Charting gps

[belybuster]

Hi all;  My CP 23 has a depth finder with a thru-hull transducer, albeit an old one.  I want to get a Chartplotter of some sort.  Would I be better off with a combined depth finder/chartplotter and haul the boat out to change the transducer?  Or just get a stand alone Chartplotter (if they even make them stand alone anymore) and use the old depth finder?

Thanks for the advice!

[wes]

Personally, I prefer a separate depth finder. I sail in shallow waters and keep a close eye on depth at all times. For day sailing I don't always need to hook up the chart plotter. I also have found the separate depth finders to be ultra reliable, and to use very little battery power.

I do use a NMEA 2000 network to connect my instruments, so when the chart plotter is in use it can display the depth.

Wes

[Reighnman]

I have a stand alone depth sounder, Raytheon s60 and use Navionics on a Samsung tablet with gps built in it. No cell service required. Accuracy isn't as good as a Garmin which uses satellites to position but we aren't launching missiles either.  Tablet was $80 and Navionics is $10 a year. I wouldn't go offshore with just it but it's perfect for bay cruising. Glare is an issue but it's an issue on most gps units today. Battery life is about 4hrs, which is longer then any of my sails. You could run a USB to it as well.

[belybuster]

Good ideas, Thanks!  Separate depth and a Samsung tablet with Navionics I think will be the way to go for me.

[Reighnman]

Here's a picture to help. The mount was purchased on Amazon for $25.

[belybuster]

Thanks very much for the picture.  That is a big screen.  Is that a 10.1"?  I have a tiller so I was thinking about putting a swing out arm from the cabin into the companionway.  I'm also thinking it might be good to figure out some way to make it water resistant and also to possibly clip an automobile sun visor, like the green plastic kind, over the top for a sun block.

Thoughts are appreciated.

[Reighnman]

It's a 7inch Samsung lite. It's no ipad for sure but the quality is fine for a gps monitor. You should google tablets used as gps monitors and you'll find a ton of reviews. Just remember to get one with a built in gps, and not just cellular. They also make a waterproof case/mount, I just didn't want to spend the extra $. If you search this forum, other's have talked about Navionics and gps options.

[belybuster]

Will do, Thanks!