We used a ruggedized Toughbook with
C-Map charts for the
South Pacific but kept it down below. I think that it is a Toughbook 54 that I bought new in 2017. It is super rugged, big and very heavy. The touchscreen is helpful as is the 12V
power supply that is available as an option. We never used it in the cockpit, instead we used an
iPad in a Lifeproof case. With a full
bimini, the
iPad is always visible and can be put into "night" mode if using
iNavX or
Navionics apps.
We continue to use the Toughbook in the
cabin as backup but use the iPad and Navionics in the cockpit. We also have a
Furuno chartplotter with
C-Map charts but it uses a lot of
power and it was power
consumption that prompted the switch to using the iPad and Toughbook rather than the chartplotter.
If I had to choose between the iPad and the Toughbook as our only source of electronic
navigation, I would choose the iPad because of its portability,
low power consumption and the availability of apps that can do many useful things including
navigation. It is not as robust as a dedicated chartplotter but it is much cheaper to replace/update than a chartplotter. Crossing the Pacific we had two iPads in Lifeproof cases, the Toughbook and the
Furuno chartplotter. Redundancy when far from land can be very useful.
But the Toughbook is a great laptop to have on a
boat because as its name implies, it is really tough. Refurbished models are readily available at reasonable prices.
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