G'day Group

My 2 cents worth:

I went through this about 2 years years ago. I went for a high end
Toshiba (Portege M300) that has a solid magnesium case, gel mounted
H.D. and a spill resistant keyboard. It does triple duty on board:
1. Navigation - used with a Garmin 276c *plotting *real time tracking
*chart and map management.

2. Printing my "chart-of-the-day" from Garmin Map Source 6.5 via
Bluetooth to a Canon IP90 printer

3. DVD player

4. Communication when WiFi is available (Skype).

This is also the puter I use at home 95% of the time (like right now).
It is "tough". I haven't dropped it but it is showing some battle
scars: worn (shiny) keys, small dents on the cover, and signs of wear
around the mouse pad. No problems so far. That being said, of course
it is not dedicated to my boat in that it goes home with me so
exposure to salty air is kept to a minimum.

I reckon there are three choices:

1. Buy TWO used laptops. One to work with, one for a backup. You
should be able to buy something suitable in an older "name brand" in
the thousand dollar range (for both). If you are in Canada have a look
he


http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st...goryId=2576396

If you can find a used tough book in decent shape that would be a
great choice in my opinion. (I couldn't at the time)

2. Buy a NEW high end unit and hope that it is as good as its
reputation and advertising. I opted for the Toshiba Portege because a
new Panasonic Tough Book was out of my budget. I reckon the Portege to
be tough but not crazy tough like the Panasonic.

3. Buy a dedicated "marine" PC that will likely be even more $$$ than
the Tough Book. (it was when I bought my Toshiba)

Have a look here for what I *think* is a good unit (only heard
feedback from one purchaser)

http://seapc.se/


Whether you buy used or new consider your purchase carefully. Avoid
the big screen "multi media" notebooks. They can suck more juice than
your fridge. Stay to a small screen size and pay attention to battery
consumption/time. Mine is good for 5 hours (still!) Another note... A
boat is about the worst possible place for a computer. As soon as you
bring it on board the circuit boards, contacts etc are exposed to
moist salty air and start corroding. Sooner or later it will take its
toll. Some of the traces on motherboards are as fine as a hair. It
doesn't take much of a "smudge spot" to develop into corrosion causing
an open or short circuit and a dead computer in need of a Mother
Board. Rest assured this will not happen while you are tied up in a
Marina watching a DVD. It will wait until you are in the middle of re
programming your GPS/Plotter.

My comments are based on my own experience and that of my former
customers. I owned a retail computer/software store for 9 years. I
have owned 10 or more notebooks during that time and since. Things to
avoid for SU "no-name" or "house brand" laptops NEW OR USED. Most
are impossible to get repaired. Again in *most* cases if you have
problems and are not close to the selling dealer - you are screwed.

regards,


Sam I am....