There’s an elephant in the room when it comes to chartplotters: their price. It can get absolutely ridiculously mad very quickly, especially for larger screen sizes. Are you looking for a reasonable West Marine alternative before heading there with a boat load of your hard earned money? How about a much more affordable alternative: navigation laptop, or tablet. So, you’re thinking – why would you want a laptop chartplotter? Below, I outline some of the advantages compared with competing solutions. I supply around 65% commercial fishermen, and 35% other boaters such as leisure cruisers, tugboats, delivery captains, and more.
An excellent West Marine alternative: navigation laptop or tablet
- My systems are much more affordable than commercial chart plotters such as Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, B&G, Furuno, Humminbird, Raymarine, Si-Tex.
- Completely offline navigation requiring no Internet connection. The charts are stored locally on the laptop or tablet. My units have been used to circumnavigate the globe many times!
- You can also use the unit as a general purpose computer. Check your email, go online, watch movies and videos (midrange and premium models), do word processing, and more.
- Easily connect a second display with a cable or wireless. In other words, you can display the navigation information on another screen or mobile device
- No necessary subscription costs of any kind – no monthly, or yearly fees!
- Large display sizes are affordable – spend hundreds, not thousands!
- Highly expandable with support for AIS, transducer, radar, weather station, auto pilot, and other NMEA 0183 and 2000 devices.
- Multiple chart sets available. Seamlessly switch between raster and vector charts. Use the set that you prefer! You are not stuck with what the manufacturer chose for you.
- No planned obsolescence – even better after 10 years: software and chart updates will continue!
- Unlimited way points and points of interest that you can be easily export and import as GPX. You can also convert them to various formats, and shared across multiple units, which is great for fishing fleets.
- Available bathymetric charts help visualize the depth contours in 3D.
- Easy to share the navigation laptop between multiple boats or bring it along when heading out on a friend’s boat to show off your amazing system.
- Google Earth satellite imagery overlays can augment the charts in certain difficult locations.
- You can easily add fishing boundaries to comply with government regulations.
- You can take it home to plan your trip in advance, familiarize yourself with the charts, etc.
- Easily hide it down below to prevent theft or unnecessary elements exposure.
Why deal with me in particular?
- Save time, I got it all figured out. Do what you do best instead. Support a small business.
- I have extensive experience, having supplied 3000+ systems since 2011. I deal with commercial fishermen, pleasure cruisers, delivery captains, sailors, and more.
- Low cost. My systems can be much more affordable than commercial chartplotter brands, and will be supported forever.
- Panasonic Toughbooks are rugged units that can handle a marine environment. Hence, they are the perfect chartplotter alternative, requiring no additional preparation to face the elements. Just make sure you get one of the waterproof models such as the very popular midrange 10 or midrange 13!
- Extremely fast turnaround time. Units usually ship within 24-48 hours, and sometimes even the same day.
- Personalized approach to get you exactly the options that fit your needs! I don’t upsell you, and always try to work within your budget.
- Systems are easy to operate with available detailed video tutorials to help you learn. I can provide customized info, or point you in the right direction.
- Free remote support for life via AnyDesk (installed on my units standard) to resolve issues if they come up.
- I offer a complete package, including native 12V adapters, fantastic GPS antennas, AIS receivers, NMEA adapters, and more. All configured and ready to use.
- Flexible sizes from 8 inches all the way to 17 inches, and everything in between. Therefore, I can help you outfit any size boat easily!
Check out the testimonials page for feedback from some of my happy clients. Please contact me and let me take care of your marine navigation needs.
Top selling navigation laptops West Marine alternative
Why use a tablet or laptop as a West Marine alternative?
My systems can be much more affordable than Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, B&G, Furuno, Humminbird, Raymarine, Si-Tex. They will be supported forever with no expiration date! I believe that some of the commercial chart plotter brands gouge their customers. They force clients to upgrade by no longer supporting older units. In addition, they charge exorbitant fees for simple things like a bigger screen size. Please take a look at some other advantages of my units as well.