Laptop Navionics

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Joined
Mar 19, 2018
Messages
6
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Defiance
Vessel Make
Fathom 40
I am wondering what everybody is using for a laptop back-up navionics
 
Opencpn with cm93

Did have navionics on tablet, but went to use it the other day (haven't used it since I installed opencpn) and they wanted more money.
Seems it was a 12 mth subscription I bought.
 
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I use Coastal Explorer. Back in about 2006 I switched from nobeltec to CE. CE was better cheaper and the guys who did nobletec are also the guys who did CE. I also got the software for a song as I was one of there first customers. There was also MapTec software back then but it couldn’t do chart-quilting so I never considered it. CE does everything my raymarine chartplotters do and more. My chart plotter is a 14” screen while CE is a 24” screen. All US maps are free with CE and it updates the charts every time you turn it on. I purchased Canadian charts back in 2006, while they have never been updated I don’t have to pay an annual fee for the charts.

I am sure nobeltec is just as good as CE now, I just don’t know what it costs.

I don’t have any experience with OpenCPN. It might be the most bang for the buck. Sine my CE works fine I haven’t purchased an upgrade sine 2009.
 
I don’t have any experience with OpenCPN. It might be the most bang for the buck.

You can't beat free.

Plus being mouse driven vs toggle and multiple button pressing like my primary dedicated plotter is a real bonus.


The pièce de résistance in my eyes is the overlays that are simple to do and really help with skinny water.
We have several spots around that we anchor in, no marks and no way in unless you know.

Below is not one, but it is an area that has a lot of boats running aground.
Nice to have that overhead view and past track running when we go in.
 

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We run Navionics on an iPad and iPhone in addition to our Raymarine chart plotter. The iPad sits in a RAM mount on the helm and provides not only backup but more versatility in various screen views. We use the iPad also for route planning and exploring options. We had the iPad to guests when they want to follow along. This arrangement has worked well for us.
 
My boat has all the electronics on the flybridge but guests are always asking where are we? How much longer? What's our ETA? etc. So, we had an old iPad that was in a desk drawer for two years, mounted in the salon. Now, compliments of Blue Tooth, people can see in the salon, exactly what I'm seeing on the fly bridge!

The photo below shows that I was checking on the battery bank status while underway. (Batt 1 is the house bank and batt 2 the engines & generator bank.) Anything that I'm viewing on the master plotter can be shown down below.

All the money for the electronics was spent on the fly bridge....having the same info in the salon came from an old iPad (obsolete) & Blue tooth down below.( i.e.: Fuel, SOC, navigation, etc,)
 

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I am wondering what everybody is using for a laptop back-up navionics

What charting software?


Not sure I understand the question(s), but...

On our laptop we use MaxSea TimeZero, which acts essentially as a mirror of our chartplotter (Furuno NN3D).

Then we use Plan2Nav and MX Mariner on two tablets for additional backup.

At any given time, that can give us a combination of NOAA raster, NOAA vector, and C-Map vector charts.

As you can see, none of that is branded "navionics."

-Chris
 
I have two tablets with Navionics. Besides being good backup to my primary Furuno system, tablet chartplotters are great for route planning when you're sitting around on the hook.
 
We have belts and suspenders. Our three iOS devices, two phones and an iPad, have Navionics, iNavX, and NMEAremote. Our 2 laptops have Coastal Explorer. All of them can pick up the boat’s NMEA data on WIFI. I almost always have my iPad running Navionics setting right beside my Garmin MFD as I find the “second opinion” to be most helpful, especially in shallow areas, and I use the automatic routing feature for planning purposes.

My laptop screen doesn’t do well in bright sunlight so I have gotten away from using it. However, I am a big fan of Coastal Explorer.
 
I have 3 Garmin MFDs networked with their charting software. Have an all in one computer with Polar Navy that will likely be changed to Costal Explorer. May add another program to my new tablet when I get it. Then there's always Google maps.

Ted
 

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