Electronic charts for the Inside Passage

[Crime Pays]

Any suggestions for electronic charts for the Inside Passage? Prefer Navionics, although I am open to suggestions.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I use Navionics and Coastal Explorer

 

[JDCAVE]

I use Navionics and Coastal Explorer

What he said. Coastal Explorer uses the CHS charts for BC and the NOAA charts for AK and WA.

Jim

 

[tiltrider1]

I use Navionics and Coastal Explorer

ASD took the words right out of my mouth.

I use a Raymarine chart plotter with navionics. I run a lap top with Coastal Explorer. Then for fun I have an iPad with navionics on it.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

One of the things I like about CE is the arrow that pops up on your chart to show tide/current. The bigger the arrow, the bigger the current and it show flow direction.

 

[Juliet 15]

Is CE a free program or purchase? If purchase, are there cheaper places to buy it or is it all the same regardless of where you buy it?

 

[RCook]

Available from maker, Rose Point Navigation Systems, download for $379. NOAA charts included. BC Charts are additional, $100 for raster, $100 for vector, each year. I like having both. I like it far more than Navionics on my Raymarine Axiom 12.

Excellent nav program, with excellent support. Worth every penny IMHO.

 

[Juliet 15]

Solid endorsement, thank you. I'm sold.

I've got an older Furuno NAVnet 3-D system. Does anyone know if coastal explore would work on that system?

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Solid endorsement, thank you. I'm sold.

I've got an older Furuno NAVnet 3-D system. Does anyone know if coastal explore would work on that system?

Give CE a call tomorrow. They can help. Good customer service.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Available from maker, Rose Point Navigation Systems, download for $379. NOAA charts included. BC Charts are additional, $100 for raster, $100 for vector, each year. I like having both. I like it far more than Navionics on my Raymarine Axiom 12.

Excellent nav program, with excellent support. Worth every penny IMHO.

Just uploaded the 2021 Canadian charts. I also use CE to plan my routes. Then I copy them over to my Raymarine MFD, mainly for my auto pilot.

 

[tiltrider1]

One of the things I like about CE is the arrow that pops up on your chart to show tide/current. The bigger the arrow, the bigger the current and it show flow direction.

ASD steals my line again. CE also has the best AIS vectors, completely customizable. Makes it very easy to predict crossing traffic lanes, with all the ferries, tankers, barges, and submarines in the neighborhood.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Solid endorsement, thank you. I'm sold.

I've got an older Furuno NAVnet 3-D system. Does anyone know if coastal explore would work on that system?

I've got quite a lot of experience with that system. I never found a way to get anything to run on NAVnet. MaxSea at one point would integrate with NAVnet to some degree, but the last time I used that was many years ago. I don't know if the current version of MaxSea still does. And memory is a bit hazy on that, I don't think MaxSea ran on NAVnet but could be used alongside NAVnet. A call to Furuno support will probably answer that question.

There are some cludgy work arounds to get routes and waypoints from other software into NAVnet 3-D. Again, it's been a long time. I recall needing an external SD card reader that would allow import/export with NAVnet. Then I would use a shareware program called GPS Utility as an intermediary between CE or OpenCPN and the NAVnet system to prepare routes and waypoints for import into NAVnet.

In the end I gave up route and waypoint planning and following on the NAVnet sytstem and used it for the black box sounder and radar. I used CE or OpenCPN for navigation and route or waypoint navigation.