EDITOR'S NOTE: The End Of The Series

The arsenal of advanced electronic tools now available to any boater armed with a laptop and electronic charting software might have seemed downright futuristic just a few years ago.

Want to scan and geo-reference paper charts of Croatia to create your own digital chart files? How about displaying a small window in the corner of your screen to stream video from your engine room? Or creating custom bathymetric charts with your own vessel's soundings? Or displaying the current location of your buddy's boat on your chart display?

All of these things – and many more – are possible with the electronic charting packages currently on the shelf of your local marine store. Sharp competition in a crowded software market and steady advances in the power of the average computer have combined to produce software with enough features to indulge even the most tech-savvy boater.

The real challenge is determining what you need from your e-charting package – in other words, what exactly do you want it to do?

In the general software industry, most of us are familiar with the trend toward feature-stuffed programs – derided as "bloatware" – that often generate complaints about complexity and ease of use. As the saying goes, 95 percent of the users use 5 percent of the features.

The same phenomenon has emerged in electronic charting, where many companies continue to produce products that attempt to be all things to all boaters – even though most use only a small subset of the available features.

The result is that, for the average boater, the most expensive e-charting package is not always the best choice – even if price is not an issue. When choosing an e-charting application, think about what makes sense on your boat and what you can reasonably manage with an onboard computer.

For example, as cruising guide authors, we do this for a living. We work from our boat, spending many months out at a time. Yet we mainly still use basic waypoint, route, annotation and tracking features.

If you're only going to use 5 percent of an application's features, then the program you choose should do those things exceptionally well. Take stock of your computer use, your vessel, your cruising style and your geography to identify these "bread-and-butter" features. Then evaluate the e-charting packages on those features, not on extras you'll never use.

What follows here is a discussion of basic and advanced features based on our experience reviewing 15 e-charting applications for the Hard Facts on Software series. It is designed to help you narrow down your list of needs. You can then consult the Feature Comparison Table to see how each application we reviewed addresses those needs. On Sunday, we'll cut to the chase and make some outright recommendations in several price ranges.

BASIC FEATURES

Some features are so fundamental that any e-charting application worth its salt must include them.

For example, a one-button man overboard (MOB) marker is a basic safety tool. With all this navigational computing power at your fingertips, there should be a darn quick way to mark a position if someone goes into the water. Although every application we reviewed has an MOB feature, the user interface dictates how long it will take you to find it for the first time or to remember where it is hidden. All the PC applications have very intuitive one-button MOB markers. In a break from the PC and Mac stereotypes, the two Mac applications, NavimaQ and MacENC, did not have a one-button MOB. Perhaps Mac users don't fall overboard?

Basic features include rudimentary navigational tasks, such as managing charts, creating waypoint markers, stringing waypoints together to form a route, logging a series of positions as a track, dropping a quick "steer to" command to reach a position ahead or converting a track into a route. These tasks are the primary reason to combine a GPS sensor and a digital chart image, fundamental tools needed by any boater who has bothered to bring a laptop on board with digital charts.

Of course, every one of the e-charting applications we reviewed performs the majority of these tasks. But they differ widely in ease-of-use, influenced by little details we only noticed after spending quite a bit of time with a feature. Some applications are more intuitive, have more functionality, or are more flexible.

As an example, basic tasks such as waypoint or route creation vary in the number of mouse actions or keystrokes an application requires to get the job done. The fewer, the better. Route creation is most convenient when you can "rubber-band" instant waypoints together.

We also favored programs with a clear presentation of route data, either in a window or along a route leg. The cleanest waypoint and route interface overall was Coastal Explorer and Chart Navigator Pro. TIKI Navigator, with its non-traditional user interface, also did well.

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.

E-charting has also grown to display much more than simple navigational aids and landmarks. Most packages now incorporate supplemental data such as Coast Pilots, points-of-interest (POIs), street maps – even Google Earth capability. Again, the applications handle these materials differently.

SeaClear II, NavimaQ, MacENC, TIKI Navigator and Raytech RNS are less strong in this area, focusing more exclusively on marine data. The Capn does a good job including Coast Pilots, but does not include point-of-interest data, street maps or Google Earth. Software-On-Board and BoatCruiser piggyback on C-Map cartography, which includes street maps, to provide supplemental data. MacENC and Fugawi Marine ENC work with Google Earth, which can show street and land data in addition to its trademark satellite imagery.

If you want integrated information on ports, anchorages, marinas and points-of-interest, Coastal Explorer's (and by extension Chart Navigator Pro's) supplemental data is the best. Maptech's extensive disc set of cartography comes bundled with Chart Navigator Pro, or you can add it to Coastal Explorer. Either way, the integrated and searchable Gazetteer in Coastal Explorer and Chart Navigator Pro is impressive. Click on any port to pull up a window with information and photos. These two applications also had the best advanced search feature, letting you quickly and easily access these extensive data extras.

AIS, ARPA AND MARPA

"Collision Avoidance" and "Situational Awareness" are the latest buzzwords in e-charting, describing features that supplement your visual awareness of other vessels. This class of features includes AIS (Automatic Identification System) and ARPA/MARPA-equipped radar (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid and Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid). It can also be extended to track "buddy boats."

Although e-charting packages are heavily marketed based on their collision avoidance features, this is a perfect example of where it pays to consider what you need for your vessel given your anticipated float plan. Many collision avoidance systems require additional instruments, such as an AIS receiver or an ARPA-equipped radar, or depend on data that may not be generally available. For example, buddy boat tracking sounds like a fun way to keep track of cruising friends, but it only works if they are transmitting AIS data, which requires an AIS transmitter.

In some cases the equipment you already have onboard can largely replicate these features. For example, a common DSC-enabled VHF radio can allow you to keep track of and auto-dial buddy boats. Similarly, your existing radar can provide shipping lane alarms without an additional AIS device. Sure, it's technologically sexy to be able to display a ship's detailed information on your laptop. But do you really need to know the name and home port of the vessel that is going to hit you? For basic daytime boating, the Coast Guard reminds us that maintaining a vigilant watch is the best navigational tool.

That said, some boaters can benefit from advanced collision avoidance systems. Boaters in areas heavily used by commercial traffic, whether cargo ships, ferries or commercial fishing, are most in need of these features. This includes areas such as the Chesapeake Bay or Puget Sound. These features may also provide some peace of mind to offshore cruisers in heavy traffic areas, such as those who make nighttime Gulf Stream crossings. But a weekend boater or an Intracoastal Waterway traveler? Think twice.

If you decide AIS, ARPA/MARPA radar or buddy boat tracking are important to you, realize that even the lowest priced e-charting applications now include at least one of these features. AIS has become such a popular feature that it is now included in all the applications except Raytech RNS. Two low-cost choices, SeaClear II and TIKI Navigator, both have surprisingly robust AIS functionality. Only Software-On-Board and TIKI Navigator include buddy boat tracking, and both had a nice, but very different, implementation of this feature.

All the higher-priced choices, and several of the mid-priced choices, include the option of displaying ARPA/MARPA radar data. Note that these features typically only display collision avoidance data, not a full image of your radar scan. Many boaters mistakenly assume a display of radar data is a standard option in an e-charting package, perhaps because so many e-charting promotions show a fancy split window with a chart image alongside the corresponding radar scan. Although some e-charting applications support radar overlays, the implementation is tricky. Because radar data is analog, it must be converted to digital in order to display on a PC. This may require a digitally-enabled radar and/or a translation device, often referred to as a "black box". If you do decide you want full radar overlays on your PC – useful for boaters in high fog areas such as Maine and the Pacific Northwest – you will need a high-end package such as Coastal Explorer, Raytech RNS, MaxSea or Nobeltec Admiral.

CALCULATORS

One of the advantages of having a computer onboard is it can double as a tool for complicated calculations. Custom calculators for fuel consumption, travel time or celestial sight reductions are relatively simple programming extras. Many of the e-charting applications we reviewed include one or more of these options.

If you are a power boater on a trawler or cabin cruiser, you'll appreciate the fuel calculators offered by BoatCruiser, Nobeltec VNS, MaxSea and Nobeltec Admiral. For all boaters, a transit calculator is handy, letting you easily compute the time to an anchorage, port or restricted bridge. In general, applications with a fuel calculator also include some transit calculator. The Capn only includes a transit calculator, but it was a very nice implementation. For hobbyists or transoceanic passagemakers, The Capn, Nobeltec VNS and Admiral, and MaxSea also include celestial calculators and/or Nautical Almanacs.

Route planners are more complicated than calculators. They integrate information about your vessel and prevailing sea conditions such as wind and current to calculate an optimal route. Again, although planning features are incredibly impressive, consider whether your boating habits require optimized route planning. Passagemakers and offshore racers are most likely to use these advanced features.

Coastal Explorer, Chart Navigator Pro, both Nobeltec packages and MaxSea include auto route planners. Software-On-Board, Fugawi Marine ENC, Nobeltec and MaxSea had excellent Great Circle Route tools. For East Coast sailors who make long passages – such as to Europe, Bermuda or the Caribbean – several applications include optimization routing for sailboats, or offer it as an option. MaxSea's Sailing Performance Module and Weather Routing Module are the benchmark.

WEATHER DATA

One of the most impressive aspects of e-charting is the data available for download. Most notable in this category is support for GRIB weather data, which is available free from the government and provides detailed weather information and predictions, ranging from wave height to sea temperature. Many software applications justifiably tout their GRIB weather features.

Whether or not GRIB weather files are the best source for you depends on whether you are an inland, coastal or offshore cruiser. GRIB weather is notoriously inaccurate for near-coast predictions. For inland or coastal weather, NOAA VHF weather broadcasts are much more appropriate. You can also obtain accurate coastal marine weather information on the Internet. On the other hand, if you're sailing to Portugal, GRIB weather is an invaluable resource. It provides detailed weather information around the world. The best e-charting applications let you simply click on a location anywhere on your chart, opening a window that initiates the download of that area's weather data and predictions.

E-charting applications typically retrieve GRIB weather in one of two ways: through a SailDocs email request or through a dedicated server. Using SailDocs requires an email connection and a brief delay while the weather is emailed to you. But you are not dependent upon a private vendor's server. Software-On-Board, MacENC, Fugawi Marine ENC and Nobeltec VNS obtain weather via email. Unfortunately, you must then load it into your application manually to view it. The best GRIB weather implementation was offered by Coastal Explorer, Chart Navigator Pro and MaxSea, which maintain their own weather servers and have excellent integrated and automated weather tools.

Finally, for the offshore sport or commercial fisherman, two packages, Nobeltec and MaxSea, provide support for custom bathymetric recording. This feature, which requires optional add-on software modules and hardware, allows you to record sea bottom topography to create your own bathymetric charts. MaxSea even blends your data with its standard bathymetric cartography and can display the seafloor in stunning 3D rotating images – the ultimate in "advanced feature" e-charting eye candy.

TOMORROW: Networking, instrument support and data exchange.

Capt. Mark Doyle and Capt. Diana Doyle are authors of the Managing the Waterway cruising guide series, and their work has appeared in numerous publications. They also produce CDs and DVDs of NOAA and USACE charts.