Garmin Nuvi with Nautical Charts

2

20dauntless

New member
I am looking at getting a backup GPS with chartplotting capability for the boat. I already have a Garmin eMap which is kept in a ditch bag and could be used to get lat/lon to tell SAR or plot on a paper chart, but I'd feel better knowing I also had a backup plotter. I thought about going with one of the 4 or 5 inch Garmin built in units but would prefer to have a portable so it has it's own battery in case the boats electrical system fails.

I noticed that some of the Garmin Nuvi units are fairly inexpensive...$200 for a color touch screen. I know they aren't marinized, but it will be used inside the cabin of a 22. And the Nuvi's can be used in the car for directions. The real question is if they have the ability to load Garmin marine charts...anybody know? Any other suggestions for a portable chartplotter?
 
Great question. I have a nuvi200w and love it for the car. I even got it to work in the plane coming back for So cal this year. My max speed now reads 550mph. I would like to know if you could up load marine charts to. I cant find any thing on there site about it but that does not mean its not doable.
 
I have thought about using my MacBook Pro as a nav system, but have never really warmed up to the idea. First, the laptop is expensive. It's one thing to have a $200 GPS fall on the floor and break, it's another to have a $2,000 laptop fall and break. Second, the power consumption. A portable GPS will have much better battery life and won't require an inverter to charge. My Garmin eMap uses AA batteries, so charging that is a non-issue, like it should be for an emergency device. Finally, I don't always need a laptop with me. Last summer I did bring it along, but rarely used it. I did email and browsing on my iPhone and that worked fine 95% of the time. I also have 24gb of compact flash cards for my digital camera, so I can go a while without uploading to the computer. In my case I'd prefer having a separate, portable chartplotter as a backup, and it would be awfully nice cost wise if the Nuvi series could display nautical charts.
 
If you have blue maps on CD, you might try loading one to an SD card and see if the Novi 200 reads it. The Nuvi 500 will take the down loads of the Marine charts--but then you are up in the over $300 price range.

We recently got the Garmin 76 Cx--for just a little over $200--this does use the marine maps, and has the SiRF chipset, which receives the gPS signal in the middle of the house etc. The 76 runs on two AA batteries or an 12 volt adaptor.
 
We have a Garmin Nuvi 750 for the truck and love it. I intend to take it cruising on the boat with us. It has SO many POI (points of interest) that will be handy when we come ashore... grocery, laundromat, Olive Garden :wink: , etc. I haven't found a way to put marine charts on it, but it will still give basic info (lat/lon, speed, track, etc). It will be the backup to the backup.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Slamjammer":wlrv8kr1 said:
Go to garmin.com and search for units which accept marine maps....typically on SD cards. :wink
Click to expand...

I tried it but I still can't figure it out. Can someone just tell me what model nuvi will accept marine charts and which SD card to buy? Thanks.
 
"nüvi 500 also includes preloaded U.S. topographic maps and accepts optional mapping for all of your outdoor adventures (see Maps tab for compatible maps). Conveniently plug in [b]BlueChart® g2 Vision and Inland Lakes Vision marine maps on a microSD™ [/b]card for a great day on the water. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet. With its high-sensitivity GPS receiver and HotFix™ satellite prediction, nüvi 500 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover, deep canyons and near tall building and trees."

The problem with this type of unit for marine navigation is that it is more difficult to put in waypoints, routes and other navigational information--for example the 76 CS has the marine data base in the chart plotter with bouys on the base map, plus celestial data and tides/currents. The buttons and menues are the same as the larger chart plotter. All of the reviews I read suggested that a dedicated marine unit would be advisable for boating.
 
There's an alternate way to go -the GPSMAP® 640 (available Q1, 2009) is designed as a marine unit that has pre-loaded street maps AND which will also take SD cards. However, at an expected retail of $1200, it's cheaper to just get a Nuvi and a cheaper marine unit. The GPS Map 378/478 are similar but they don't take SD cards. They do take Garmin blue map cards and have street maps pre-loaded. They're both priced at $999 suggested retail but can be found for around $650. The 378 has freshwater base maps, the 478 has salt water base maps.
 
20dauntless":14iozuxl said:
I have thought about using my MacBook Pro as a nav system, but have never really warmed up to the idea. First, the laptop is expensive. It's one thing to have a $200 GPS fall on the floor and break, it's another to have a $2,000 laptop fall and break. Second, the power consumption. A portable GPS will have much better battery life and won't require an inverter to charge. My Garmin eMap uses AA batteries, so charging that is a non-issue, like it should be for an emergency device. Finally, I don't always need a laptop with me. Last summer I did bring it along, but rarely used it. I did email and browsing on my iPhone and that worked fine 95% of the time. I also have 24gb of compact flash cards for my digital camera, so I can go a while without uploading to the computer. In my case I'd prefer having a separate, portable chartplotter as a backup, and it would be awfully nice cost wise if the Nuvi series could display nautical charts.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use a 2k laptop either....not in a marine enviroment. Via Craigslist, I buy two year old, IBM Thinkpad lease-returns for $250. They are bulletproof....and somewhat disposable. Chartplotter software is free or close to it. So are the charts.

FWIW.

-Greg
 
You would really like an inexpensive laptop and tiki navigator. Look at the toshiba laptops, add tiki for 79 bucks and a bluetooth gps and you are set.
Eric
 
You might try Craigs list or e-Bay for Garmin V or VPlus. Both have downloadable systems. (they are actually the same, just different software package) and though they are not currently produced, they are basically bombproof, JISC 7, and have very good battery run times (12 to 18 hours). I have been using a Garmin VPlus for about 10 years, since it first came out -- no problems ever.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I really don't want to go the laptop route. Too may things to break (Windows!), too much power consumption, too much expense. I think I'll look at Craigslist for some cheap, portable marine units. I have a Garmin GPSMAP 210 that is 11 years old on the Whaler and still working perfectly, so I trust Garmin quality. I would prefer a color screen though...

Bob, I think you are right that the Nuvi 500 is the only one that supports nautical charts. As to the input of information like waypoints and routes, I really don't care. I've never bothered with them on the Raymarine C80, and I doubt I would on the portable.

Roger, I can't imagine buying the GPSMAP 640. $1200 is a lot of money for something that doesn't do a whole lot more than the Nuvi 500.

Thanks for the help guys and let us all know if anyone gets a Nuvi working with nautical charts!
 
blackfish":13gl4p1l said:
hey
Was wondering what chartplotter software you are using that is free or close to it?

thanks
Click to expand...

An older version of Nobeltec. Send me an e-mail and I'll give you a copy.

-Greg
 
20dauntless":tm8a8zi0 said:
I noticed that some of the Garmin Nuvi units are fairly inexpensive...$200 for a color touch screen. I know they aren't marinized, but it will be used inside the cabin of a 22. And the Nuvi's can be used in the car for directions. The real question is if they have the ability to load Garmin marine charts...anybody know? Any other suggestions for a portable chartplotter?
Click to expand...

FWIW, I just picked up a Nuvi 200 (the last one) at Cabellas for $159. My wife loves it!

I did notice they had the Lowrance Xog (?) on sale for $170 that handles marine and road maps. The screen is smaller than the Nuvi. Also, you have to purchase Navionic charts for $200. Road and a simple marine map are built in.

-Greg
 
I just bought a Nuvi 500 from REI. They are on sale right now for $290, down from $500. I don't have any charts for it yet, but it works great in the car and I'll post here again when I get the charts and try it on the boat.
 
Anyone have any experience with Garmin's Colorado 400c? West Marine will be selling them for $299 on Black Friday. They look handy, with a small screen and preloaded with coastal charts. I guess they are being replaced by the Oregon series which has the touch screen (but is $500+).
 
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