I'm planning to sail from WA to Indo next year. With so many chartplotters and digital charts out there, which system to use?
Some advice or suggestions please. So far I'm thinking Raymarine chartplotter with c-maps, Furuno sounder and max-sea back-up on the Laptop.
Even if you just put down what you have I can get some votes...

Thanks
Q.

Does Seaclear allow use of vector charts? Either Cmap Max or Navionics?

There is another very similar thread about this so check that out

cisco said...


The wheelhouse of a fishing boat is one thing, and the cockpit of a yacht is a different thing.

Do you see an outstanding advantage of one system over the other?

And, what do you think is the best scource for digital raster charts, even if they do cost some money?

Cheers Cisco, (the dick wit on the internet forum)

The 23 channel puck cost $72. The pentium 3 computor, ex police fraud squad was $200 but the same one is now $100. The Lcd screen was about $200. Refurbished Logitech track ball $36. Total cost was about the same as a repair bill for the old Seiwa 12. The track ball is a vital component of the whole unit, its screwed in place on the dash. I have an old chart plotter in the cabin as back up.
The laptop cost $100 complete with a leather bag and power adapters. Holux puck was $27.
The smart people have moved onto daylight touch screens in the cockpit, the sort of thing that's used on forklifts. You have probably seen them around, they are just a thicker LCD screen with all the computer guts in the back. I think the screens are 12 in.
The LCD screen on my boat is clearly visible from the side deck where I work that why I mentioned previously about a large screen in the yacht cabin and control it by a handheld "Mouse" in the cockpit. Of course when your typing names or whatever onto charts you have to be at the keyboard.
The charts I use are available from the hydrographic office for about $550. File swapping is rife I believe, and who knows where these charts end up. Seaclear is a computer programme and there are Seaclear enthusiast around the world sharing files. I can load stuff off my computer onto a thumb drive and transfer it to the fishing boat tied up next to me. I modify digital charts at home then take them down to the wharf on a thumb drive.
Only six fishing vessels left here at the main wharf, 3 use Seaclear, 2 use expensive computer programmes and one has a plotter.
As far as what's better its a matter of choice. People should be a where that with plotters that all the detail is not always visible till the picture is expanded. Storage of waypoints is limited with plotters, trawlers easily run out. With a hard drive they are virtually unlimited. Laptops can have a power consumption problem but this is less now if you use an Atom processor. These are usually only about 10 in screen so your back in plotter territory.

As well as the common laptops, also have a look at the newer style netbooks. They're similar to the laptop but usually have no CD/DVD drive. They're also cheaper, a bit smaller, lighter and (most importantly on a yacht) seem to be less power hungry. My missus has a Lenovo one which she loves and it runs an age on batteries alone. The biggest problem would be the smaller screen size.

Thanks for the info guys.
I'll try out Seaclear for a bit.
Cisco, about to purchase a steel Roberts 38, the wife is a hottie, we're gonna leave in March-April and we doing it on a budget.
Over the next few months I'lle post some snaps and updates.

I'm usually in the wind-surfing forums but will be crossing over more. But the surfboards and sailing gear is coming with us.

cisco said...

It is very much a young man's navy today I think. How anybody could serve into their 60's is beyond me. We used to call anybody over 40 a dunrooter.

I saw the alcohol warning notice in the passageway. I suppose they run completely dry ships today. You can't really knock it but it does take a bit of the fun out of it.

Actually you would be surprised at the age of sailors. The enlistment cut off is now 57. Plenty of sailors out there in their 60's. The navy is actively chasing down ex navy people to get them to re enlist. Lot of them re join as full time reservists at $250 a day tax free. Plenty sign on till 65 and then after that they have to sign on for two year stints. Its all dependant on how much they want you.

I think they still have beer issues. The breath testing is in working hours .002.

Standard card reader is no good. Navionics and Cmap both put security on the card so you hav to buy the card reader too. Cmap card reader is **** as is their support.

Using a normal card reader won't render you card useless but it won't work either.

If anyone has any tricks to get around this and I am all ears

NightCap said...

cisco said...

CaddET, Red over Red means the Captain is dead, ROTRFPOCAS

Paper Nav' on a small yacht is challenging with the main problem being keeping paper charts dry & trying to not trash them.(anyone got any tips to keep them dry??)

The dinette table on my Top Hat 25 pulls out to handily extend into a good sized chart table. Still parallel rules are a waste of time on a small yacht a Bi-Rola chart protracter is fantastic.

I hope i dont need to drag myself into the 20th century let alone the 21st just yet.

Paper charts are fine. The only problem is when you go to use them. Moisture in the air before you even get to your boat is enough to distort the paper. You have probably got to fold the charts to suit a Top Hat chart table anyway. Then your probably going to damage them with a pencil followed by a rubber, divider points etc.
I would suggest taking a new chart to a library or any place that has a large base scanner. Run off a few copies then carefully roll up the chart and return it to a cool, dry safe storage.
For navigation I would suggest a protractor as used for air navigation, when not in use it will slip into a holder and prevent it getting airborne in the cabin on a rough day. You might have to dodge the dividers too. Use a Dalton computer to calculate current/wind/drift vectors to cut down on the drawing on paper. Or you could just use a simple GPS plotter that does all the calculations for you, your plotting positions direct off a GPS anyway. If you were doing sun run sun sights or even using a hand help compass and calculating variation and deviation before applying to your unstable chart then I could understand wanting to burden your self with paper charts.

Now when the powers all gone I use my Crawford's, in fact I actually use it for plotting. A lot easier on a Top Hat table.

Crawford's 2 books (Nos 2 & 3) of chart covers from around Crowdy Head down to Jervis Bay. The books are spray proof!

I spoke to him (Crawford) some time ago and he is trying to get his publisher to do book 4 which will take the books around to Melbourne. He has books planned for the complete coast of Australia but needs the sailing comunity to send in leters of suppport. I will get his address next time I go out to my yacht SEAKA.

nswsailor

PS I still use a GPS to get my location!

Dune, paper charts are able to withstand immersion & still be useable, facsimilies fall apart if damp. Use 2B pencils. Lamination is a wate of money and of no practical use.
I cannot comment on electronic plotters, but I agree with all experts and victims of electrical failure and fire, when they say that paper charts are essential.

If you have time to do coastal and celestial navigation courses, do them. GPS is the way to go to get your estimated position, but dont expect it to be always accurate.
If you decide to go to the modern extreme and monitor your GPS data with astro nav, which is easy using a sextant, nav computer and digital watch, you will, I'm sure, derive a sense of certainty and competence that will greatly reduce your stress levels.
If you are a westralian, I'm sure you've heard the saying that 'she's a beautiful coast, but she's a bitch', that's true, but with GPS and prudent navigaion, she's a delight.

So very glad that the tecno nerds are being challenged with the pleasures of simple navigation. I sailed around the world in my 32 footer several years ago using simple sextant work, a good timepiece and basic commonsense. My most valued electronic bit of kit was a good digital depth sounder. For older coastlines like West australia's you can simply travel along a constant isobath- like say 20metres. It will keep you a constant distance off shore. I am a paper chart fan. Some places I went to I couldn't get the authorised version so I would borrow charts and photocpy them onto A4 and stick them together with cellotape- left some interesting holes! Bahama reefs can be so predictable. Yes they get wet and turn to garden mulch, but mostly you are not returning to that area so just dice them. I have to recount to you the occasion of the american yacht leaving Atutaki the same time as me. Real fancy yacht with a couple aboard- he the skipper she the boss! Atutaki is a growing reef atoll and from the entrance out to the west north west the reef had been growing appreciably. well off we went and I could see them starting to cut the corner so I called them on the VHF to warn them. He replied that it was okay because the missus was below watching the chart plotter and the track indicated that they were well clear. a few minutes later they were 400metres away and looked to me they were right on top of the reef. I called again. a few moments later they were on the reef. My little boat couldn't pull them off and in a few days the boat was a write off.
Final comment- charts are made for navigators who are good at what they do- keep off the hard stuff. When a surveyor puts a litttle + sign on the chart it doesn't mean "go to this spot because you will get great diving, fishing, scenery in this spot" it means "stay away, there are hazards here".
Ok last one now. all US charts have a gret little adage at teh top centre which I always quote when teaching celestial nav. "The prudent navigator does not rely upon one source of information."
worth thinking on.