Has anyone used some of the PC based chartplotters available? SeaClear is a free PC Chartplotter and GPS navigation software. It allows you to uses maps from many formats including ones you've scanned yourself. Also will use BSB maps availble from NOAA (RNCs only) and Mapquest. Mapuest make not only BSB navigation maps, but also TOPO and Air Photo maps. Looks very promising. Another isFugawi Marine ENC. Not only can this one do all that SeaClear can, it can also use many more format maps including the free Enc S-57 maps that NOAA and Army Corp of Engineers provide in addition to the NOAA RNCs( it even includes the coastal maps). Not only does it work on PCs, but PDAs with PalmOS and PocketPC. Unfortunately, this one cost $199. But that's about what some partial maps cost with conventional chartplotters. I'm looking forward to products like these that help bring the cost of chartplotters (and especially maps) down, and make it available to many more people with a much more open architecture. If you've had experience with either of these or similar programs, I'd love to hear about it.
