Electronic charts for south pacific

[mekeia]

I am heading for the Marquesas next season (March 2016). I have a Garmin 546 in the cockpit and a Raymarine e7 at the chart station. I would appreciate any input on preferred chart cards compatible with these two chartplotters.

[Dave852]

Navionics is spot on throughout the French islands then off in parts of the Cooks and most of Tonga.


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[FSMike]

Don't make the same mistake the Volvo Ocean Race(r) did and forget to zoom in enough to see the reefs in the middle of nowhere.

[Roy M]

Wow! Check this out for an example of on-line charts and the detail available with the Navionics package. Be sure to visit the Tuamotu section of the chart and zoom in to the max. Wow. Navionics Webapp

[YARGO]

hello Roy M. thanks for showing the Navioncs sample in Soouth Pacific. But when I go to Navionics on the App page on my Ipad, I can't find anything in the South Pacific except NZ and Oz. Why??

[Muckle Flugga]

Both Navionics and C Map are acceptable for this region. HOWEVER be aware that unlike what a previous poster said, I noted MANY discrepancies and errors, and they are 90 percent zero usable data in the Tuamotus, outside certain designated channel areas, and even then I have often been apparently anchored over a Motu, rather than actually in the water. ALWAYS use eyeball navigation in these waters.

[Dave852]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Both Navionics and C Map are acceptable for this region. HOWEVER be aware that unlike what a previous poster said, I noted MANY discrepancies and errors, and they are 90 percent zero usable data in the Tuamotus, outside certain designated channel areas, and even then I have often been apparently anchored over a Motu, rather than actually in the water. ALWAYS use eyeball navigation in these waters.

Of course you are correct about using eyeball navigation. As to your 90% wrong in the Tuamotus, you may have been using a different version or at different atolls. They were very good at the four atolls I visited using the version I had. One reason Navionics are good in French Polynesia is they incorporate French chart data which are the most accurate for that area.


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[Paul L]

The latest C-MAP charts have been very good in French Polynesia. In the Tuamotus they have been very accurate as far as the French charting goes. This is usually the pass and the immediate waters up to town or the old wharf. After that, the other 90% of the lagoon, it is reef piloting eye-ball navigation.

[mossback]

We chartered a cat in Tahiti two years ago that came with a Raymarine plotter. I had my android tablet with me and discovered Raymarine unit was using Navionics charts as well. Both read the same and were very accurate (except one spot on the back side of Bora Bora), but we preferred the tablet's size for our middle aged eyes!

[jmschmidt]

The smart money lays out a track on Google Earth (as well as on the chart plotter) and goes over both inch by inch, or at least mile by mile. Cargados (Carajos) Bank where the Volvo boys ran a foul, first appears at over 3,000 miles out in space. Talk about failing to zoom in far enough, how about not zooming in at all. The end of the island they hit even has a light house and a small resort on it about mile from impact. Both also clearly marked on the C-Map charts.

[savoir]

I attempted to use Bluchart in the South Pacific in 2007 and had to trash it. The detail was terrible everywhere but the major ports. The trouble with Garmin gear is that you can't switch to either Navionics or C Map - it's Bluchart or nothing. I switched to C Map with a Furuno plotter which was much better. The Garmin unit was only a year old. Oh well.

Never used Navionics.

[phiggins]

I have a lot of users of GE2KAP that say using it and GE or SasPlanet produces charts they can depend on.


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[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Dave852

Of course you are correct about using eyeball navigation. As to your 90% wrong in the Tuamotus, you may have been using a different version or at different atolls. They were very good at the four atolls I visited using the version I had. One reason Navionics are good in French Polynesia is they incorporate French chart data which are the most accurate for that area.


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You may have misunderstood. There are many areas in FP where there is simply no detailed hydrographic information available. So it is not 90 percent wrong in the Tuamotus, so much as 90 percent not covered at all.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by phiggins

I have a lot of users of GE2KAP that say using it and GE or SasPlanet produces charts they can depend on.


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The Google Earth images are decent enough to verify that your chart datum is correct and to see the edges of the passes in the Tuamotus. It isn't going to help you navigate through the majority of the atoll that is uncharted and filled with coral heads. These need eye-ball navigation to safely move through. The atolls are large, like 15 x 25 miles, of which only small portions of the passes and the area up to the initial town is usually charted.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by mekeia

I am heading for the Marquesas next season (March 2016). I have a Garmin 546 in the cockpit and a Raymarine e7 at the chart station. I would appreciate any input on preferred chart cards compatible with these two chartplotters.

You should perhaps consider replacing the Garmin with another e7 or other RM MFD and connect the two by Raynet cable. Then you only need to buy one set of charts.

It does not take too many charts for the Garmin to start adding up to the price of a new RM MFD. Besides sharing charts, there are other advantages to networking them.