Just curious, does anyone have a non-portable machine on their boat? I would
almost consider a non-portable machine but I like the fact that portables
can run on battery and that they are engineered for more shock/vibration.
And then there is the space issue. However, the non-portable machines are
easier to get parts for and fix. I am considering a fixed computer for my
next boat and I would be interested to hear of others who have "standard"
computers on their boats.
I was wondering the same thing. The newest iMacs, for example, are
neatly-packaged self-contained units with a footprint no larger than a
laptop, and would fit-in very nicely in most pilot houses. They have 15"
builtin displays and have plenty of Ram and hard drive memory (expandable
up to 512 mb of Ram, with drives ranging in size from 6 gigs to 13 gigs).
They start at under $1000.
They do need AC power though, and I don't know what's involved in wiring
them into a boat's electrical system and having them interface with other
shipboard electronics, such as GPS and autopilots.
The primary question, though, is the availability of nav software. A
few members on the list wrote that Mac-compatible software does exist,
but I have yet to be able to track any down.
BTW, I am new to the list, new to the world of trawlers, have not been
near a boat in 20 years, know next to nothing about marine electronics,
and only a little about computers (and, of those, only Macs).
So be gentle with me.
/Ed
Edward B. Hanna
EBHanna@worldnet.att.net
On 3/3/00 8:26 PM EST (-0500 UTC), Mike Harrington
(mike@mikeandmonica.com), wrote the following:
>Just curious, does anyone have a non-portable machine on their boat? I would
>almost consider a non-portable machine but I like the fact that portables
>can run on battery and that they are engineered for more shock/vibration.
>And then there is the space issue. However, the non-portable machines are
>easier to get parts for and fix. I am considering a fixed computer for my
>next boat and I would be interested to hear of others who have "standard"
>computers on their boats.
>
I was wondering the same thing. The newest iMacs, for example, are
neatly-packaged self-contained units with a footprint no larger than a
laptop, and would fit-in very nicely in most pilot houses. They have 15"
builtin displays and have plenty of Ram and hard drive memory (expandable
up to 512 mb of Ram, with drives ranging in size from 6 gigs to 13 gigs).
They start at under $1000.
They do need AC power though, and I don't know what's involved in wiring
them into a boat's electrical system and having them interface with other
shipboard electronics, such as GPS and autopilots.
The primary question, though, is the availability of nav software. A
few members on the list wrote that Mac-compatible software does exist,
but I have yet to be able to track any down.
BTW, I am new to the list, new to the world of trawlers, have not been
near a boat in 20 years, know next to nothing about marine electronics,
and only a little about computers (and, of those, only Macs).
So be gentle with me.
/Ed
______________________________
Edward B. Hanna
EBHanna@worldnet.att.net
______________________________
