Using OpenCPN on a 34' sailboat

[sailingharry]

I'm looking for recommendations for a display for use on a 34' sailboat. I could use a laptop securely positioned at the nav station, but that is susceptible to water, and very un-usable at the helm. The laptop, even if waterproof (a Toughbook, perhaps?) would be a real hassle to keep in place and out of trouble if used directly at the helm. Perhaps the best idea would be a laptop or very small desktop below someplace, and a small, waterproof, touch-screen driven, display that could be mounted at the steering station -- something kind of similar to a K-Mart check-out credit-card scanner. Yes, perhaps too small, but every time I see one of those, I keep thinking "aha!"
Has anyone done, seen, or heard of any successful hardware installations that allow using OpenCpn under way on a sailboat? I don't want to pay for, configure, and maintain a chartplotter, and then configure and maintain an OpenCPN installation that would simply serve as a "driver" for the chartplotter!


I really HATE the proprietary chartplotter systems.


Harry

[dacust]

google "marine monitor", or "marine touchscreen" - find the manufacturers and then google for them or the exact model numbers. Eventually you'll start hitting pages where they actually have the prices.

Here's some of the Argonauts - around $2k. Less if you don't want touch screen.
NavStore - Your Pro Marine Source - Product Catalog
Panbo: The Marine Electronics Weblog: Argonaut's bargain marine monitor, pretty good so far

Various manufacturers, they start at about $2k.
Marine LCD Displays from Furuno, Simrad, JRC,Argonaut at PSICOMPANY.COM

Green Marine is a newcomer.
NavStore - Your Pro Marine Source - Product Catalog
Panbo: The Marine Electronics Weblog: Green Marine, a new monitor manufacturer
-dan