navigation software

[Flycatcher]

Does anyone run nav software? I saw a few older posts but nothing recent.

I am thinking of purchasing Coastal Explorer from RosePoint navigation. I was going to go with the Raymarine software becasue all of my electronics are Raymarine but I really liked the Coastal Explorer free trial and it's less expensive.

 

[Brent]

No I just used the demo, but CE is constantly being updated and the support is great but does not run on a MAC to date. This may change. However, it is not an issue if running Windows OS. Usually laptop PC screens are not as bright measured in nits compared to GPS/Chartplotters, and PCs are not as rugged and need a good mount depending on its location. Ben at Panbo, www.panbo.com has written several times on CE and he tests the latest e-boating gadgets, too

 

[sparky]

We've got a bottom-of-the-line eMachines on the Wesmac, running off a 2000w Xantrex sine-wave inverter. Its got Maptech's Offshore Navigator on it, and runs very well. Every 3-4 years, the computer dies, and we toss it and buy another one. We've had the same 19" LCD up in the pilothouse for 10 years, and although it has some black patches (from the liquid crystal freezing) on two corners, its still going strong.

Offshore Navigator is a good program, but only does RNCs, so no vector charts. Maptech makes a better package that will do ENCs too.