Navigation Setup

Mr Fox

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Aug 31, 2017
204
Marshall 22 Portland, ME
I use a Samsung galaxy tab active. Still available and quite reasonable. Waterproof (IP68) even when plugged in, plus a removable battery. Has internal GPS, but chats via vesper (ais) unit with SH vhf/ais/gps and sounder. With navionics has AIS overlay and sonar in charts. Navionics account syncs across all my iOS and android devices.
 

Mr Fox

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Aug 31, 2017
204
Marshall 22 Portland, ME
If I were starting from scratch I might look at a Panasonic tough book. 800 nit screen. Most tablets are 300 (hence the direct light readability issue), the best chart plotter screens are 1500 nit. 800 would be just fine in all but the worst direct sun.

If I wanted a solution that integrated to my autopilot I would go plotter. Otherwise personally I think a ruggedized tablet is a better option.
 

BobH57

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Oct 23, 2019
91
Hunter 410 Solomons, MD
What WiFi bridge do you use?
Yakker 2 port NMEA to WiFi Bridge by Yakbitz. Just installed it today, connecting GPS/AIS outputs from my GX2200. Works great, allowing me to show boat position and AIS targets on PCs running OpenCPN, iPad running Aqua Map, and Android tablet running Navionics- all simultaneously from anywhere in the boat!
 

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,039
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
My setup is a Vulcan 7 MFD at the nav station. It has builtin wifi which connects to my 1st gen IPad above the helm. The Ipad runs all the same screens as the Vulcan EXCEPT the autopilot.
If the Vulcan goes down, the Ipad has INavX installed and updated charts downloaded.
If that goes down, I have a laptop running Ubuntu and OpenCPN with its own GPS hockey puck.
And finally, I have C-Map on my phone.

Do I need all of that? Normally, no because I've been mostly daysailing since my FIL moved in with us. But a friend of mine was making a delivery to Mexico and ended up using HIS phone to get into port when everything else failed.
 
Oct 10, 2019
114
Signet 20 0 Ithaca
My 19 yo daughter got a used starter sextant off of eBay for her birthday, she's got a crew spot doing a delivery of a fancy big cat (has all the bells and whistles, oh my goodness) up to MD from USVI and she'll have 8-12 days to practice taking sights and doing the math. Electronics are great (especially at night and in the fog, also most of the rest of the time), but one reason to wear shoes when you're driving is so you can walk to the nearest gas station...
 
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Likes: jon hansen
Feb 11, 2017
108
Gulfstar 47 NC
I like lots of options and gadgets. I use a Garmin 740xs and radar. Old iPad mini (my favorite), and a newer 10 in. Both have Aqua Map , Navionics and Procharts loaded. Satellite image on Prochart is more current . Since we do a lot of AICW. (Atlantic Inter Coastal Waterway) Aqua Map with Corp of Engineers overlay is used a lot. I want to get a Yakbitz product to tie some 25 year old Seatalk instrumentals. Needed to see you guys good word for the product. Thanks.
 
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Likes: LloydB

LloydB

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Jan 15, 2006
806
Macgregor 22 Silverton
Thanks dirt rd for using whole words following the first use of an acronym not previously used in this thread. Being an older westcoast lake sailor, that brand mfg of CP would not have been so obvious to me as it would have been to many who live near the ICW on the east coast.
 
Nov 25, 2018
36
Oday 28 Wiscasset, ME
my electronics are probably worth more than my boat! But worth it. Raymarine Axxiom MFD at the helm with their Lighthouse maps which are fine, Raymarine Quantum radar wifi connected to the MFD. Standard Horizon VHF with MMSI# and DSC. I also use Navionics on iPhone, and iPad at home for planning. No AIS because I don’t need it where I have been sailing with this boat in bays around here, and it’s just one more thing.

I used to just use Open CPN on a phone and chromebook and that worked fine but Navionics has active captain, automatically updates charts, and requires less fiddling. Some people really love to fiddle with settings and options and customizations; I don’t. I also love the touchscreen MFD at the helm, weatherproof, visibility in bright sun, touchscreen works better than expected even in the wet.

I do not have NMEA 2k set up because of a bug with my particular VHF, old 0183 autopilot and Seatalk NG issues and my incompetence in setting up the network. The only thing I don’t like about Raymarine is they have all their own Seatalk cables, bridges and converters, which are expensive.

Currently shopping for next boat and I plan to stick with Raymarine, buy all new electronics and link 2 MFDs, autopilot, radar, SH GX2200 VHF/AIS, and both Lighthouse and Navionics maps on the MFD.
 
Last edited:
Feb 11, 2017
108
Gulfstar 47 NC
my electronics are probably worth more than my boat! But worth it. Raymarine Axxiom MFD at the helm with their Lighthouse maps which are fine, Raymarine Quantum radar wifi connected to the MFD. Standard Horizon VHF with MMSI# and DSC. I also use Navionics on iPhone, and iPad at home for planning. No AIS because I don’t need it where I have been sailing with this boat in bays around here, and it’s just one more thing.

I used to just use Open CPN on a phone and chromebook and that worked fine but Navionics has active captain, automatically updates charts, and requires less fiddling. Some people really love to fiddle with settings and options and customizations; I don’t. I also love the touchscreen MFD at the helm, weatherproof, visibility in bright sun, touchscreen works better than expected even in the wet.

I do not have NMEA 2k set up because of a bug with my particular VHF, old 0183 autopilot and Seatalk NG issues and my incompetence in setting up the network. The only thing I don’t like about Raymarine is they have all their own Seatalk cables, bridges and converters, which are expensive.

Currently shopping for next boat and I plan to stick with Raymarine, buy all new electronics and link 2 MFDs, autopilot, radar, SH GX2200 VHF/AIS, and both Lighthouse and Navionics maps on the MFD.
I’m going to try a Kakbitz product to get nmea wind data on my Garmin mfd. AIS is the only way to go offshore . Easy to see targets headings and closest point of approach. I still use an old Noland 162, receive only. Cheap..
 
Feb 11, 2017
108
Gulfstar 47 NC
I’m going to try a Kakbitz product to get nmea wind data on my Garmin mfd. AIS is the only way to go offshore . Easy to see targets headings and closest point of approach. I still use an old Noland 162, receive only. Cheap..
Yakbitz. Duh.
 
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Likes: loneshark64
Oct 26, 2008
6,046
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I had a B&G Vulcan 7" CP on our Starwind integrated with the sailing instruments and VHF/AIS then sold the boat. Loved the B&G products. Now I have a Garmin CP integrated with the autopilot & VHF/AIS integrated on NMEA 0183. The instruments are RM on NMEA 0183 format, not integrated with the CP. I don't own a tablet, never did, but perhaps one day. I use navionics and other apps on my iphone. When I replace electronics eventually, I will go back to B&G.
 
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Likes: jssailem
Apr 8, 2011
768
Hunter 40 Deale, MD
I use both a Raymarine 7212 chartplotter at the helm, which interfaces/displays and overlays everything on the boat except the engine - wind, depth and speed transducers, compass, GPS, radar, AIS, satellite weather - and provides useful real-time information I find difficult to get from my iPad. It is my primary navigation instrument, and I update the chip every two years.

I also supplement that with my iPad, which I can carry anywhere on the boat, do planning ahead of time from anywhere, and which ties into a Yacht Devices NMEA 2000 wi-fi gateway which allows it to pull information off of the boat such as AIS. It really doesn't seem to pull the other data off the system reliably such as wind and depth. It will NOT pull the radar or satellite weather, and only AIS gets reliably overlaid on my iPad charting software. I use a couple of the common apps - Aquamaps, and Navionics mostly. The iPad has a GPS chip in it.

I find they both have their uses, but my view is they're complementary:

- The chartplotter allows me to selectively overlay things to get a real-time picture of multiple streams of information (e.g. chart and radar at night so I can be sure I'm not following a chartplotter onto land; AIS and radar so I can see the boats WITHOUT AIS as well as those with it). Its charts are out of date the day you buy the new chip.

- The iPad is so much more portable and intuitive I find I use it for a lot of things don't want to be at the helm for, or fiddle with nested menus. The charts are updated constantly - some are crowd sourced, depending on the application. But it does need to be recharged, and its not screwed down on the boat, so Murphy sometimes rules.

Last data point: I crew on a boat for a friend who owns a Hinckley 42 Sou'West. He's sailed it across the Atlantic, and on all the Bermuda races for many years. I've sailed on it up the East Coast offshore into Maine and up to Nova Scotia, and back from Bermuda three times. The owner is absolutely meticulous about his boat, and racing. He has a dedicated PC below with chartplotting software that he uses to plan and track each trip. But he uses an iPad in the cockpit - no chartplotter. We found it especially useful when navigating at night when trying to find the next lit buoy because we could sit forward with the autopilot control (wired) and steer from on top or just under the dodger while having the best view over the bow of the boat.

Anyway, see what works for you.
 
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Phil

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Feb 11, 2017
279
Morris Annie Haleiwa, HI
iPads with GPS, charts, and connection to my AIS. Garmin wants way too much money for their regional charts. You can buy an iPad and a few apps for the cost of the west coast Garmin bluecharts. I pulled the Garmin chart plotter out of my boat and sold it on eBay.
 
Jan 7, 2014
395
Beneteau 45F5 51551 Port Jefferson
I use B&G Vulcan MFD interfaced to the wind, depth, speed- unfortunately the AP is raymarine. It has the ability to mirror to a phone or tablet so there's no need for a repeater down below. It's nice to be able to program tomorrow's course from the nav desk with an ipad or phone. while looking at the paper charts. The mirror function is also great for racing or single handed sailing -anyone can see the instruments from anywhere on the boat.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,039
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
On our lake, Navtronics on a galaxy tab in a waterproof case has kept us out of trouble. First few trips we were not use to paying attention to depth so this helped us