Bill Kearney wrote:
Also consider getting an actual marine chartplotter and a PC
interface. Get a pair of cheap PC laptops (lay in one as a spare)
and stick it belowdecks. Use the PC for it's regular features and
chartplotting. Then upload the routes and download other data from
the marine chartplotter. That way you get at-sea reliability from
the 'real' chartplotter but also get the flexibility of the PC. This
is what I do and it works out great. When looking, check out
MapTech's Chart Navigator Pro. It's a repackaging of Rosepoint's
Coastal Explorer in conjuction with ALL of MapTech's US charts
(including contours). Quite a bargain if you buy it online from
Boatfix, and there's a $50 rebate from Maptech running now.

-Bill Kearney

All he needs is a waterproof super-hi-candela screen (shatterproof glass, of
course), mounted in a steel bulkhead (preferably by welding), with a steel
plate door, double locked, a waterproof keypad and a waterproof mouse or
scroll ball, with a drop-down table for the keypad. The whole think linked
by Wi-Fi to his laptop down below. Seven or eight thousand dollars should
easily cover it. Thank God I'm not sailing on the boat with him!

BTW, a Garmin GPSMAP60C or CSx will cover most cockpit navigation problems,
particuarly if you use the same Bluecharts in the Garmin as you use on the
laptop. Less than $500 if you know where to look, and you take it home with
you at night!

Dennis.