Which GPS chart plotter do you like?

[Zeida]

For What it's Worth...

In 1998 I bought the Magellan black & white chartplotter 6500 for $767 (not made anymore but still in their website) with the C-Maps for Florida East and West Coast, the Bahamas and all the Caribean for $168.00 extra. It was mounted at my Edson steering pedestal. It has a 5" screen, and it shows the route the boat is sailing on, position, speed, etc., as all chartplotters do. Every year they suggest you upgrade those C-Maps, but I find they are identical, so for the last 3 yrs. I have been using the same ones and they still work perfect. In 2002 I was yearning for a bigger plotter, in color, but when checking the prices, they were completely out of my $$ range. That's when I found out about the ICOM GPS Model GP-270 ML, on sale at Boat US for $200.00. Also a black & white unit, extremely user friendly, big huge numbers, simple!

Using my old, clunky and heavy IBM laptop no longer used at the house, but with a wonderful 13" color screen, I hooked up the ICOM GPS to the laptop. Then I bought the Maptech Offshore Navigator software for $450.00, installed it on the laptop and suddenly I had a great color chartplotter, for under $800. Using simple instructions from CD website sailor John R., I was able to do the install. Being a bigger boat, I keep this set-up on my Nav station, inside the boat, but it is easily viewed from my place at the wheel. The smaller Magellan is still working perfectly right there on the ped, and it doubles up as a great confirmation that I am indeed on the right course. I also still keep my very first hand held Magellan, (battery operated) as a third back-up, if ever needed. The other two work on power from the house bank batteries!

Since most of my sailing is coastal cruising, this works great and was quite reasonable, moneywise! Don't really need radar, no huge fog down here in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. Works great for our night sailing, and is an excellent way of knowing our way around all the markers, shallows, etc.

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The little RED BOAT in the center of the chart is the position of Bandolera as we move along!

[Troy Scott]

Dean,

I agree completely. I believe using systems should be absolutely intuitive and obviously logical. Whenever I have to get the book out, I always think the creator didn't do a good job. The most powerful example I know is a new aviation GPS I had installed in a new plane about 10 years ago. It was a KLN89B, certified for approaches in instrument conditions. It was so convoluted and counterintuitive we never managed to use it to it's potential. Once I flew with another instrument pilot and the two of us weren't able to load an approach in 45 minutes WITH THE BOOK. If you've ever flown, you know you don't have time to be fiddling with something complex and distracting when you're in instrument conditions. The same is true of sailing. Whatever it is, if you really need the thing it just needs to work with no hassle.

[RonE58]

$707.99 at
http://www.anchorexpress.com

For our 25D, I'll be mounting the 492 on a pivot arm set just inside the companion way, portside. That way I can see it from the cockpit, be able to touch and still steer, or view it from below while at anchor, etc.

I currently have my small handheld GPS on this mounting system and it works great. Only difference is that the larger 492 may have to be pivoted out of the way in order to use the companion way. No biggie.

Big plus is that with tiller steering you can steer and still touch the 492's keys with it sitting in the protection of the companion way opening covered by the dodger.

Hello Randy,
I just ordered a garmin 492 for my newly acquired CD 27, after some research and your comments about the built-in mapping it made sense. I like the idea of the pivoting arm into the companion way, did you built it yourself or purchase it somewhere?
Ron

[bottomscraper]

This is a picture of the home brew arm I made for the fishfinder on our last boat. I wish I had a better picture. The arm is one piece of wood with two hinges. There are two barrel bolts, one holds it in the stowed position (as shown) and another holds it deployed. The barrel bolts are both mounted on small wood spacers so they are in the right position to hold the arm in each position. Total cost was about $15 including hardware and teak.

[img]http://home.earthlink.net/~mlabato/fs/stbdaft.jpg[/img]

[Kittiwake]

When I mounted my chart plotter, I went to Best Buy and found a small TV swing-arm that works extremely well. A small piece of Star Board to make the mounting plate big enough to use the original Raymarine mounting bracket, and some time to figure out the angles so that it would sit nicely in the companionway. It's worked well, but was a little more pricey than the nice hand made one shown above...
Peace and Fair Winds, Bill

[RMeigel]

I just used my newly purchased Garmin 492 on a 17 hour delivery from Annapolis to Kilmarnock. It is mounted outside on a duplicate lowest companion way board that has a hole for the power cable to go through. In that way, during inclement weather, I can close up the companionway completely, leaving the Garmin 492 on the outside in the cockpit with me. I opted against a swivel bracket for two reasons - (1) the companionway has to be open to use it and my interior layout doesn't offer a convenient space for interior storage when it is pushed inside while not in use and (2) in most cases you need one hand to hold the swivel arm steady while you punch the buttons with the other. Not good for singlehanders. I can punch away on mine and still control the tiller.

The major negative with my system is that you have to step over the lowest companionway board to get in and out - the GPS is mounted as far to othe port side and lowest edge as room would allow.

I was surprised with two crew that stepping over the GPS was not as big a deal as I thought it would be.

We found that the light pattern on the Garmin for one light differed from the chart. The paper chart correctly identified it as a 4 sec light but the Garmin showed it as a 2.5 sec light. Both chart and Garmin show Smith Point as a 10 sec light when by our count it is more like 6 sec. So, trust but verify.

I bought the model that has the internal antenna because I plan to take it on charter boats. I only have to worry about a power hookup - which could be a cigarette lighter power fixture. So, I hope to take it to Guadeloupe in January.

My power cord tucks nicely above the Standard VHF radio mount and is out of the way when not in use. It has a dedicated breaker on my circuit breaker panel.

Robin

[rtbates]

I made my mount. It's basically the same thing as Rich showed. I used a single brass door hinge, the big boy about 4" long.

Robin:

Thanks for the report. I too appreciate the tiller's reach. On Seraph I can steer and still peer over the top of the top drop board. And even manipulate the GPS sitting just inside the companion way. For times when I need/want to keep the cabin sealed and still be able to use the GPS, it'll sit on a removable mount under the dodger and above the hatch.