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Rose Point Coastal Explorer - Our Choice for the Great Loop
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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 8551
City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Rose Point Coastal Explorer - Our Choice for the Great L Reply with quote

MikeR wrote:
Pat Anderson wrote:
So I went out and bought a used Toshiba Satellite laptop (very respectable specs, BTW) for $140,


Great thread, I now want to get CE as well! But, my current laptop (only a couple of years old) barely runs anymore on a good day so I would want something different/separate for use on the boat...Pat, if you don't mind my asking, where is a good source for a $140 used laptop?

Thanks,
Mike


Mike, I just searched Bellingham Craigslist for laptops. There were quite a few for sale, but the Craigslist post for this one had the most information that gave me confidence that it would work for my purpose. This computer is from 2012, and the guy I bought it from lived on North Garden near Western. It is a Toshiba Satellite dual core Pentium with 4 GB RAM and a 300 GB hard drive, smallish by today's standards but entirely adequate for what I wanted it for. It had a fresh install of Windows 7, and the first night it automatically installed all the available updates, and then I turned off the WiFi! I have no other software on this computer other than Coastal Explorer, and about 4 GB of NOAA and USACE charts. There were cheaper ones and more expensive ones of course, but you should not have a difficult time finding a suitable used Windows laptop for a reasonable price, they seem to be quite plentiful on Craigslist!

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Last edited by Pat Anderson on Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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gulfcoast john



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK Pat, you've convinced me.. I bought it from Defender even though I don't have a suitable PC yet.
But I just don't see 10-$ 12,000 for an awesome nav suite...
$3500 for an almost bleeding edge Garmin 7612 (12 inch daylight viewable waterproof display) with built in CHIRP downVu and SideVu, support for the latest Garmin radar including Fathom...
$808 for a Garmin AIS class B so you just touch the AIS target on the 7612 for the option to 'CALL WITH MMSI' direct bridge to bridge without punching in any numbers at all... (if you have a Garmin VHF 200-up)
$2056 for a Garmin GMR 24 inch radar, $15 for Home Depot parts for a Bob Austin Special Commode Mount (I already bought mine... I hope to get it autographed at Hontoon)...
All from BOEmarine, all plug and play, all Garmin.
Eileen likes Garmin panties and I like Garmin T shirts and Preferred stock.
You can get an awesome Garmin nav suite for less than the cost of your average Total Knee copays and deductibles, and with a better written warranty and a MUCH higher Fun Factor!
Happy Looping!
John

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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 8551
City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thataway wrote:
As often there is more than one way to skin a cat--or C Dory. I am also being a bit of a "devil's advocate".


Bob, food for thought for sure, as always!

I am about to order a thin 16" USB real computer monitor and scrap the idea of using the little TV, it works fine (I have it running up in my home office with the laptop lid shut and an HDMI cable to the TV) but the monitor is just a better size and shape. Only time will tell about your concern about whether it is bright enough. I have had my iPad on a RAM mount on a wooden base just behind the center window, and it has always been bright enough, so i think the monitor is likely to be fine too.

BTW, our iPad is an original iPad, first generation, too old to upgrade anything, but it still runs Navionics just fine, and I downloaded all the charts for the Great Loop to it a long time ago back when unlimited chart downloads were free! The iPad is our principal backup but we also have Navionics on two separate iPhones, so I think we are in pretty good shape there! Flint Firestone uses SEAiq Free as his backup, but we don't see any advantage to SEAiq over Navionics.

Your Garmins sound wonderful, but I am not the guy to rip out the entire Raymarine system and replace it with something else as a DIY project! The GPS / depth sounder / radar / VHF all connect to the C-80, and I do not want to replace the radome, GPS antenna and transducer. The Raymarine with our CF cards are all we need for our home cruising grounds of Puget Sound to Alaska, so we were really just looking for a one-time solution for the Great Loop at the lowest possible cost, and CE on a Windows computer seems to be that solution, but of course only time will tell. If all else fails, I am pretty sure we can get around the Loop with Navionics on our iPad and iPhones!
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ssobol



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you look you can find 1st edition iPads for a very good price. My mom recently bought one for $50 so her grandson can play games. It's probably good enough for a nav program.
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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
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City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
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C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gulfcoast john wrote:
OK Pat, you've convinced me.. I bought it from Defender even though I don't have a suitable PC yet.
But I just don't see 10-$ 12,000 for an awesome nav suite...
$3500 for an almost bleeding edge Garmin 7612 (12 inch daylight viewable waterproof display) with built in CHIRP downVu and SideVu, support for the latest Garmin radar including Fathom...
$808 for a Garmin AIS class B so you just touch the AIS target on the 7612 for the option to 'CALL WITH MMSI' direct bridge to bridge without punching in any numbers at all... (if you have a Garmin VHF 200-up)
$2056 for a Garmin GMR 24 inch radar, $15 for Home Depot parts for a Bob Austin Special Commode Mount (I already bought mine... I hope to get it autographed at Hontoon)...
All from BOEmarine, all plug and play, all Garmin.
Eileen likes Garmin panties and I like Garmin T shirts and Preferred stock.
You can get an awesome Garmin nav suite for less than the cost of your average Total Knee copays and deductibles, and with a better written warranty and a MUCH higher Fun Factor!
Happy Looping!
John


Great, hope I did not oversell CE, but I don't think so! I may have over estimated the cost of total replacement of the old nav system, maybe, maybe not, since i would need to pay for removal of all the Raymarine stuff from the radome down and installation of Garmin stuff. Your system components are up to $6,264 if my math is correct, and that does not include the cost of removal of old Raymarine system and installation of new Garmin new system. Like I said to Bob, I am just not the guy to do that myself! Add, what, $1,000?, for professional installation? But it really doesn't matter if it is $7,000 or $10,000 to totally replace the Raymarine stuff, it just does not compute for us! We have what we need for West Coast cruising with the Raymarine system, and we are really only looking right now for the least expensive solution for Great Loop cruising, which we cannot do with our Raymarine! CE is what we have placed our bet on!
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Will-C



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:41 am    Post subject: Rose Point Coastal Explorer - Our Choice for the Great Loop Reply with quote

Pat,
If all else fails there are enough people usually looping you could just end following someone. Even if you spill wine or beer on the keyboard of your laptop your going to be fine.
D.D.

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tpbrady



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pat,

I have run CE since about 2006 and wouldn't go on any boat without it. I started off using a RAM mount for a Dell Tablet PC on a CD-22, moved it over to a CD-25, moved that to a 38 foot CHB and now have it on a Nordic Tug 42. It is an order of magnitude easier to use than a conventional chart plotter, and shows more data on the larger screens than you can ever see on a chartplotter. I have some engine data, course, depth, SOG, and nearby vessels (from the AIS). With a right click I can get current tide data for my location.

Two things to consider that I do. One is look at using a cordless Logitech trackball. It eliminates moving the mouse in a confined space. On the 25 I put it just to the right of the helm on the flat spot. Using a piece of velcro, it stays in place and you can work with it in rough water. The second thing is a USB powered monitor. I recently got a 16 inch AOC monitor on Amazon for less than $150. There are smaller monitors available and a standalone monitor will fit at the helm better than a laptop. You can also use an IOS or Android tablet as a remote wireless monitor, great for the rear deck.

Finally, you can install it on up to 3 systems (great to have a spare).

Tom

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Larry H



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been using Coastal Explorer for 7 years or so.

I would recommend a backup computer. Buy another $140 laptop and put CE and all your charts on that computer also. CE allows three installs on one license.
I have an ASUS 12 inch laptop running W7 as a backup.

Remember, Any computer can quit working at any time.

Once you have routes, those can be copied to a USB drive, and transferred to a backup computer, or kept as a backup file.

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A C-Brat since Nov 1, 2003
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Will-C



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 9:16 am    Post subject: Rose Point Coastal Explorer - Our Choice for the Great Loop Reply with quote

We also carry a back up with C.E. loaded with the charts for the area. Spilling something on the keyboard or take some saltwater thru a window will break your toy. Once you use C.E. boating without it is real heartbreaker. The water proof thing on a conventional chart plotter is the only short coming of using a laptop. We lost a keyboard that way and Rosepoint support showed me how to put a virtual keyboard on the screen click letters on the screen and still able to use the computer. One other caution. I took a video of us idling down a pretty canal in Florida. I loaded it on to the picture portion of C.E. After that I could not figure why the program would lock up loading on start up. I called Rosepoint and the guy said you have a really big file. I told him about the video and he laughed asked for permission to remove it. He did and all was well again. I was like their problem child for a while. Those people are very sharp. They are the most computer savvy people I have ever talked to. A backup is good advice as the previous poster mentioned.
D.D.
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hardee



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ssobol wrote:
FWIW, Defender has Coastal Explorer on sale at $283.09. You have to put it in your cart to see that price.

Too bad it doesn't work on Android devices...


Is this really true Question Rolling Eyes Sad that Coastal Explorer does not work on Android devices Crying or Very sad Here I was thinking I was going to be able to go and get all modern and stuff. Crook

But Open Captain does ??

Harvey
SleepyC Moon


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Larry H



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, Coastal Explorer only works on Windows operating systems. It works on W7 up thru W10. CE is not available for Mac OS, iOS or Android. It is reported to work on touch screen Windows systems. You can go to http://rosepoint.com/coastal-explorer/ for more information.
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ssobol



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use MX Mariner on an Android tablet. It uses free NOAA charts. The charts can be downloaded to the device for offline use.

It does not do Canada or ACoE. The developer told me once that he was going to implement ACoE river charts, but so far it hasn't happened.

MX Mariner also can show the ActiveCaptain markers right on the charts. It works a lot better than the ActiveCaptain app (IMO).
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BrentB



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is a NEW laptop with touch screen

Microsoft Store offers the 2.7-lb. Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Series Intel Celeron 1.6GHz 11.6" Touchscreen 2-in-1 Signature Edition Laptop in Bali Blue, model no. i3168-00288, for $199 with free shipping. That's tied with our mention from three weeks ago and the lowest total price we've seen. (It's the best deal now by $31.) It functions as a laptop or tablet and features an Intel Celeron N3060 1.6GHz Braswell dual-core processor, 11.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit touchscreen LCD, 2GB RAM, 32GB SSD, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, media card reader, 720p webcam, 2-cell battery, and Windows 10 Home 64-bit. (It doesn't have an optical drive.)

Note: Qualifying students, parents, and faculty can get an extra 10% off, dropping the price to $179.10. Microsoft Signature Edition devices feature a clean operating system without any third-party trial ware. Click here to learn more.

http://dealnews.com/Dell-Inspiron-Celeron-12-Touch-2-in-1-Laptop-for-199...or-less-free-shipping/1791267.html

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twistedtree



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PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hardee wrote:


If I remember right, the charting availability for the Coastal Explorer is only good in USA waters. Sam, or anyone, correct me if I am wrong, and if it works in Canadian water, how or who, to make it work north of the border.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon


Quite the opposite. I think CE has among the most diverse support for charts of any product out there. I originally bought it because I was going to Chile, Argentina, South Georgia Island, and Antarctica, and I was able to get charts for all of those places.
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hardee



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PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

twistedtree wrote:
hardee wrote:


If I remember right, the charting availability for the Coastal Explorer is only good in USA waters. Sam, or anyone, correct me if I am wrong, and if it works in Canadian water, how or who, to make it work north of the border.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon


Quite the opposite. I think CE has among the most diverse support for charts of any product out there. I originally bought it because I was going to Chile, Argentina, South Georgia Island, and Antarctica, and I was able to get charts for all of those places.


Thank You.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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