Electronic Chartplotting

[KJD13]

I have recently conducted the Navigation component of the Day Skipper course and am looking to install some electronic chartplotting equipment for whenever I put the bow out of Port Phillip heads. I am considering using my laptop computer, with CD maps as an alternative to a fixed chartplotter with card maps. What are you using, what gives you the greatest flexibility and access whilst steering? What would fellow Top Hat owners recommend for our boats.
Thanks,
Kevin
Wayward Lady

[storm petrel]

I get by with charts and a hand held GPS. I would consider buying a chart plotter if I could afford one, but more as a neat thing to have rather than a necessity.

I wonder if the moist/salt environment would damage a laptop? At least a chart plotter is sealed.

Cheers,
Mark

[Phillip]

Kevin,

I use charts on which I plot a position at the top of the hour. I use a handheld Garmin Map 76 on which from time to time I may use waypoints. I do down load the course track to a laptop as a permanent record of the trip.

I also have an old chart plotter on which I display lat/long, speed, volts and course (T) as a visual aid, but do not record any info from it.

Laptops which are going all the time consume heaps of power!

Phillip.

[rob.lovelace]

I have an A60 raymarine with a world map on it.fixes to a removeable swivel mount.Under $1000 I think you can get the for around $700 at some places. It's a nice toy and seems fine to me, doesn't use too much power on a day trip but if I'm out for more than a weekend then its the garmin and charts like the rest.

[Dolphin]

G'Day Kevin,
You must have a current up to date chart of the area you are navigating in. That is a legal requirement in NSW and I expect Vic would be the same. The chart is a legal document so any marks or plots you put on it can be used in your defence, like if you hit the planet. Your log (book) is similarly a legal document, no matter how much information you put in it.
I use a basic waterproof gps, Garmin 60 and plot onto charts. I have several waypoints installed and like Phillip I download the plots onto Google earth for archiving. There are a couple of those plots on this site.
I would be interested in getting a GPS plotter as its worthwhile getting an idea of where you are on a plotter rather than just watching a track on a plain screen.
If you want to use a computer as a plotter great, but don't rely on it. Everything has its ying and yang.

Happy sailing
Greg.

[Tales]

Hi Kevin,

We use paper charts and a Garmin E-Trex (plus a spare on board).

Also we take a small laptop with 'Open CPN' (free on the web) installed and C-Map but don't leave it running for long periods. Very useful for planning.

Waypoints can and tracks can be transferred and the lot costs very little.

Cheers,

Tom

[Miker]

I have tried the laptop, and I don't know whether it was the laptop or the environment, but it only lasted two day sails.

My plotting tool of choice is my iPad, using Navionics software. The iPad App is about $70 and all the maps are free once you have the app. To keep the iPad protected, it lives in a dry case designed for keeping maps dry from Whitworths at about $40.

This is then installed in the swing away panel as per


There are drawbacks, the screen does go out at a pre-determined interval to save battery power, but you can run it via your house battery which will keep it on. The cover I have isn't that great in full sun, so I'll be looking for another soon.

As well as the Navionics system, if you have a 3G WiFi iPad, you can surf the web and post to Tophatyachts.org whilst sailing, or download a movie to watch when you moor up for the evening. It also carries quite a lot of music and can be hooked into a stereo system if that is your desire.

I also carry the official paper charts, however haven't used them, because I've not travelled that far yet.

Having said all that, if you didn't have an iPad, a dedicated plotter would be a better alternative, depending on budget etc.

Michael

[KJD13]

Thanks for your input fellas, much appreciated.
Cheers,
Kevin
Wayward Lady

[Shaun]

Hi Kevin,
Let us know what you end up going with....
I use paper charts(inside a Blue performance map bag), & a basic GPS.

But I am looking for a handheld GPS that shows your position on a chart on the screen, as a back-up to paper charting....nice to know the pretty picture confirms your chart plotted position, Laptops use too much battery power imho.
cheers

[lockie]

When we go out in the big stuff, I use my Navman GPS logger plus paper charts: hourly positions are marked on the chart, plus lat, long, course and speed are recorded in the ship's log. If the logger or electrics fail, or the satellites go awry (it does happen), we have a position only an hour old to start dead-reckoning from. A hand-held GPS would do this just as well. I 'm planning to practice my dead-reckoning on our next cruise so I learn a bit more about leeway and currents.

I'm also planning on getting a laptop, but I reckon they're too fragile to regard as a primary safety device. I take A3 scans of my charts at work, printed out and carried in plastic doc pockets.

Disclaimer: I just finished reading a biography of William Bligh including how he navigated accurately with minimal instruments from Tahiti to Timor after the mutiny, in a 23 foot open boat with 18 men. Makes me realise what a dilettante I am.

lockie