Chart Plotter solutions?

[harry ames]

My new to me R21 classic is exceptionally clean and has some electronics in it.

A humminbird 345cDI that is working well.
A Lowance X25b conventional depth finder, also working well.

An old, Standard Horizon CP 150, B and W chart plotter. I would need to buy about 260 dollars worth of C Map cartridges to get my intermountain-west lakes. They are C Map's which seem to be highly respected over Navionics. (I used a Raymarine chart plotter on my D-Dory with Navionics and liked it fine for mountain states lakes).

So, option one: Pull the CP 150 and replace it with a 500 dollar color 5 inch diagonal plotter that handles Navionics and other cartridges and pulls all of the western lakes into one cartridge. 5 inches of black and white seemed small when I was puttering around Alameda estuary, maybe 5 inch color is better.

Option two: Just use my Android color tablet on a swivel mount base and use the Navionics App, (50) bucks that I used as a backup for my C-Dory Raymarine. I never had to use the tablet as the primary, so I never really compared it to the larger Raymarine color display in the C-Dory, side by side.

I'm inclined to think that if I were to go "marine" chart plotter that I'd need to spend 900 bucks plus for a larger 7 or ten inch screen.

Also, you coastal captains need something pretty fancy for the complicated coastal navigating that you do. My mountain lakes cruising isn't so complicated.

What is the general consensus amongst Tugers about using tablets or I pad for primary navigation. (I always carry charts, even for my mountain lakes when available).

 

[SGIDAVE]

What is the general consensus amongst Tugers about using tablets or I pad for primary navigation. (I always carry charts, even for my mountain lakes when available).

Hello Harry,

I use an iPad running an app called "Skipper." It serves as a backup and simpler means of logging my trips. I DO NOT use the tablet/iPad (or smartpone) for primary navigation due to their lack of water resistence (not a huge issue in the pilothouse...but, alas occasionally the open window or bow hatch lets in more spray than anticipated) and fragility.

Our boats move and sometimes move a LOT, so the tablet can crash to the deck and be relatively easily broken. Yes, various brackets can be used (like RAM mounts) to sort of secure it, but...it's still not like a mounted as securely as a Garmin 740, for example.

Also, if you have NMEA 2000 network, you will need a dedicated mfd....although a laptop running coastal explorer might work too. Not sure about that.

It's good to know the risks of your particular scheme/set up ahead of time, so this is a good question.

dave

 

[Scuffy]

We run Coastal Explorer with a USB GPS puck sitting on the dash plugged into a small laptop. Rosepoint Marine (Coastal Explorer's developers)offers exception customer service and you can have a 12" screen for a lot less than the Marine chart plotters. We use this setup and do routes and save them as windows files. You do not need the internet to run the routes. They offer a public and private blog and options constant updates on the charts they supply. If you have internet they have conditions for the area you are in and Active Captain is imbedded by using the places tab. I would give them a call and see if they can provide what you are looking for. We have been using them since 2009 very happy. It's a completely separate from any of our Garmin devices so it provides excellent redundancy.

 

[harry ames]

For this season, I'm going with my Samsung Tablet with Navionics +. Looks good and just like my fancy shmancy Ray Marine system I had on my C-Dory. Much smaller screen of course. I've done a test look in the Tug and it looks pretty good. I'm pulling and junking the Standard Horizon 5 inch screen black and white that was put in about 2005. Carts are too expensive and the B and W just doesn't do the job. Thanks for the input. I did a lot of looking on the internet and most real boaters and sailors are very happy with the tablet navigation stuff. Some of them even port via bluetooth or wifi, the sounder images and NEMA engine stuff. What a world.

Gotta find just the right mount for my mid size tablet.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Check out RAM mounts. We had one that we used in our CD-25 for the iPad Mini - worked great. You buy a RAM ball to attach to the boat, then a mount to fit your particular tablet. I put a small RAM extender on mine so I could adjust the height. Never an issue with it "shaking loose."

 

[harry ames]

Good to hear from you, Jim, and hear your comments. I've moved from the C-Dory forum and my 22 cruiser to this forum and my R21 classic. Yes, I'm looking at ram mounts. I'm trying to figure out a good configuration. My boat has an outdated Standard Horizon Cp150 on the port, a newer imaging sonar/depth in the middle and a nice standard cheap depth finder on the right. There is a nice large unmounted compass in the cupboard and a tiny little compass mounted in the boat above the center window. I'm thinking I'd like to put the Imaging depth finder on the far left where the Cp150 was, put the compass in the middle where the imager was, and mount the tablet close to the top of the starboard angled window. That would require a ram mount that is happy being upside down. I can't quite tell from internet pix if the ram ball and mount systems articulate for an overhead mount. On the other hand, I can't remember the last time I relied on a compass, but it just looks right to have a nice compass in front of the pilot. Your thoughts, Jim, or any other folks with experience with overhead mounts for the tablet would be welcome.