Plotting the Future

Networked navigation suites and integrated systems are more sophisticated than ever, combining everything from VHF to video on a single display. Yet the chart plotter remains the backbone of marine navigation, and that's something to consider if you're planning to install a networked system or just start out slowly, adding one instrument at a time.

In terms of features and capabilities, most chart plotters are adequately equipped, to say the least. Even the simplest plotters can provide more data than most boat operators can use once the plotters are networked with other instrumentation. However, the challenge is to learn how to handle and access all of this good information.

"The trend is toward chart plotters that are faster and brighter and better integrated with complete systems," says Greg Konig, product line developer for Lowrance. "They must be intuitive enough for the infrequent user to find them easy to operate. But at the same time, the more advanced features can't be buried or hidden."

One big influence in the current crop of plotters is the long-awaited acceptance of NMEA 2000 protocol. It provides the interconnect-ability necessary to assign each instrument a PGN (parameter group number) and allows generic recognition of components on a network. In a stand-alone plotter, NMEA 2000 is not critical. But, when the plotter and its display are the critical elements in a networked suite of instruments, it's a big step forward. Manufacturers who have not fully embraced it are rushing to do so, many with midseason upgrades.

Arguably, Furuno has blown the doors off of graphic display technology with its NavNet 3D. This system features an unprecedented data set that allows the display of 3-D images of sea surface, bathymetrics and land and shore features, plus satellite photo overlays. It's scalable and zoomable, with pan and tilt. Cartography is by MapMedia and NOAA for oceanic data. Redraw time, with TimeZero technology, is so fast you don't notice it. It's available in 8-inch ($3,195), 12-inch ($4,495) and black box versions ($4,995). All are NMEA 2000-enabled. It's an impressive assemblage of integrated technology, targeted at boats in the 35- to 50-foot range.

USER-FRIENDLY. Garmin's 5200 chart plotter series boasts touch-screen technology.

This year, Garmin hangs its hat on the 5200 series of chart plotters. The series includes the GPSMAP 5208 with 8-inch display ($3,428), GPSMAP 5212 with a 12-inch screen ($3,999), and the 15-inch GPSMAP 5215 ($6,535). Thanks to touch-screen technology, it's easy to navigate the menus. "If you can operate an ATM machine, you can run a touch screen," says Greg DeVries, director of marine marketing for Garmin. Because there is no keypad, there's space for a larger display. The preloaded BlueChart g2 cartography covers coastal and inland waters. Additional charts, 3-D imagery and an extensive library of photography can be added with an SD card, which also is the vehicle for upgrades and improvements to the navigational architecture. "We are expanding the boundaries of the software so those who get in only one or two weekends a month on their boats aren't spending all that time reading a manual," says DeVries.

Lowrance is now exporting the functionality of automotive systems to its marine electronics. The reason? "A number of boaters aren't serious enough about electronics to spend big dollars on a unit that will only be used on the boat," says Konig. For those consumers, the company has the XOG ($250), a chart plotter/navigator that supports land-based, marine and inland waterway cartography. It can be taken off the dashboard and easily placed onto the helm. It's not an in- tegrated navigational system, but it is portable. The 3.5-inch screen is most appealing to boaters with limited space at the dash.

In terms of its dedicated marine chart plotters, Lowrance is sticking with a proven strategy and remains committed to embedded chart plotters. "We don't intend to pursue the black box system anytime soon," says Konig. "Embedded displays are now coming into their own in terms of features, such as processing speed and memory, which makes them a lot more practical and useful for boats in the 30- to 50-foot range."

Raymarine's new G-series, originally targeted at larger boats, is finding a home on a lot of 30-footers. This is a complete network, designed to integrate all of Raymarine's digital components, from man overboard to radar and AIS. The network supports up to eight displays with multiple processors. This black box system (starting at about $15,000) is available with a 12-, 15-, 17- and 19-inch screen. All are managed with a single keypad and bring NMEA 2000 protocol into the system through dedicated ports or the SeaTalk backbone, where NMEA 0183 is converted.

The forerunner of the G-series, the venerable E-series of embedded chart plotters, is still vital. It has been outfitted with new software that brings many of the G-series digital signal processing functions to the E-series navigation display, available in either an 8.4-inch ($3,200) or 12.1-inch ($4,600) screen.

Simrad introduced the NavStation NX40, an 8.4-inch GPS chart plotter ($2,450) and the NX45 with a 12.1-inch screen ($2,950). Each plotter supports two multifunction displays and is widely compatible with a number of component options, including echo sounder, radar, autopilot, VHF and AIS. In addition, non-Simrad components can be integrated for display through NMEA 2000 on the SimNet network.

Simrad's new glass bridge GB40 ($6,999) is a reworking of the original GB60 that was tweaked for boats in the 35- to 70-foot range. It draws on the architecture of a sister product under the Navico umbrella, the Northstar 8000i. The belowdecks processor comes loaded with C-Map Max Pro cartography. Additions to the chart library are unlocked with an access code that is available online or by phone, and include 3-D bathymetric data, along with detailed regional charts. Screens are available in 10.4-, 15- and 19-inch flat-panel displays.

Southern Crossing Navionics released the Bahamas Special Edition chart kit as an upgrade to Gold+ ($129), Platinum ($199) and as a component of Platinum+. The portfolio, compatible with all Navionics chart plotters, covers from Grand Bahama Island and Abaco south to Long Island, with exclusive, surveyed spot sounding and depth contour detail. navionics.com

Pocket Plotter The Colorado 400c ($639) handheld GPS/navigator from Garmin is preloaded to display shorelines, depths, navigational aids, harbors, marinas, ports and adjacent coastal roads for the entire United States and the Bahamas. The optional BlueChart g2 Vision charts add high-resolution and satellite imagery, 3-D views and aerial photos. It's compatible with other units via wireless exchange to share waypoints and courses. Integral is a barometer, compass and SD card slot. garmin.com