I'm considering a chart plotter for our little C-22 cruiser sometime in the next couple years (my reasoning is below, for those who really want to read that far).
It looks like some manufacturers offer a midrange line primarily marketed as a 'fish finder' and another line marketed as an MFD (more $$).
E.g.
* Garmin's EchoMap (FF) vs. GPSMap
* Lowrance Elite (FF) vs. HDS
* Raymarine Element vs. Axiom / Axiom Pro
Some of those fish finders look like they would meet our needs nicely, but the online reviews are all targeted at fishing features, which isn't helpful to a non-angler. So I'm asking for the wisdom of the sailor crowd.
The higher-end MFDs would support Radar, but that's unlikely on a boat our size, so not compelling to me. Nor is integration with engine instruments (my Tohatsu Sailpro is sorely lacking in that department
) If I add wind instruments, I'd probably use a dedicated display, so that integration wouldn't be a priority. I do want to display AIS targets - we currently have NMEA 0183 out of our VHF's AIS receiver, and I'm considering a class B transponder, which would probably come with NMEA 2k.
The ability to control a tiller pilot (guided by route waypoints) might be nice, but isn't really essential. I have very capable crew for at least another few years.
Budget: Probably up to $1k. We could potentially go higher if there's a really compelling reason, but it seems like several manufacturers have solid offerings in that price range. I think I should be able to get a 7" or 9" with transducer and charts in that range.
Helpful answers might be:
* The display on [product line] is sunlight-readable, but only from straight on. You have to go up to [product line] to get the IPS display that's viewable from an angle.
* Since the [insert product here] is targeted for fishing, it will always switch back to sonar view after 2 minutes; you'll be frustrated trying to use it as a plotter
* I found the UI on [product] to be much more difficult to navigate than [product]
* [product] is capable of displaying Navionics+ detailed sonar charts, but the processor can't really keep up; zooming and scrolling are painfully slow.
* [product] was a really meaningful upgrade vs. the previous edition. Or, even better - [product] was not a huge upgrade; you might find a good deal on a closeout.
* In theory, you can transfer routes from the Navionics iPad app to [product], but I found it to be unreliable
More details (for the particularly bored readers):
Sailing area: Puget Sound / Salish Sea. I don't have much to compare to, but I've been quite happy with Navionics charts. So that would be my first choice on a plotter. Chart upgrades cost a lot more for a plotter (~$150) than for the Navionics app ($25/year). My intuition is to buy a plotter and install Navionics charts, and then buy a new card every few years. I'd plan to keep the iPad subscription active, so as to have updated charts for reference available in between.
We already have a simple depth sounder. Most plotters would include their own transducer, and I'd probably keep both for redundancy.
I've done a little looking at forward-scan sonar. I could see it as really nice when entering a shallow anchorage, but the transducers are crazy expensive (and stick down far enough to add significant drag). And the overall forward-scan systems don't seem integrated to a practical level as of yet. My reading is that that one has to mature for another few years. Side-scan, on the other hand, seems really common (presumably because of the fishing market). Most devices I'd consider will do that (with the appropriate transducer). But detailed bottom contours of somewhere I've already been isn't a huge advantage for me. If it's included, fine, but I don't really need it.
Why a plotter, if you already have iPads?
1) Keeping the iPads charged in the cockpit can be a bit of a pain, with a cord laying around; it's a tripping hazard and a risk to the iPad.
2) Good waterproof cases are $100+, and they're starting to wear out, so we're coming up on expenses there.
3) Even an iPad Pro's screen isn't as viewable in sunlight as would be nice (although I live in the PNW, so I shouldn't complain about anything related to sunshine...)
4) When used in the sun, an iPad will sometimes overheat and shut itself down (yes, I'm again complaining about sun
5) For use in the cockpit, we last bought an iPad Pro (for the better screen) and the cellular / GPS chip (for navigation). An iPad Pro is ~$800 new (we bought an older refurbished model, but still). For 'normal' use around home, we'd be fine with a non-Pro Wifi iPad, for ~$3-400. It's getting close to time for another iPad, and the price difference between those two would cover a sizable chunk of the cost of a plotter.
It looks like some manufacturers offer a midrange line primarily marketed as a 'fish finder' and another line marketed as an MFD (more $$).
E.g.
* Garmin's EchoMap (FF) vs. GPSMap
* Lowrance Elite (FF) vs. HDS
* Raymarine Element vs. Axiom / Axiom Pro
Some of those fish finders look like they would meet our needs nicely, but the online reviews are all targeted at fishing features, which isn't helpful to a non-angler. So I'm asking for the wisdom of the sailor crowd.
The higher-end MFDs would support Radar, but that's unlikely on a boat our size, so not compelling to me. Nor is integration with engine instruments (my Tohatsu Sailpro is sorely lacking in that department
) If I add wind instruments, I'd probably use a dedicated display, so that integration wouldn't be a priority. I do want to display AIS targets - we currently have NMEA 0183 out of our VHF's AIS receiver, and I'm considering a class B transponder, which would probably come with NMEA 2k.The ability to control a tiller pilot (guided by route waypoints) might be nice, but isn't really essential. I have very capable crew for at least another few years.
Budget: Probably up to $1k. We could potentially go higher if there's a really compelling reason, but it seems like several manufacturers have solid offerings in that price range. I think I should be able to get a 7" or 9" with transducer and charts in that range.
Helpful answers might be:
* The display on [product line] is sunlight-readable, but only from straight on. You have to go up to [product line] to get the IPS display that's viewable from an angle.
* Since the [insert product here] is targeted for fishing, it will always switch back to sonar view after 2 minutes; you'll be frustrated trying to use it as a plotter
* I found the UI on [product] to be much more difficult to navigate than [product]
* [product] is capable of displaying Navionics+ detailed sonar charts, but the processor can't really keep up; zooming and scrolling are painfully slow.
* [product] was a really meaningful upgrade vs. the previous edition. Or, even better - [product] was not a huge upgrade; you might find a good deal on a closeout.
* In theory, you can transfer routes from the Navionics iPad app to [product], but I found it to be unreliable
More details (for the particularly bored readers):
Sailing area: Puget Sound / Salish Sea. I don't have much to compare to, but I've been quite happy with Navionics charts. So that would be my first choice on a plotter. Chart upgrades cost a lot more for a plotter (~$150) than for the Navionics app ($25/year). My intuition is to buy a plotter and install Navionics charts, and then buy a new card every few years. I'd plan to keep the iPad subscription active, so as to have updated charts for reference available in between.
We already have a simple depth sounder. Most plotters would include their own transducer, and I'd probably keep both for redundancy.
I've done a little looking at forward-scan sonar. I could see it as really nice when entering a shallow anchorage, but the transducers are crazy expensive (and stick down far enough to add significant drag). And the overall forward-scan systems don't seem integrated to a practical level as of yet. My reading is that that one has to mature for another few years. Side-scan, on the other hand, seems really common (presumably because of the fishing market). Most devices I'd consider will do that (with the appropriate transducer). But detailed bottom contours of somewhere I've already been isn't a huge advantage for me. If it's included, fine, but I don't really need it.
Why a plotter, if you already have iPads?
1) Keeping the iPads charged in the cockpit can be a bit of a pain, with a cord laying around; it's a tripping hazard and a risk to the iPad.
2) Good waterproof cases are $100+, and they're starting to wear out, so we're coming up on expenses there.
3) Even an iPad Pro's screen isn't as viewable in sunlight as would be nice (although I live in the PNW, so I shouldn't complain about anything related to sunshine...)
4) When used in the sun, an iPad will sometimes overheat and shut itself down (yes, I'm again complaining about sun
5) For use in the cockpit, we last bought an iPad Pro (for the better screen) and the cellular / GPS chip (for navigation). An iPad Pro is ~$800 new (we bought an older refurbished model, but still). For 'normal' use around home, we'd be fine with a non-Pro Wifi iPad, for ~$3-400. It's getting close to time for another iPad, and the price difference between those two would cover a sizable chunk of the cost of a plotter.
