Opinions? Navigation Laptops!

[rgranger]

I’m probably opening a can of worms but… my home laptop is nearing the end of its useful life and I’m thinking my next laptop could double as a nice navigation aid.

So, for those of you who are using laptops here are five questions

1. What system are you using?
2. What feature of your current set up would you like to see improved? In other words, what are the negatives.
3. Are there any features that are totally missing from your current set up?
4. What feature of your current set up do you really like?
5. How does power consumption/interface figure into your choice of laptop? Are you using a 12V computer or an inverter or...?
6. If you were making a recommendation to a friend, what setup would you recommend?

I’ve been doing some of my own research and stumbled upon this guy’s laptops. They sound like they would do the job.

Navigation laptop with charts & GPS: Chartplotter on a budget

Get an affordable marine chart plotter system without SUBSCRIPTIONS! 8 to 17 inch navigation laptop with AIS, radar, GPS, NMEA 2000 & more!

navigationlaptops.com

He also has one that is 12V and runs Navionics

Navigation tablet with Navionics charts and built in GPS antenna

Easy to use marine navigation tablet with Navionics, integrated GPS antenna. Ready for fishing, sailing, cruising. 8, 10, 11" and waterproof!

navigationlaptops.com

 

[dlochner]

We're an all Apple house, so I use a MacBook Pro with an M1 chip and Aquamaps. Aquamaps is a very affordable full featured navigation program that runs on iOS and Macs with the Apple chip. One subscription works up to 5 devices.

Aquamaps is particularly useful on the East Coast because of the frequent chart updates with the latest Corps of Engineers soundings of the ICW and inlets. It also has currents, waves, and wind layers. Last I checked a subscription for the US East Coast was in the $15 to $20 dollar range per year.

The laptop, which ever type you choose, will need access to GPS data to be most useful.

 

[American_Mainsail]

I use a simple iPad with integrated GPS that I purchased five years ago. I put it in a waterproof case to protect it and attach it to a helm mount.

I run Navionics Boating and TZ iBoat on it for navigation. It does everything I need it to do. It even pairs with my Furuno First Watch radar system using the on-board, integrated WiFi access point that the First Watch provides.

TZ iBoat will overlay the radar signatures over the chart, along with a dedicated app from Furuno that mimics a traditional radar scope. I believe Navionics Boating even has this capability now, as well.

No complaints and very budget friendly. It's a bare bones, dead nuts simple setup; I like it that way.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Some have employed their "nearing end of useful life" laptops AS their navigational tools.

 

[rgranger]

Some have employed their "nearing end of useful life" laptops AS their navigational tools.

It won’t hold a charge anymore and “new” batteries are as much as a new one.

 

[rgranger]

I use a simple iPad with integrated GPS that I purchased five years ago. I put it in a waterproof case to protect it and attach it to a helm mount.

I run Navionics Boating and TZ iBoat on it for navigation. It does everything I need it to do. It even pairs with my Furuno First Watch radar system using the on-board, integrated WiFi access point that the First Watch provides.

TZ iBoat will overlay the radar signatures over the chart, along with a dedicated app from Furuno that mimics a traditional radar scope. I believe Navionics Boating even has this capability now, as well.

No complaints and very budget friendly. It's a bare bones, dead nuts simple setup; I like it that way.

The Furuno radar is an attractive option

 

[jssailem]

I sail have sailed the PacificNW waters, and will again soon, using a laptop as the navigation tool on my nav station. I have used my old Sony laptop (PC) for most of that time. Coastal Explorer a Window’s based software I have found excellent. Designed for commercial use the features are extensive. It is now available for use on iOS systems.

During the last 21 months of being land locked, I have been exploring OpenCPN. A free software application. I bought a 15” MACbook laptop on which I installed the program. It is robust and would recommend it for your consideration.

One of the challenges using a laptop are powering the device. Laptop batteries can be short lived. Since they are DC devises it only makes sense to get a DC adapter. An inverter would waste energy in the transfer. I have an adapter for the Sony that plugs into the 12volt DC power socket. Since laptops are power hogs, I often am running the engine while in use. I have secured a DC power access for the MACbook via a 12 volt adapter that provides adequate amps.

Adding to this system, you will need access to the boat data. My AIS hardware is plugged into my SeatalkNG network. The AIS unit uses a WiFi gateway that can connect upto 5 external nodes Thus the laptop gets access to sonar, GPS and other boat data. This WiFi access permits additional screens (like my phone and iPad) to access the network and maintain redundancy in navigational systems.

Integration is the key to reliability. Access to cellular service can provide weather data. Outside 30nm cellular networks and WiFi signals disappear. Now you need greater reach if your data, like weather, is to be accessed. This means long distance radio waves (I.e. Short wave) or satellite (as in Starlink).

Lots to consider. Define your boating needs before you go searching for the perfect hardware.

• Do you need integrated radar?
• Is weather data (GRIB files) necessary?
• What are the ranges from data access that need to be considered ?
• Should my systems be integrated or would I be better served by independent systems
• Can I use a Raspberry Pi system or do I need dedicated marine hardware?

These are a few of the considerations I explored before I opened the catalog of computer components.

 

[rgranger]

Define your boating needs before you go searching for the perfect hardware.

The set up I have in mind would be designed for the coastal cruiser... seldom going more than 3-4 miles off shore. I would need the following data in order of priority

1. Depth/Sonar ( right now I use a Garmin)
2. Navigation to include routing, waypoints, MOB alarm and Anchor Alarm, (at the moment I use Navionics on my phone and I have a stand alone Garmin --The Garmin has what I need... see above)
3. AIS receiver (my radio has that, it would be nice to integrate it with the Navigation)
4. Weather (right now I use Windy and the NOAA radar app on my phone)
5. Radar (I don't have it... but I want it). I've only ever been caught in a really bad fog one time but it scared the out of me. I'd like to have radar.

 

[DArcy]

I use a dedicated chart plotter plus Navionics on a tablet. I have been considering getting a chart table computer so I'm interested in this thread. I have set up a Raspberry Pi with OpenCPN and a USB GPS but I haven't used it on the boat yet. Here in Canada we have to pay for electronic charts and I already pay for Navionics and Raymarine charts so I haven't rushed to install a 3rd system.

Another option for a single board computer, if you want to run Windows, is a Latte Panda. They come in different configurations from an Intel Atom to a Core i5 with 16GB RAM. The nice thing about Latte Panda is they are low power and can run off a USB C power supply, so a cigarette lighter adapter would work, and they are very small. They also include an integrated Arduino so you can add other custom devices if you are technically inclined. You would, of course, need to buy, and find space for, the keyboard, mouse and monitor in addition to the computer but the computer is tiny.

 

[Lee Hadjiosif]

Navigation laptops and tablets are nice, but none of them will interface with your existing autopilot and hold a prescribed straight line or route. If you don't need it to connect with the A/P, an iPhone will do just the same.

 

[Tedd]

I use a Microsoft Surface Book 2 running OpenCPN with a GPS USB dongle. The PC is strapped to my nav table and a cable runs up through the companionway to a display mounted below the dodger. This is a temporary arrangement until I get around to completing my Raspberry Pi system, but it's working well. I use a wireless mouse if I need to manipulate the display while underway (but that doesn't happen very often).

I guess the negatives are the cable and needing a mouse to manipulate the display. The Raspberry Pi system will solve both of those (it will have a touch screen display). Another drawback is that screen refresh is a bit slow on the Surface Book 2, which I notice mainly when I zoom. That might be just my machine though, which is a few years old and seems to have slowed down a lot since I got it.

There might be features I'm missing but, since I've never used any other chart plotter, I wouldn't know. It serves my purposes well and I expect the Raspberry Pi system will be tickety-boo, as far as I'm concerned.

I guess the feature I like best is that it's cheap as hell. I had to buy the GPS dongle (80 bucks Canadian) and I got a better USB hub which was another few bucks. That's it. The rest was stuff I had lying around. The Raspberry Pi system will probably end up costing around 250 bucks (more when I add AIS).

Right now I'm using the same 12 V USB charger that I use in my car. It's working fine.

What I recommend to a friend would depend on the friend, I guess. For a person who's comfortable configuring a Raspberry Pi it's hard to see what could be better than a system built around that. (Dollar for dollar, that is. Obviously, a commercial system might be absolutely better, but not better dollar for dollar.) Honestly, I'm thrilled with the laptop-based system and if you told me I had to use it for the rest of my life I'd be fine with that. So that would be what I'd recommend to someone who's intimidated by configuring a Raspberry Pi.

 

[sailme88]

Police, Fire and Military use a Panasonic hard shell laptop. Designed to take abuse..

 

[rgranger]

Police, Fire and Military use a Panasonic hard shell laptop. Designed to take abuse..

Is it also waterproof?

 

[Rjm st.petersburg]

Panasonic Tough Book is Water "Resistant". Used in the field for commercial Utility use. A touch pad is worthless with any moisture on it or your fingers. Any drops on the screen will also cause it to be glitchy. Also a few drops of water though the fan vent and it will smoke in your hands. The keyboard seems to be sealed up pretty good, and the battery life was above average. Processor speed was on the slow side.

 

[DArcy]

Is it also waterproof?

Some Panasonic Toughbook computers are water resistant. Some are IP 65 or IP 66 which are different levels of water jet protection. That's probably good enough for most navigation needs. If you want immersion water protection get a Samsung phone and run Navionics. I swim with my Galaxy phone without any problems.

 

[kbgunn]

I wrote a post here about using a Dell ruggedized tablet PC running Ubuntu as a chart plotter at the helm.
Best Chart Plotter Solution

Still using this setup and like it. You can create your own charts using Navionics, C-Map, and Bing Maps with a tool called SAS Planet. It is a little involved and requires an investment in learning.

John Hacking posted a great tutorial on his website: Making mbTiles

He gives some tips on how to organize charts in memory which will lessen the conflict between ENC and RNC charts at various zoom levels.
KBG

 

[higgs]

Chartered a Jeanaue 47 in the North Channel, Canada last summer. It has some very tricky navigational challenges. The Jeanaue had a fancy chart plotter, but we found that Navionics on our Samsung tablet to much easier and clearer to use. It does not hook into AP, but in those waters I prefer to monitor the AP or hand steer.