Helia 44: Nav Screen Size at Helm Station

[Heliades]

Greetings Helia owners....

Appears that FP options list show a Garmin 10" screen at the helm station and 12" at the chart table.

I was thinking that it would be preferable to put a 12" at the helm station - if it fits and a 10" or 9" below.

Any suggestions on screen size for helm and chart table?

[Cotemar]

My vote would be for the 12" screen at the helm.

Ours came with the 10" at the helm and would have really like the 12 better at the helm.

[Heliades]

Thanks - so I assume that a 12" has the dimensional space to fit?

[PapaLulu]

We have 12" at both helm and Nav station. Definitely like the 12" at the helm. Could probably tolerate the smaller size at the nav station and provide more room for other instruments there.

[Heliades]

Originally Posted by PapaLulu

We have 12" at both helm and Nav station. Definitely like the 12" at the helm. Could probably tolerate the smaller size at the nav station and provide more room for other instruments there.

Thanks PapaLulu May I ask Raymarine or Garmin? Happy?

[PapaLulu]

Originally Posted by Heliades

Thanks PapaLulu May I ask Raymarine or Garmin? Happy?

Raymarine. I have a Harmon on our small 27' monohull and have been disappointed on a number of fronts. Very happy with Raymarine. I use Navionics on my iPad and integrate with the Raymarine chart plotter (waypoints, more detail on bottom contours, route planning, etc). This also provide an instant backup which we needed last week while negotiating through reef passages at Culebra when our chart plotter went dead after we experienced sudden battery shorts on our house battery. A few minutes before we got the electronics back up. In any case, I've used both a fair amount and prefer Raymarine.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Heliades

Greetings Helia owners....

Appears that FP options list show a Garmin 10" screen at the helm station and 12" at the chart table.

I was thinking that it would be preferable to put a 12" at the helm station - if it fits and a 10" or 9" below.

Any suggestions on screen size for helm and chart table?

Put the largest MFD screen that fits at the helm.
I have 12'' at helm and do all navigation work there, weather permitting.

[FlyTheCoop]

We put a 12 inch Raymarine screen at the helm and a 9 inch at nav desk. Really glad we went for the larger screen at helm. It works well.

[StarryHorizons]

We have a 12" Raymarine at the helm and use an iPad to control the plotter from inside. Works very well and leaves more room for instruments at the nav desk.

The only thing you can't do via the ipad is control the autopilot, but we don't mind going to the helm to drive the boat.

[Dave_S]

I ummmm'ed and arrrr'ed about screen size for me it was between 9" and 12" (B&G) I finally went with the 12". I figured my eye sights not getting better.

Not sure about Garmin but if it can be controlled with an iPad you can now get 12" iPads with a couple of stands for less than a genuine screen or you could fix the iPad in position.

Its not installed yet, should be in the next couple of weeks but I'm already starting to get over the price and enjoying the idea of the bigger screen.

[stillbuilding]

Originally Posted by PapaLulu

Raymarine. I have a Harmon on our small 27' monohull and have been disappointed on a number of fronts. Very happy with Raymarine. I use Navionics on my iPad and integrate with the Raymarine chart plotter (waypoints, more detail on bottom contours, route planning, etc). This also provide an instant backup which we needed last week while negotiating through reef passages at Culebra when our chart plotter went dead after we experienced sudden battery shorts on our house battery. A few minutes before we got the electronics back up. In any case, I've used both a fair amount and prefer Raymarine.

Now that is an interesting report of chart plotter failure. A frequent argument in favour of not using an IPad or phone in favour of a CP is that the failure rate is high because of their inherent non-marine nature.

Obviously anything electronic can fail and Murphy's law tells you when.
Thanks for the report.

[Pelagic]

The bigger the better so that you can discriminate targets and details easier at the helm station.

I went with a 15“ MFD in the cockpit and a networked laptop at the chart table.

[Pizzazz]

A bigger screen is not always better. If you are sailing long distance, a smaller plotter will give you great info at very little current draw. At night the display will not blind you. A smaller display can be easily rotated for better views from cockpit corners - try this with a 12" display.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

The bigger the better so that you can discriminate targets and details easier at the helm station.

I went with a 15“ MFD in the cockpit and a networked laptop at the chart table.Attachment 149935

I actually prefer a couple of smaller MFDs to one big one. Separate MFDs for plotter and radar works better than trying to use split screen on a bigger one, and you can shut one down when you don't need both.

I sailed a few hundred miles on a Swan 90 with this setup once and liked it very much.

9" or 10" at the helm is enough in my opinion. Much bigger screen at nav table for passage planning.

[Pelagic]

I guess it is what you get used to but i think the reason IMO regulates Minimum size for a certified display is to provide better discrimination of adjacent radar targets.
I am also not a fan of chart overlays but I do like the biggest radar display I can fit.