Just purchased first sailboat...

[yves5]

Hi guys,

I am a new sailboat owner with a lot to learn. I just bought a used Sirius 21 and I am having a real good time with it. The boat is in excellent condition and the previous owners really took care of it. I want to add a few gizmos to the boat and this is why I am writing this thread.

I was ready to buy a marine GPS but I found out that I can add a GPS antenna with a USB connexion to a portable computer, add a software, load maps and get a nice navigation system. My plan would be to do so, keep the pc inside and add a 7'' lcd monitor outside for viewing.

Is this a practical idea? Should I just buy the marine gps and forget about the pc?

I would like to know from someone who did it, with the PC.

Maybe there were previous threads about the same so I am sorry if it is a repetitive question.

Best regards to all

[rockDAWG]

Welcome and Congrats

Both are good and serve as a back up for each other. Since your new to you boat is a day sailor and unlikely to venture too far away from home port, so handled held GPS may be better. For complicated trip planning, PC based as you are thinking is better because of larger viewing area.

Look at Garmin 76C, it is dirt cheap now. Other here may have other recommendations.

[MobiusALilBitTwisted]

i have the 76c with the mini SD card like the way it works, and i have paper charts in the boat , with ringbinder in the cockpit that has prined copies from a NOAA sight.

[DRFerron]

Welcome and congrats on the boat!

We use Polar Navy and a netbook. The license (currently $40) is good on up to 5 PCs so we use the netbook on the boat for navigation and the laptop for planning. I keep the saved routes on a thumb drive and just load them into the netbook.

The netbook is kept on the cockpit seat and when it starts to rain we take it below and sit it on the end of the galley counter, visible from the helm.

OpenCPN is another popular application and it is free. I play around with it but I prefer Polar Navy so far.

I would not use either for offshore sailing, but for where we go near-shore and in the Chesapeake, it's fine.

You should also keep updated paper charts on board as well (and know how to use them for navigation).

Our slip neighbor sits a hand held GPS on the cabin top (and uses paper charts) but I have no idea how they can see it from their helm. But, it works for them.

[landmineop]

The 76 is the better choice for your application. You can find them refurbished at good prices. Check ebay for a start. Welcome to Sailnet. You'll pick up a lot of good information here.

[RhythmDoctor]

Last year I used an Oregon 400c handheld mounted to my pedestal (using a Garmin bicycle handlebar mount). This year I added a Netbook (using a RAM mount) running OpenCPN in addition to the Garmin. As the season has progressed, I find myself looking at the Netbook more and more instead of the Garmin. Fortunately its screen is bright enough that it is viewable in full daylight. OpenCPN has some really cool features, such as the ability to launch it twice and do a split screen where one is a wide view (for picking up AIS traffic) and the other is a zoomed in view (for seeing local obstacles).

Click here for a description of my installation, which included an AIS receiver. There's lots more over in the electronics sub-forum. Here's a pic of what I have in the cockpit:

[sailguy40]

Congrats on your new sailboat! Lets see some pics. I been in the market for a handheld GPS and read a review about the Garmin 76 that was pretty good

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

Nice setup, but it does not seem fit into a sailing environment. IT will be cool to watch a DVD at the evening after dropping a hook.

I would use an iPAD with a waterproof case, bright and high res.

[RhythmDoctor]

It fits fine in the environment that I sail. If the weather turns foul the computer goes down in to the cabin. (Everything runs wirelessly.) I tried my son's iPad and I like this better. This is much brighter and the matte finish on the screen is much more readable. YMMV

[bljones]

Originally Posted by yves5

Hi guys,

I am a new sailboat owner with a lot to learn. I just bought a used Sirius 21 and I am having a real good time with it. The boat is in excellent condition and the previous owners really took care of it. I want to add a few gizmos to the boat and this is why I am writing this thread.

I was ready to buy a marine GPS but I found out that I can add a GPS antenna with a USB connexion to a portable computer, add a software, load maps and get a nice navigation system. My plan would be to do so, keep the pc inside and add a 7'' lcd monitor outside for viewing.

Is this a practical idea? Should I just buy the marine gps and forget about the pc?

I would like to know from someone who did it, with the PC.

Maybe there were previous threads about the same so I am sorry if it is a repetitive question.

Best regards to all

By the time you buy a monitor, the antenna, cabling, etc., you start to get close to the cost of a weatherproof, easy to read dedicated chart plotter that will take up a lot less space.