If you already own a chartplotter, you may wonder whether adding an e-charting package is worth the time, money and stomach lining.

After all, your chartplotter displays digital charts, shows your vessel's position, and stores waypoints and routes. It integrates with instruments such as an autopilot, is marinized for the weather, and the screen is viewable in daylight. So, why bother with the laptop and the software?

The truth is that most computer-based navigation packages are not intended to replace your chartplotter. They are designed to compliment and augment it – and at relatively little cost.

SIMPLER PLANNING

Navigation software not only adds convenience, it provides access to an array of sophisticated features and planning resources, expanding your capabilities in ways most chartplotters cannot replicate.

The most obvious is that it is much easier to create and manage extensive libraries of waypoints and routes given the luxury of a 15-inch computer screen, mouse, and full-size keyboard. And if something is easier, you are more likely to enjoy it and utilize it more fully.

You can also plan your routes and annotate your charts at home during the off-season, then simply transfer these navigational assets to your chartplotter when it is time to shove off. The result is more quality time on the water, with lower stress and increased safety.

Navigation software also taps the power of the Internet by integrating features such as weather downloads and satellite imagery. Adding these capabilities to a chartplotter may require pricey hardware additions or premium cartography. But many e-charting packages include these as standard fare. Some applications even allow you to overlay your waypoints and routes on satellite images from Google Earth.

BETTER INFORMATION

While a chartplotter can store and display charts, it cannot compete with the treasure trove of information available through many software packages. In addition to basic navigational charts, many charting applications provide supplemental information such as Coast Pilots, point-of-interest overlays, street maps, satellite or aerial photos, topographic maps and 3D bathymetric data.

The addition of a laptop onboard also allows you to carry additional reference material, such as International and Inland Navigation Rules, Chart No. 1, celestial sight reduction tables and the complete text of American Practical Navigator (Bowditch). Even better, all this material is searchable, and can easily be updated or supplemented as your needs change.

It is true that most laptops cannot currently compete with cockpit-mounted chartplotters when it comes to ruggedness and screen visibility. But used properly, they provide far more than just a redundant backup system. As technology improves, it will likely become common to see both computer and chartplotter on boats of all sizes – the best of both worlds.