In addition, five vendors support proprietary vector charts on chip and/or CD format. Software-On-Board, BoatCruiser, and MaxSea use C-Map cartography. Fugawi Marine ENC and Raytech RNS work with Navionics charts. Although private vendor charts are more expensive, they are generally of high quality and include rich supplemental data, since each company's focus is chart production.

FREE U.S. CHARTS

Glamour destinations aside, the majority of U.S. boaters will confine their cruising to U.S. waters, which means they should care about support for free RNCs, ENCs, and IENCs for U.S. coastal and inland waters.

We feel strongly that any e-charting application used by U.S. boaters should read free U.S. charts. Our government is unique in providing free, frequently-updated digital cartography. Yet a surprising number of e-charting applications do not support free U.S. vector files (ENCs or IENCs). For example, SeaClear II, NavimaQ, TIKI Navigator, The Capn, Nobeltec VNS, Raytech RNS, Nobeltec Admiral and MaxSea only read the raster format files (RNCs). Software-On-Board supports neither RNCs nor ENCs.

Some e-charting vendors take the approach that the more formats supported the better. For example, Fugawi Marine ENC, BoatCruiser and Coastal Explorer support an impressive assortment of chart formats. Some of the applications even let you view multiple chart formats simultaneously. For example, with MacENC and The Capn you can view a traditional-looking raster chart while harnessing the intelligence of an underlying vector chart. The Capn goes one step further and can blend the transparency level of the raster chart over the vector chart.

Other vendors intentionally restrict their chart compatibility. Some do so for navigational reasons, such as DigiBOAT's view that vector charts are superior to raster charts. DigiBOAT also stays away from scanned charts, believing that scanning old paper charts is a bad navigational practice. Other vendors restrict chart support for commercial reasons, presumably because they are also in the vector chart-selling business, as are Nobeltec or MaxSea.

Finally, realize that your choice of navigation software has an economic impact on your annual investment in cartography. Digital charts have very different "nautical mile per dollar" value. Regardless of which charts you use, you should update them annually. NOAA charts are continually updated at no cost. NavSim BoatCruiser is unique in providing an auto-update feature (for a one-time fee) that compares and updates your free NOAA charts. Several certified chart distributors sell NOAA compilations for less than $50. In contrast, some chart vendors provide new cartography through paid updates, annual membership options, or by requiring full-priced purchase by chart region.

With the computing power on today's laptops, digital cartography is no longer restricted to nautical charts. Many e-charting applications also allow you to display satellite and aerial images, topographic maps, and 3D bathymetric views of the seafloor. However, this supplemental data is usually not included with the e-charting application. You must purchase cartography that includes these extras, such as Passport Deluxe, C-Map MAX Pro, or MaxSea Bathy Charts.

Satellite images are most useful for boaters who frequent areas with poor charting and/or shifting channels. Many applications display these satellite views. Additionally, some programs support aerial "Nav Photos." Note that while these applications accurately geo-reference and display the satellite imagery, few programs can properly indicate where Maptech Nav Photos are available. Thus, without Coastal Explorer or Chart Navigator Pro, a Maptech Nav Photo is a proverbial needle in your file folder haystack.

For the five applications that support C-Map or Navionics cards, aerial photos are provided as part of the supplemental data. About half the applications support topographic maps, which we find less useful. Traditional charts show elevation so topographic maps don't contribute much to on-the-water navigation. Finally, and most specialized, nearly all the higher-end applications allow for the display of bathymetric data.

CONCLUSIONS

Although data exchange may be the weak link in the e-charting chain, you can minimize problems by identifying capabilities that are important to you and then choosing navigation software that best support those capabilities.

When it comes time to import or export data, nothing compares to the GPX standard. Because of their full support of GPX, MacENC, Fugawi Marine ENC, Coastal Explorer, Chart Navigator Pro, and MaxSea score high in data exchange.

Instrument connectivity is strong and relatively uniform across today's e-charting choices. All of the applications, with the surprising exception of Raytech RNS, support the "big three": GPS, autopilot, and AIS. In fact all but NavimaQ and Fugawi Marine ENC support most instruments.

Chart support, on the other hand, differs considerably across the products. Some programs, such as Software-On-Board, go with a single chart source (C-Map). This single-sourcing, particularly to the exclusion of free U.S. charts, makes it impossible to recommend to U.S. boaters. In contrast, some applications support multiple formats but are unique in supporting a particular format, such as MaxSea and its unique support for British Admiralty ARCS.

Overall, two companies stand out in the cartography category: Fugawi Marine ENC and NavSim BoatCruiser. Not only do they support many formats, they support both free U.S. cartography and at least one of the high-quality proprietary chart sources. Fugawi supports Navionics. BoatCruiser supports C-Map. Furthermore, BoatCruiser is the only e-charting application today with an auto-chart update feature.

TOMORROW: Our favorite picks among the 15 products we reviewed.