Electronic Navigation: GPS Plotter or Laptop?

Are you considering buying a GPS plotter or a laptop for your onboard navigation?

Here are some of the pros and cons.

GPS Plotter Advantages

• Waterproof - A GPS plotter has been designed to operate in a marine environment and most units are sealed to protect them from damp salty environment with some level of waterproofing.

• Secure mounting options

• The screen is visible in bright light

• Software is more stable - Compared with common standard computer operating software

• Integrates with other marine electronics- Most GPS plotters will interface with compatible autopilot/sonar/radar/weather receivers etc

• Lower power consumption compared to a laptop

• Cheaper- Arguable, but a cheaper plotter is around $600, a second hand laptop is about the same, but which will last longer in a marine environment?

Laptop Advantages

• Multipurpose, navigation, email, web, DVD’s, games etc

• Large screen

• Keyboard data entry

• Can be taken home for route planning etc

GPS Plotter Disadvantages

• Smaller screen

• Slow push button data entry

• Single purpose

Laptop Disadvantages

• Fragile- affected by damp and must be secured against physical damage

• Screen can’t be seen in bright light

• High power consumption

• Operating software (Microsoft) relatively unstable

Which way to go will also depend on a few other factors. Smaller boats, where the electronics are more exposed to the elements and bright sunlight would be better off with a plotter. Also a plotter is more compact and has more secure mounting options.

Larger boats, where the budget allows, could have both systems with the plotter near the helm for easy reference and the laptop at the chart table.