Laptop for chart plotting?

[Dave Berquist]

Looking for a recommended laptop to run chart plotting software. I don't have enough battery power aboard the Typhoon Senior to run a hard-wired unit and the little handhelds just don't make it, so I'd like to attempt a laptop solution. Any thoughts/recommendations? Thanks

[Frenchy]

Would an IPAD have a screen big enough for you? They're very nice, and there are all sorts of
accessories for it - waterproof cases, mounting options, etc. I have one as a back up and to bring on
other people's boats. Most of the time it's superior to whatever is on the other person's boat.
You don't have to get the latest model, either, just one that has the GPS enabled, so you'll still
be good out of cell phone range. - Jean

[mgphl52]

And it definitely doesn't have to be an ipad!
There are lots of great Android tablets that are just as good and much less expensive.

[Dave Berquist]

Thanks for the info.

[Bill Moore]

Dave,

There are lots of right answers to this question. Look around at what your friends are using and copy the one you like best.

I switched from a Garmin four years ago when my son "borrowed" my GPS. I use an iPad Mini and Navionics and would never go back. I love being able to sketch a route on my phone and having it synch to my iPad the next time I am on the boat. Other people that I have met feel just as strongly about the software they use. It's whatever resonates with you.

One gotcha if you choose an iPad. You should get the WiFi + Cellular version. See https://navionics.secure.force.com/kb/a ... Technology for an explanation.

Bill

[mgphl52]

Bill,
Great advice for both Apple and Android users!

[tartansailor]

I like MapQuest. A bit pricey, but definately something to consider before making a decision.

[Jim Walsh]

Dave,

There are lots of right answers to this question. Look around at what your friends are using and copy the one you like best.

I switched from a Garmin four years ago when my son "borrowed" my GPS. I use an iPad Mini and Navionics and would never go back. I love being able to sketch a route on my phone and having it synch to my iPad the next time I am on the boat. Other people that I have met feel just as strongly about the software they use. It's whatever resonates with you.

One gotcha if you choose an iPad. You should get the WiFi + Cellular version. See https://navionics.secure.force.com/kb/a ... Technology for an explanation.

Bill

I have used Navionics loaded onto my iPad as a backup to my chart plotter for several years. I have a Lifeproof waterproof case for my iPad so I can bring it on deck and not worry about water intrusion. I also have a Bad Elf GPS puck which displays my latitude and longitude on its own, plus I can Bluetooth it to my iPad or my iPhone as it is said to be more accurate than those devices.
Using an iPad loaded with Navionics is handy when belowdecks. Those days when there’s a lot of spray flying, heavy rain or squalls, it’s convenient not to have to stand exposed at the helm to take a peek at the chart plotter.
Redundancy is always your friend....

[Paul D.]

I second the iPad or iPad mini with a lifeproof case. I use iNavX and it is just fine, pretty close to my old Garmin. I have heard really good reviews for Navionics too. On the Trans Superior Race last year, our skipper used a basic laptop like an Acer or Surface and PredictWInd and software called TZ Navigator.

[BernieA]

I have a Garmin GPSmap 4208 as my chart plotter. In addition, I loaded OpenCPN on my Windows 10 laptop, 2 android tablets and 2 android cell phones, I downloaded the coast guard district 13 charts in both raster and vector formats. While I can't transfer between the Garmin and OpenCPN, I can transfer between the laptop and the android devices. OpenCPN works very well on all the devices with the caveat that there is only one version available for android and it doesn't have several of the features available on the windows version. I haven't gone the IOS route since Apple products tend to be more expensive that android products, and Apple ties customers into their world of apps. I prefer to have open source and free apps available that I can play with. One more thing, I'd rather lose an inexpensive android device overboard than a more costly IOS device.

[mgphl52]

One more thing, I'd rather lose an inexpensive android device overboard than a more costly IOS device.

Excellent point!

[Boyd]

I put forth a contrarian view.

For years on both my CD 30 mkii and my Cat, I have used a Panasonic CF-31 and a backup CF-19 running Coastal Eplorer on both windows 10 and XP. I use these laptops for work so they serve double duty.

Both are almost literally bullet proof and certainly waterproof. Coastal Explorer is great software with a ton of features. It includes U.S. charts.

These are backups to my Raymarine chartplotter. You never know when you need a backup. I doubt a lighting hit would get both laptops.

I also can download SSB Weather faxes, and Predictwind files on the same machines.

Boyd
s/v Cat-A-Tonic
Prout 34 Catamaran
Fort Lauderdale, Fla

[wikakaru]

I use an Android tablet on my Typhoon and CD22 and have been very pleased with the results.

I have 2 different navigation packages loaded: Marine Navigator and OpenCPN. I use Marine Navigator for aimless daysails as a simple "you-are-here" sort of electronic navigation. I use OpenCPN for more advanced navigation, like if I plan to actually go somewhere and need to follow a route through fog. (I used OpenCPN for my 12-day trip from Boston to Maine on my CD22. Lots of fog along the way.) When I use OpenCPN, I pre-plan my routes on my computer at home (also with OpenCPN) and I copy them to the tablet. I find it much easier to do route planning on a real computer with a mouse. This is true for marine chart plotters too: it's much easier to plan a route on a real computer.

The thing I like about both of these software packages is that they are inexpensive and use free NOAA charts with the same chart symbols I have been using forever. Marine Navigator supports only the NOAA raster charts, while OpenCPN supports NOAA raster and vector charts. What can I say, I like NOAA raster charts.

Another nice thing about a small tablet as opposed to a laptop or chart plotter on a little boat with limited or no electrical system is that you can purchase an inexpensive external lithium battery to charge your device via USB cable and get several days of use from a purely portable system.

What I don't like about my Samsung tablet (not sure whether this applies to other brand/model tablets) is that it doesn't like full sunlight, and if left in the sun too long it overheats and shuts down. I keep it belowdecks in the shade, but placed where I can see it. The other thing about my tablet is that it is very difficult to read with sunglasses in landscape orientation; it needs to be in portrait orientation. Every device with a screen has a problem of polarized sunglass viewing to some degree. Bring your sunglasses with you to the store and try using the device you want to purchase with the glasses on no matter what kind of device you buy.

If you have enough electricity onboard to run it and the bucks to pay for it, the Panasonic Toughbook laptops (they make tough tablets too) that Boyd recommended are sweet. These are the same machines that the Volvo Ocean Race boats use, so they gotta be rugged. Those boats are really wet even down below.

On my Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 I had a chart plotter at the helm, fully integrated via NMEA2000 with AIS, radar, wind, depth, speed, and autopilot. It was an exceptional system. For long distance full-time live-aboard cruising this is the way to go, but definitely overkill on your Typhoon Senior.

One final thought: if you decide to go with OpenCPN on a tablet, I highly recommend going with the paid version. Even though OpenCPN itself is free, the distributor of the paid Android version has made slight modifications to OpenCPN to allow you to store charts on your removable MicroSD memory card instead of the tablet's internal storage, which is absolutely necessary if you have more than a few charts.

Good luck with your choice!

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[Dave Berquist]

Thanks to all - very educational process, this!

[fmueller]

Some phones and tablets and laptops are not very bright and therefore hard to view in bright sunlight ... I'd consider and verify that whatever software/hardware you choose, you'll actually be able to see it in the cockpit typically in direct sunlight. Most dedicated chart plotters are brighter than "average" device screens. The new iPads and iPhones are almost as bright. Polarization of device screens and sunglasses adds another layer, "good in theory/failure in practice". You'll want to verify that combo too ...

My first new Iphone in 5 years (an 11) and iNavx with Navonics is what I'm tending to use this season. I have a perfectly good 5 yr old B&G plotter, but I'm liking the phone more and more. Plus I personally enjoy always having a Map Quest/NOAA chart out in the cockpit too (with my Dad's old Fujinon binos with the inbuilt compass standing by).

In Narragansett Bay the depth sounder is crucial. I almost always know where I am basically, but there is so much shallow water, and part of the charm of a day sail is hugging the shore - I really need that sounder.

Gradually as the seasons go by I'm just learning where the liquid altitude is lacking just by familiarity ... but I've had plenty of "scrapes". I added a tide clock this spring ... a lovely thing to have ...

cheers