ed
Yea, I just got a 12 volt adapter off e-bay. Works great. However note Bill's post about actual output from the battery. It may well be 12-ish volts. If so, just make up an cigar lighter plug to batter charger plug, being very careful of the polarity. Just remove the battery and check the voltage.
 

whorne

.
Jul 12, 2009
3
2 Cal 25 Southern Harbor
In bright sunlight, it is very difficult to see the image on my laptop screen. Otherwise it works great connected to my Garmin 72 using SeaClear and free charts from NOAA
 
Jan 22, 2008
5
Hunter 460 As at end 2011 Lagos in Portugal
In addition to all the information already, FWIW, we went the way of a laptop down below. We have three laptops with Software on Board and CMaps loaded so there is plenty of back-up in case any of them go down (a his, a her’s and a very cheap spare small one) – we have been hit by lightning once, for example, although the laptop(s) weren’t affected, just two of the GPSs and other electronics. The small computer fits into the microwave which, I understand, provides some protection in a lightning strike.
I would like something in the cockpit for those few occasions when it would be very helpful for the helmsman to see and be able to act quickly from the info presented on the screen and from what you can see yourself. It appears from the many responses that there may be solutions to this eg Ipad.
The laptop is a much cheaper solution than a chart plotter and, at the same time, also highly effective. If you can afford both laptop and cockpit-mounted chart plotter then that would appear to be ideal.
Power to our computer is provided via the on-board inverter charger but we also have a small inverter connected via a cigarette lighter plug as a backup.
Good luck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.