Practical Sailor did a review of electronic charting programs in Sep
2006 issue. First of all, a comparison between Cap'n, and Nobeltec is
somewhat moot since Cap'n, was bought out by Maptch and is no longer
marketed. However, neither program was highly rated. Cap'n, one of
the first programs on the market, is somewhat dated, even in the latest
version. Nobeltec VNS is slow to adapt to new devices and only accepts
proprietary vector charts (but does accept most formats of raster
charts). Nobeltec does not support 3D viewing. Cap'n does not support
weather GRIB. Cap',--poor useability, poor stability, good tech
support (Maptech will continue to support the product). Nobeltec good
usability, excellent stability and excellent tech support. Also, the
review noted that Nobeltec seemed geared to the powerboat crowd. All
this said, I have an older version of Cap'n and it seems pretty good to
me, but then, I have little to compare it to. Practical Sailor
Recommended GPS NAVX/MACENC and Maxsea. They said that Fugawi Marine
was a best buy and Chart Navigator Pro/Coastal Explorer was the best
choice (this is a Maptech program). I also have a lite version of
Maptech's program--it seems pretty good, but it won't support my older
model eTrex handheld (Cap'n does).
Don Bouchard wrote:
Has anybody compared The CAPN by Nautical Technologies and Nobeltec's VNS
version 8 or 9? Any recommendations? Has anybody tested both Electronic
Charting systems?