Chartplotter or not?!

[GordMay]

Rippy wonders: ”... Can you remember the Walker Log, handheld compass for resections, DR plots, and maybe the RDF for coastal work? ...”
GPS, etc, does “spoil” one.

[Talbot]

The plotter in the cockpit has its greatest utility when you are operating short handed and close to the shore. The additional confidence it can give you in this situation is remarkable. However, I always compare tyhe depth with what the plotter is promising, and do the occasional old fashioned fix for confidence building. (same concept really as the occasional compass check)

[Sandero]

I have been upgrading my nav equipment since LoranC and now have a few GPS plotters. Recently...a year ago I purchase a Garmin IQue which can do many things as these PDA are known to do.

I have found the maps useful for driving. I see no need for a paper map anymore. And the route planning is a cool feature too.

But the interesting thing about the IQue is it can hold the Blue Charts and displays them quite legibly to my surprise.

When I first took the little guy on board I realized pretty quick that the batteries won't cut it and so it is tethered to a cockpit 12v cig plug and lives under the dodger mostly.

For navigation there is little to write about in terms of features... like waypoints and so forth. It DOES provide a heading vector and will display in nautical units.

I find it very handy (pun intended) when sailing close to shore, making landfalls etc... being able to be in the cockpit and see a real time graphic of the boat on a chart. When I turn my helm I can see exactly where I am heading the boat... if over hazards or if the heading will make a distant mark. It is handy to see the depths in the surrounding area as opposed to JUST where your depth sounder is reading.

I used to be going up and down the companionway to check the chart, or the chartplotter, but now I do it much less with the little IQue. I like that it is NOT a fixed mount and I can untether it if I want to hand steer and still have this "viewable"... or that I can take it to whichever side I want to be.

And of course you can take this little guy in the dink.. and then use it ashore on or off road through forests etc. I recall hiking through Monhegan Island and losing my bearings without view of the sun... Boy that would have been handy. Oh it does keep a breadcrumb track too.

Considering it offers blue charts (extra cost)... roads and all sorts of data about locations and phone numbers and so forth... Need a Chinese restaurant in Newport? It keeps your address book and calendar, can record MP3s and store photos... this is one versatile little device for a boat at less than $500. You of course hot sync it with a PC to transfer data... and memory is stored on smart cards.

What's not to like?

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Talbot]

What's not to like is the previous history of support (or more precisely - the lack of support) for superceded chart standards.

[Sandero]

What sort of support are you referring to precisely?

In the digital age many companies move ahead and don't bother supporting their old equipment or software companies upgrade their product and don't
support older versions. Unfortunately this will ALWAYS be the case.

Whatever product you buy today will not be supported at some date in the future. This is reality.

Should we not by new equipment knowing this?

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Talbot]

Garmin changed their chart type and the same year stopped all support for that chart type.

C-Map are still supporting their earliest format!

Garmin support for their hardware is acknowledged as being the best, too bad they didnt do the same for their chart system.

[Sandero]

My understanding is that newer charts are including more "neat" features not more accuracy.

If what you want is a set of digital charts the original blue charts should suffice. What sort of "support" would be required?

Are the new features beneficial? Sure.

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Talbot]

new charts provide details on movement of buoys and sand bars, both of which are a bit of a problem as you near land. It appears that the rocks tend to stay in roughly the same place.

[S/V Elusive]

Originally Posted by Talbot

new charts provide details on movement of buoys and sand bars, both of which are a bit of a problem as you near land. It appears that the rocks tend to stay in roughly the same place.

Here in the US, we have "Local Notice to Mariners" published by our Coast Guard, and available for d/l for free. These notices provide information about changing locations of buoys, depths, wrecks, and so on. http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d11/

I don't know that those types of constantly changing items get updated on charts - seems to me that it would be like software; obsolete by the time it is published. The difference being, outdated software most likely isn't going to cost you a boat, or a life.

I've found that finding and talking with someone who has just come from where I'm going or is ahead of me, gives me much more timely and valuable information.

I believe that charts are great to get you in the ballpark, but you need real time information to 'find your seat'.

tossing three more cents on the table

[S/V Elusive]

Originally Posted by Talbot

new charts provide details on movement of buoys and sand bars, both of which are a bit of a problem as you near land. It appears that the rocks tend to stay in roughly the same place.

Here in the US, we have "Local Notice to Mariners" published by our Coast Guard, and available for d/l for free. These notices provide information about changing locations of buoys, depths, wrecks, and so on. http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d11/

I don't know that those types of constantly changing items get updated on charts - seems to me that it would be like software; obsolete by the time it is published. The difference being, outdated software most likely isn't going to cost you a boat, or a life.

I've found that finding and talking with someone who has just come from where I'm going or is ahead of me, gives me much more timely and valuable information.

I believe that charts are great to get you in the ballpark, but you need real time information to 'find your seat'.

tossing three more cents on the table

[Talbot]

Notice to mariners is also sent out on chart corrections, but normally deals with temporary changes to buoys etc. Chart corrections can also be downloaded for free.

An up-to-date pilot is actually of as much use anyway, cause it will show you the final approach and buoy structure, and who to contact, where to park, what vhf where to fuel, who to insult etc.