Simple Helm

[Bob Cofer]

Puffin came with a 5” chart plotter from about 2003. Not much of a display. I have opted to without a dedicated plotter and am going to use an iPad instead with a dedicated multiplexer.

I’ve installed a Quark QK-A026 with its own AIS and GPS antennas. It takes those and the NMEA 0183 depth info from my Sounder and Electronic Compass and transmits it over its own WiFi network to all of the devices on Puffin. My display is a WiFi only iPad Air 2 running iSailor with the AIS and NMEA modules activated. All of the information can be accessed via this program.

Makes a nice uncluttered helm. We do carry a compass and chart book of our cruising area (Puget Sound to Alaska) as backup along with Radar and the Depth Sounder.



Bob

 

[rslifkin]

That's the way to do it. Don't add stuff just because "it should be there", but install what you find useful or necessary.

 

[backinblue]

Puffin came with a 5” chart plotter from about 2003. Not much of a display. I have opted to without a dedicated plotter and am going to use an iPad instead with a dedicated multiplexer.

I’ve installed a Quark QK-A026 with its own AIS and GPS antennas. It takes those and the NMEA 0183 depth info from my Sounder and Electronic Compass and transmits it over its own WiFi network to all of the devices on Puffin. My display is a WiFi only iPad Air 2 running iSailor with the AIS and NMEA modules activated. All of the information can be accessed via this program.

Makes a nice uncluttered helm. We do carry a compass and chart book of our cruising area (Puget Sound to Alaska) as backup along with Radar and the Depth Sounder.

View attachment 123123

Bob

Looks like you got it covered. Most of my boating experience has been sailing until recently, and I survived pretty well with paper charts, knotmeter, compass, VHF, and depth. No GPS, no plotter, no radar, no Loran, etc.