For many boaters, route creation is less important than a simple "steer-to" function – namely the ability to create an instant route and steer to a single-waypoint ahead in order to minimize cross track error. A surprising number of applications do not integrate a convenient steer-to function, including SeaClear II, DigiBOAT's Software-On-Board, NavimaQ, MacENC, Fugawi Marine ENC and NavSim's BoatCruiser. Of the lower-priced choices, only TIKI Navigator includes this tool. The higher-priced choices, from Coastal Explorer up to Nobeltec Admiral integrate a steer-to function.

All the applications are also able to store a vessel's track, but a handful cannot convert that track to a saved route for future use. NavimaQ, MacENC, The Capn and Raytech RNS do not convert tracks to routes.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

For boaters who store only a handful of waypoints or routes for their local waters, these basic features are sufficient. But once you start amassing collections of waypoints, routes or charts, you start to care about the management of these assets. Waypoint, route and chart management means there is a system for the organized storage and retrieval of these elements. Scrolling through a menu of 100 waypoints, routes or chart numbers is completely infeasible.

Fugawi Marine ENC, Raytech RNS and MaxSea have well-developed folder-based waypoint and route libraries. With these more advanced systems, you can create subfolders to organize your waypoints.

Some applications, such as SeaClear II and MacENC, store all waypoints in a single "bucket." A single-bucket approach is feasible if the search function is exceptionally strong, in which case you can at least retrieve what you need quickly. Unfortunately, most of the applications have substandard search tools, particularly when compared to standards such as Apple's "Spotlight" or the "Instant Search" in Windows Vista. Coastal Explorer and Chart Navigator Pro outshine the other applications with their search capability, letting you type in a word or phrase and pull up any asset – including chart content – that contains that word or phrase.

ANNOTATION AND PRINTING

For some boaters, pre-planning with waypoints and routes is too rigid. Instead, they prefer to use electronic navigation interactively, with cursor-based range and bearing lines. With a range/bearing tool you can instantly measure to a navigational landmark, take bearings for position fixes or maintain a distance off a headland.

Although all the applications include a range and bearing tool, some were easier to use; some allowed both points (beginning point and destination) to be altered by dragging-and-dropping; and some were better at displaying the information. TIKI Navigator has the most flexible and sophisticated range/bearing tool. Several other applications were also strong, including Software-On-Board, BoatCruiser, Coastal Explorer, The Capn, Chart Navigator Pro, Raytech RNS and MaxSea.

Similarly, boaters who grew up using paper charts typically like to annotate their charts with personal notes or comments. BoatCruiser, Coastal Explorer, Chart Navigator Pro, Nobeltec VNS and Admiral, and MaxSea had excellent chart annotation features. Some of the applications took the annotation concept a step further, allowing for linked text, sound or image files. Personally we're not sold on the concept of using your e-charting application as a way to geographically organize your photo library, but it is available in TIKI Navigator, BoatCruiser and Fugawi Marine ENC.

One of the most common questions we're asked regarding e-charting is, "Can I print the charts from my PC?" It seems obvious that the answer is – or should be – yes. And, in fact, most packages claim high-resolution printing as a feature. Only two companies state upfront that their software does not print charts: TIKI Navigator and Raytech RNS (NavimaQ prints charts, but without your annotations).

Yet despite the claims, we found printing to be the single most bug-ridden feature tested.

For example, SeaClear II, Software-On-Board, Fugawi Marine ENC and BoatCruiser all exhibited some form of printing glitch or "artifact" in the printout. The highest quality prints came from Fugawi Marine ENC (despite one minor bug), The Capn and MaxSea. In all cases, a screen capture utility such as SnagIt for the PC and Snapz Pro X for the Mac provides a feasible low-resolution workaround solution.

ADVANCED FEATURES

Of course, e-charting packages offer much more than chart displays, boat position, waypoints and routes. They now include incredibly advanced navigational tools and extensive resources, such as integrated supplemental data, situational awareness tools, calculators, route planners and weather downloads.

By labeling these features as "advanced," we do not mean to imply that they are difficult to use. Quite the opposite: navigation software has made these powerful tools simple and accessible to the average recreational boater.

Again, the task is deciding which features are relevant to your boating needs. Do you need a fuel calculator? Do you need to optimize your route based on sailing polar diagrams? Do you need offshore weather? Do you need a celestial calculator? For some boaters, certain advanced features may add important convenience and safety. For others, they will be unused add-ons that simply ratchet up the cost or complexity. The answers lie in the type of boat you own and what you plan to do with it.

A perfect example is tide and current data. If you boat on the coast of Maine or Puget Sound, integrated tide and current predictions are an important part of your daily boating. The applications we reviewed handle this feature in many different ways. SeaClear II and TIKI Navigator do not include tide and current data. MacENC obtains tide and current predictions through a free third-party application. Software-On-Board, BoatCruiser and Fugawi Marine ENC display tide and current predictions, but obtain the data through C-Map or Navionics cartography. (In other words, unless you use this optional premium cartography, the application will not have tide and current predictions.) The remaining applications have integrated tides and currents. Coastal Explorer and Chart Navigator Pro have the best presentation, combining the most data in a format that is easy to read.