PC backup

[Gbinterim]

All you computer expert boat owners I need your help. We cruise Southeast Alaska during the summer and are in need of a backup navigation system ( yes, we do have paper charts just in case). Currently we have all our charts on a PC and use them to navigate on a lap top. We are looking for possibly a tablet and a recommendation for software to use as a primary or secondary system. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[hmason]

iPad with Garmin Blue Charts.

 

[Northern Spy]

I have a Samsung tab with Navionics and Plan2Nav.

I have an IPad with Navionics, Plan2Nav, Nobletec, Navimatics, Memory Maps.

The Navionics is my favorite on both. Works great on either. Have it on my Nexus 5 phone too.

I use a Garmin glo to feed an accurate and fast GPS/glonass signal via Bluetooth to all devices.

 

[Larry M]

iPad with Garmin Blue Charts.

Up till recently we had another laptop (2). This spring we started using an iPad with Garmin Blue Charts. It's another os which always nice if there's missing data or a fix needed The app is free and the charts for the U.S. was $30.

 

[ksanders]

I like Maxsea, which is the same engine that Furuno uses, Time Zero

The ap is free and the charts cost.

 

[TDunn]

I run Seaclear (freeware) on my laptop with free downloaded noaa raster charts. I prefer raster charts to vector, because I like the look of paper charts. I have a $50 USB GPS puck that I plug into the laptop.

 

[siestakey]

iPad with Garmin Blue Charts.

the way to go!!

 

[Old deckhand]

iPad with Nobletech Time Zero.

 

[Jetstream]

iPad with Navionics App and charts. If you go with an iPad get the one that's cellular capable for the internal GPS.

 

[refugio]

iPad with Navionics App and charts. If you go with an iPad get the one that's cellular capable for the internal GPS.

+1 on iPad with Navionics, but Bad Elf makes a GPS dongle (I have one with the old connector which no longer works with my iPad mini) or you could go external Bluetooth - latest gen of these support multiple connections. I just hate paying for tech that becomes orphaned or obsolete.

 

[ranger58sb]

Several previous threads on the topic, too.

We use MaxSea TZ on a laptop (complements our Furuno NN3D plotter), and MX Mariner (raster charts) and Plan2Nav (C-Map vector charts) on two Android tablets.

-Chris