On 16 Apr 2007 07:32:52 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Perhaps it's my disappointing experience with the stereo, a series of
"junked" toasters, and other terrestrial appliances that inspire me to
be skeptcal of relying primarily on a household or office computer for
navigation.

There are some important differences.

Most people take their laptop off the boat when they are not cruising
so its not exposed full time to the marine environment. When they are
on board, they are usually in use, or at least on standby, so the
heat tends to drive moisture out.

Secondly, not too many people would expect more than 3 or 4 years from
a laptop. Something would make it obsolete after that, i.e., a
newer/better/cheaper would come along.

I have a lot of navigational redundancy on my boat so a PC crash would
not be a life threatening event. The convenience for route planning
and route tracking can not be overestimated however.