+ 1 for MX Mariner. I have been using it on my 7" android tablet and Android Phone for 3 years in tights spots and up and down the Oregon + Wa Coasts and in the San Juans. I also have Navionics on both devices for redundancy and with have charts downloaded on both. These apps send me notification and/or automatically update charts whenever new NOAA information is available (a huge plus for safety imo.) Active Captain is also integral with both apps. MX Mariner is free, I believe Navionics was $20 for charts of all of Northern CA, Oregon, Washington and San Juans. HD Navionics was $50-60 as mentioned, but normal fidelity was fine on my 7" Tablet.
Additionally I have an app called Boat Beacon which sends(with your MMSI #) and receives AIS info. It does this only when connected to cell service (when I need real AIS, I'll buy it.) I do also have an old handheld GPS (with outdated charts... like nearly all non wifi enabled GPS/Chartplotters) If I were you Danny, I would load up your android tablet, and one or two phones with apps/charts as a back up for the delivery. IMO the dongles, bluetooth adapters etc, add complexity and expense and seem like an obvious weak link in the system to me, as well as the battery drain, and not having the plotter/laptop in the cockpit. The apps will always be cheaper than additional hardware. But you can worry about that or not, when you get your boat home! BTW, you'll find that most delivery skippers only use a Tablet with Navionics because they can't trust the systems on the boats they are delivering. And a plug for one of the only boats/blogs that are really out there doing real sailing and not island hopping: s/v Sila <http://svsila.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html>, who has been using iPad Tablets successfully for years now, including around Cape Horn and a number of oceanic crossings. My 2 cents. Congratulations on your (almost) new boat Danny! On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 8:16 AM Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > I have been using an old IBM Thinkpad and OpenCPN for years and it all > works great. You get spoiled and “real” marine chartplotters seem quite > lacking. OpenCPN is free and all the charts are free too. > > The only drawbacks are that a laptop is NOT anywhere close to waterproof, > it isn’t in the cockpit, and they draw more power than a plotter. My old > beast draws around 4-5 amps. > > > > *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of *Joel > Aronson via CnC-List > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 08, 2015 6:00 PM > *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com > *Cc:* Joel Aronson > > > *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Windows laptop for chartplotter? > > > > Download OpenCPn, the currents plug in and the charts, add the GPS dongle > and buy a 12v power supply on Amazon. $50 should cover the dongle and > power supply - assuming you have a cigaretee lighter/12v power outlet. > > > > Joel > > On Tuesday, September 8, 2015, jtsails via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: > > Danny, > > the only GPS I carry on my boat is a small handheld garmin, I just don’t > see the need for a big chartplotter. I’ve chartered boats that had them > several times, but even then I found that I only used my handheld to > navigate with since I am familiar and comfortable with it. Most of the > time, in my home waters I don’t even use the handheld but I’ve sailed this > area for 40+ years and probably know the waters more accurately than the > chart plotter anyway. I can’t count the number of times I see people stuck > on sandbars because they followed the GPS instead of the marks! > > > > James > > Delaney > > 1976 C&C 38 > > Oriental, NC > > > > *From:* Josh Muckley via CnC-List > > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 08, 2015 5:19 PM > > *To:* C&C List > > *Cc:* Josh Muckley > > *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Windows laptop for chartplotter? > > > > Yes, it is a great option for the cost conscious. The NOAA website has > all of their charts available in vector and raster formats. They also have > links to free and paid software for viewing the charts. You'll need to > provide a GPS input. There are lots of options (long term and short) but > the quickest and easiest is to buy a usb gps dongle. > > A laptop is very power hungry. The chargers usually draw 90w or ~7.5 > amps. It's worse if you have to use an inverter. 12v chargers can often > be found on amazon or ebay for pretty cheap, $10. > > Most laptops are also not in any way waterproof. > > PM me if you need more info. > > Josh Muckley > S/V Sea Hawk > 1989 C&C 37+ > Solomons, MD > > On Sep 8, 2015 5:05 PM, "Danny Haughey via CnC-List" < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > Hi Guys, > > > > The boat I'm in the process of buying does not currently have > chartplotter. Instead of rushing into the purchase of a new one for the > delivery home I was thinking to use a windows tablet with an external GPS > antennae/dongle and charts loaded from someplace to be determined. I think > I'd get a cheap handheld garmin as well. GPS store has one for $169. > > > > I have windows tablet with the specs of a laptop. i5 processor and 4gb > ram and I have an older android tablet with decent specs for it age. > > > > Is this a viable option to at least get the boat home and try and find a > good deal on a plotter over the off season? > > > > It would also be a carry on and use and alleviate the need to install > anything before the trip. > > > > Any and all advice is always appreciated! > > > > Danny > > Still headed toward a closing > > Massachusetts > > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the > bottom of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the > bottom of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > > > -- > Joel > 301 541 8551 > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the > bottom of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > >
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