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Joerg.Esdorn - 21 Nov 2024

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Sandy.Herbert - 19 Nov 2024

I want to replace my existing navigation hardware and I am looking for advice on the state of the art.
My present system is 12 years old. It consists of two Garmin GPSmap 4008s, one at the chart table and one on the binnacle. They are networked and both can be used to display maps, follow routes, display AIS targets, control and display the radar and all the other stuff they do like display tides, show wind graphs etc. etc.
I use a PC and OpenCPN or Homeport to do routing and transfer the routes using SD cards ( no WiFi on these old systems). Up till now I have used a sat phone to connect to the Internet and to download grib files using Sailmail or similar. I use the PC and OpenCPN to display the grib files. I have a Vesper AIS which is also my WiFi hub.
This system does everything I want and has served me well.
However the GPSmaps are getting old and are classed as legacy devices by Garmin. I managed to update the OS recently which has prolonged their lives but I can see the end coming. The plotters don't support the most recent Garmin maps and can't read any other format. Also Garmin maps are fantastically expensive.
I am a bit out of the cruising network and I would like to know what people are installing now for long distance offshore cruising. Ideally I would like a system not based on a dedicated plotter. However, I do want a reliable system and if this means a brand plotter so be it. I would also like to know what people are installing for satellite communications and weather. Answers from real experience please rather than speculation.

Hi Sandy, my system is about 8 years old but I'm very happy with it so let me tell you what I have.  Like Simon, I'm doing all my navigating and weather routing on a PC.  There's just no comparison between using a mouse and using your fingers on a touch screen.  The PC runs the successor program to MaxSea which was bought by Furuno.  Furuno calls it TZ Professional.  It interfaces with my Furuno TZ Touch plotter in the cockpit so that I can send all the routes (and changes to them as I go) to the plotter at the press of a button.  It also shares the same C Map charts as the plotter - so I don't have to pay for one more set of charts. AIS comes into the plotter and the laptop from a Furuno FA75 (not sure - I just replaced it because the old on malfunctioned).  I can also look at the radar picture on the laptop - which works great in tense situations where someone in the cockpit is watching the plotter and another person is paying careful attention to radar targets down below at the chart table.  

I also have a set of H5000 B&G instruments which cover the basics such as wind, speed, depth, etc and are fully interfaced with the Furuno plotter/laptop combo via the NMEA 2000 backbone.   I also have an Echopilot forward looking sonar which has been very helpful in uncharted areas.

In terms of weather routing, I use the Expedition program written by Nick White who is a famous navigator from NZ who wrote his own program for the first Whitbread race a gazillion years ago.  The program is difficult to learn and probably overkill for the normal cruiser but I learned to love it many years ago when I was into ocean racing.  All ocean racers either use Expedition or if they speak French, Adrena.  One key thing it does it enables you to perfect your polars which you use for doing the routing.  I've tried the Predict Wind routing a few years ago  but I didn't think it was comparable.  I'm aware that they are logging data now to create polars but I'm not sure how good that is.  But from all I'm hearing, Predict Wind is doing good work for many cruisers so it's definitely an option you should consider.  

I hope that helps in your decision!  

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Sandy.Herbert - 22 Nov 2024

+x

 

Joerg.Esdorn - 21 Nov 2024

+x

 

Sandy.Herbert - 19 Nov 2024

I want to replace my existing navigation hardware and I am looking for advice on the state of the art.
My present system is 12 years old. It consists of two Garmin GPSmap 4008s, one at the chart table and one on the binnacle. They are networked and both can be used to display maps, follow routes, display AIS targets, control and display the radar and all the other stuff they do like display tides, show wind graphs etc. etc.
I use a PC and OpenCPN or Homeport to do routing and transfer the routes using SD cards ( no WiFi on these old systems). Up till now I have used a sat phone to connect to the Internet and to download grib files using Sailmail or similar. I use the PC and OpenCPN to display the grib files. I have a Vesper AIS which is also my WiFi hub.
This system does everything I want and has served me well.
However the GPSmaps are getting old and are classed as legacy devices by Garmin. I managed to update the OS recently which has prolonged their lives but I can see the end coming. The plotters don't support the most recent Garmin maps and can't read any other format. Also Garmin maps are fantastically expensive.
I am a bit out of the cruising network and I would like to know what people are installing now for long distance offshore cruising. Ideally I would like a system not based on a dedicated plotter. However, I do want a reliable system and if this means a brand plotter so be it. I would also like to know what people are installing for satellite communications and weather. Answers from real experience please rather than speculation.

Hi Sandy, my system is about 8 years old but I'm very happy with it so let me tell you what I have.  Like Simon, I'm doing all my navigating and weather routing on a PC.  There's just no comparison between using a mouse and using your fingers on a touch screen.  The PC runs the successor program to MaxSea which was bought by Furuno.  Furuno calls it TZ Professional.  It interfaces with my Furuno TZ Touch plotter in the cockpit so that I can send all the routes (and changes to them as I go) to the plotter at the press of a button.  It also shares the same C Map charts as the plotter - so I don't have to pay for one more set of charts. AIS comes into the plotter and the laptop from a Furuno FA75 (not sure - I just replaced it because the old on malfunctioned).  I can also look at the radar picture on the laptop - which works great in tense situations where someone in the cockpit is watching the plotter and another person is paying careful attention to radar targets down below at the chart table.  

I also have a set of H5000 B&G instruments which cover the basics such as wind, speed, depth, etc and are fully interfaced with the Furuno plotter/laptop combo via the NMEA 2000 backbone.   I also have an Echopilot forward looking sonar which has been very helpful in uncharted areas.

In terms of weather routing, I use the Expedition program written by Nick White who is a famous navigator from NZ who wrote his own program for the first Whitbread race a gazillion years ago.  The program is difficult to learn and probably overkill for the normal cruiser but I learned to love it many years ago when I was into ocean racing.  All ocean racers either use Expedition or if they speak French, Adrena.  One key thing it does it enables you to perfect your polars which you use for doing the routing.  I've tried the Predict Wind routing a few years ago  but I didn't think it was comparable.  I'm aware that they are logging data now to create polars but I'm not sure how good that is.  But from all I'm hearing, Predict Wind is doing good work for many cruisers so it's definitely an option you should consider.  

I hope that helps in your decision!  

Sorry to keep bugging you. I have a Garmin radar which is currently controlled and displayed on either of the plotters with the possibility to overlay the radar display on the chart or bring AIS targets onto the radar display. Mostly I use it for tracking squalls. Do you have any idea if the Furuno plotter would interface with a Garmin radar? I am usually single handed and it is useful to have the maximum of stuff duplicated at the wheel and at the chart table.

+x

 

Joerg.Esdorn - 23 Nov 2024

+x

 

Sandy.Herbert - 22 Nov 2024

+x

 

Joerg.Esdorn - 21 Nov 2024

+x

 

Sandy.Herbert - 19 Nov 2024

I want to replace my existing navigation hardware and I am looking for advice on the state of the art.
My present system is 12 years old. It consists of two Garmin GPSmap 4008s, one at the chart table and one on the binnacle. They are networked and both can be used to display maps, follow routes, display AIS targets, control and display the radar and all the other stuff they do like display tides, show wind graphs etc. etc.
I use a PC and OpenCPN or Homeport to do routing and transfer the routes using SD cards ( no WiFi on these old systems). Up till now I have used a sat phone to connect to the Internet and to download grib files using Sailmail or similar. I use the PC and OpenCPN to display the grib files. I have a Vesper AIS which is also my WiFi hub.
This system does everything I want and has served me well.
However the GPSmaps are getting old and are classed as legacy devices by Garmin. I managed to update the OS recently which has prolonged their lives but I can see the end coming. The plotters don't support the most recent Garmin maps and can't read any other format. Also Garmin maps are fantastically expensive.
I am a bit out of the cruising network and I would like to know what people are installing now for long distance offshore cruising. Ideally I would like a system not based on a dedicated plotter. However, I do want a reliable system and if this means a brand plotter so be it. I would also like to know what people are installing for satellite communications and weather. Answers from real experience please rather than speculation.

Hi Sandy, my system is about 8 years old but I'm very happy with it so let me tell you what I have.  Like Simon, I'm doing all my navigating and weather routing on a PC.  There's just no comparison between using a mouse and using your fingers on a touch screen.  The PC runs the successor program to MaxSea which was bought by Furuno.  Furuno calls it TZ Professional.  It interfaces with my Furuno TZ Touch plotter in the cockpit so that I can send all the routes (and changes to them as I go) to the plotter at the press of a button.  It also shares the same C Map charts as the plotter - so I don't have to pay for one more set of charts. AIS comes into the plotter and the laptop from a Furuno FA75 (not sure - I just replaced it because the old on malfunctioned).  I can also look at the radar picture on the laptop - which works great in tense situations where someone in the cockpit is watching the plotter and another person is paying careful attention to radar targets down below at the chart table.  

I also have a set of H5000 B&G instruments which cover the basics such as wind, speed, depth, etc and are fully interfaced with the Furuno plotter/laptop combo via the NMEA 2000 backbone.   I also have an Echopilot forward looking sonar which has been very helpful in uncharted areas.

In terms of weather routing, I use the Expedition program written by Nick White who is a famous navigator from NZ who wrote his own program for the first Whitbread race a gazillion years ago.  The program is difficult to learn and probably overkill for the normal cruiser but I learned to love it many years ago when I was into ocean racing.  All ocean racers either use Expedition or if they speak French, Adrena.  One key thing it does it enables you to perfect your polars which you use for doing the routing.  I've tried the Predict Wind routing a few years ago  but I didn't think it was comparable.  I'm aware that they are logging data now to create polars but I'm not sure how good that is.  But from all I'm hearing, Predict Wind is doing good work for many cruisers so it's definitely an option you should consider.  

I hope that helps in your decision!  

Sorry to keep bugging you. I have a Garmin radar which is currently controlled and displayed on either of the plotters with the possibility to overlay the radar display on the chart or bring AIS targets onto the radar display. Mostly I use it for tracking squalls. Do you have any idea if the Furuno plotter would interface with a Garmin radar? I am usually single handed and it is useful to have the maximum of stuff duplicated at the wheel and at the chart table.

No problem at all, Herbert. The disadvantage of the Furuno integrated system is that plotter, Furuno radar and TZ Professional software on the laptop talk over a proprietary protocol via ethernet. So I doubt that you can interface the Furuno with a Garmin radar except to the extent what you are showing comes into the plotter by NMEA 2000. Don't think that' the case with radar pictures but I'm not an expert in this kind of stuff. You may want to post the question on one of the Furuno or Garmin technical forums but I can guess what the answer is: can't be done. I think you should plan on replacing the entire system or going with a stand alone radar. I would never go with a separate radar as it's so convenient to have a display both down at the chart table and at the helm station.

Whatever you do it is very important you try out the system you are planning on buying. I spent a week on a friend's boat this summer and both my friend and I were struggling a lot with creating simple routes on a B&G Vulcan plotter. The software is very complex and frustrating to me (and my friend). Furuno is easy peasy by comparison. I love a lot of things about the B&G system because it's much more oriented toward sailboats than Furuno. But easy of use is a big thing for me. 

I hope that helps. Cheers Joerg