Garmin BlueChart info

[Loren Beach]

Besides my iBook and its nav software (safe down below on the nav table), I also have a new Garmin 3005C unit I am presently installing in the cockpit. I note that their web site shows both their older line of chart chips, BlueChart, and their newer line, BlueChart G2.

Anyone in this group tried either one or both?
Differences worth the bit of extra cost??

Having never before used this product, all "field reports" are appreciated.

Cheers,
Loren in PDX

 

[Jim Mobley]

Great products, useless website

Gramin makes great products. I have three of their GPSs and like all three of them. But their website is close to useless when it comes to describing software features, specifying which devices are supported by which version of the software, etc.

Sorry, Loren, I have no relevant experience with BlueChart, I just wanted to vent a bit.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Bluecharts vs Bluechart G2

Loren-- What is installed in your 3005 is the Bluecharts. What you get from the G2's are aerial overviews that "Lollie Pop" over the charts. You can also put your plotter into 3-D mode and navigate all at once.
Is it worth the dough? Hard to say. I'm not in need of this possible technology. I think I would put your $200 into another project. Or I would buy a chip, check it out to see if you really like it. If you dont, return it. It doesnt cost you for a trial at West Marine, plus no shipping. Rob Hessenius

 

[Loren Beach]

Guys,
To take your excellent points one @ a time...
Within the last year I have started lurking on a (huge) Mac navigation list serv on Yahoo. A Lot (!) of folks are now bitter that Garmin lied to everyone a year ago about providing Mac versions of most of their software long before now. Vapor ware!
Also agree that the Garmin web site is poorly organized. Technical things that appear to be (and should be) linked are not when you click on them.
With the usual 20-20 hindsight I might not buy their products again... but "never say never."

As to the local West Marine, I checked their Garmin Bluechart chips at both local stores and found that they keep and sell the outdated (i.e. replaced by newer date versions) ones. If asked pointedly about the chip date they will check the package, but like a lot of stuff in their store, the newer greedier corporate policy as to both products and staffing (and salary!) is quite evident.

Different rant, but even the "price match" policy has gone away, and, they just rearranged our larger store and as a part of that process further reduced the sailing hardware selection.

Thanks again, and keep the comments coming.

Loren in rainy PDX

 

[Steve Swann]

g2

Folks,

I have the g2 charts for CA and Mexico and I am disappointed in the lack of detail on these. Especially poor detail is to be found with the popular Mexico ports and harbors (i.e, Cabo, La Paz, San Carlos, to name three). Garmin says they will continue to upgrade and improve different cruising areas, but this has been pretty vague and nebulous to date. As a registered user, I've not had one single notification of an upgrade or improvement so it might be a bit premature to make a big committment to g2 charts just yet, in my opinion.

Heck, I would be happy if the coastlines in Mexico on my GPS matched where the rocks and sand hit the saltwater! These depictions can be off by as much a a mile or two! There are problems.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Tiffanys By The Sea

Loren, Sorry for suggesting a way to view the G2 charts. I have worked for Tiffanys for over ten years and Im confused at your confussion.
Do you really think that Garmin updates their chips at the same rate as the Noaa "Notice to Mariners" occur? For your future knowledge, the pre-programmed cards are dropped shipped directly from Garmin to the stores. Out-dated chips are RTVed (return to vender) if out of date. If this isnt happening in rainy PDX, someone is not following a well known practice.
As far as price matching, have you ever asked about this in-person or are you just repeating what you dont know? Talk to the Manager, I guarentee he will match prices. In ten plus years I have NEVER not matched a price.
I dont necessarly agree with some of the price structure that is out there, but what I do know what the bottom lines look like. Everybody has choices. But, I do think the world would be less of a place to boat in without West Marine.
I usually just lay in the weeds when I read a flaming about West. I often wonder why marine companys such as, Perko, Starbright, RayMarine, Sperry dont draw the flame as West Marine does. I
I look at prices from Defender, Hamilton Marine, Jamestown, Fisheries and I find somethings cheaper, but not nearly as abundantly as claimed. Perception is a value that people can be tricked into. I have seen people waste way too much time and energy typing a cost comparison between the world vs WM. Get a life, or buy it on the Net and pray it works for you or all your savings went right to Fed Ex. God I havent even mentioned what the value of time is. This varies from person to person.
What I hear from my customers is many thank you's. I guess they remember what it was like before when there was no place close to get product.
I also know that over the years we have donated millions of dollars to virtually every marine cause. Never has anyone come into my store and been turned down for a donation. I have never been to an event that Defender donated anything, have you. Remember West Marine leaves a lot of money in your communities. I was raised to support business in my community. Maybe thats a Midwest thing.
Sorry, Loren that it might seem that this directed at you, but its not. Rob Hessenius

 

[Loren Beach]

Not really about Garmin, at this point

Thanks for the rebuttal, Rob. No personal slight taken or intended.
I know most of the old timers at WM over the years, and have a friend that is an employee at WM, and the change from price match to... not... is recent. I do know this first hand. Now this might just be for 'net pricing only, but that would be illogical. After all they always match the 'net price with all shipping and handling included-- total to my door. That's only fair...
:nerd:
Over the last 5 years all of the older employees in PDX have been "encouraged" to leave, and the last one of those experienced ones just did so.

Staffing levels are visibly low on a day-to-day basis. I have watched the sailing bits portion of the shelf space decline steadily.
Remaining staff are all much newer hires and quite nice to talk to, but many have never owned a boat. What seems to be happening is that the WM corporation is re-making the store in the image of the Boaters World store near by -- where you can hear an echo down the aisles and the sales droids are polite but totally clueless, when you do find one skulking around.

(BTW, flame-wise, why would you compare wholesale and manufacturers like the list named to a bricks-and-morter retailer like West Marine? That seems illogical.)

Don't know about the stock at Defender and Hamilton, but Jamestown is famous for their depth of stock and that is their strength over any physical store. Fisheries has knowledgeable staff every time I call, and are slowly filling the huge knowledge and stock-on-hand gap left by the closure of Doc Freemans in Seattle.

For local sailing gear, we had a much larger (!) stock to choose from in the Portland Cal Marine Discount store, before WM bought them out.

Having said all that, I also must admit that the steady slide in sailboat sales over the last couple decades has not helped matters one bit. What boating growth that there is is all in fishing and ski boats, and that's the remaining market that WM will be fighting over, against other large entrenched retailers, in the next decade. Watch for WM to get into camping supplies and snow skis, next.

I see us local remaining sailboat owners back to internet purchasing (replacing the earlier mail order sourcing we learned to rely on in the mid-70's).

This opinion worth .01, maybe less, with mid-week discount.
Loren

ps: I would love to shop in Rob's store...
pps: I would doubt that a merchant would take back a Bluechart clip once "registered" to a chartplotter. ??

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Off Subject

Loren- I was hoping that you would take it as you did. Sometimes its hard to put a tone to the fingers.
As to the old timers being encouraged to leave, perplexis me. If they were ran off, I think it was because of their unwillingness to try something different. The new sales program for this time period is called "Showtime". Easiest thing to do.
1. Say Hi to the customer in a friendly manner.
2. Find out what there there for.
3. Help them with the product, i.e demo, open it up, whatever.
4. Ask them about the Product of the week/month.
5. Check them out at the register.
6. Say Goodbye in a manner of inviting them back.
That is all thats its about. Its unbelievable that those simple things have driven off good employees, but it has. I'm not sure as to why you are not getting boating associates in your area. I would never hire anyone that doesnt know, own, use, boats
As far as a smaller selection of sail hardware. Its called sku rationaling, what that is. Units that had 1 or less sales in forecast went away. The whole world wants to reduce inventory and this was WM take on a reduction of inv. $. There was some errors in the system.. If the mgr is worth a pinch, he can easily rectify any problems. Maybe the mgr's are idiots . As far as the pendulum swings to the left its coming back equal but opposite.
My point about the manufacters and other retailers is quite simple.. I'm completely lost at how enraged, pissed off, almost as if WM was a threat on there existance, that people get over WM. I just dont understand how other stores/websites dont get thrashed the way and manner that WM does. Life is just too short to expend this type of energy. All I can say is that West Marine has never wronged me in any such matter. If it wasnt for them I wouldnt own an Ericson, this computer that Im typing on, or this house that I'm in. So how could I say any bad things about WM. Dont think Im not vocal about issues, Im not a Kool-aide drinker either. Rob Hessenius

 

[Loren Beach]

Back to Garmin...

My appologies for being off topic.

I cannot (and would not!) doubt the info from an experienced store manager... so the local revolving-door problem with WM managers must be symptomatic of a regional mgmt problem. Actually that would explain quite a few problems we have observed here.

Back to Garmin Bluecharts, the good, the bad, and the ugl.......


FWIW, there have been several other 'net navigation forum references to Garmin chart data being quite a ways off, from users in Florida waters. Whether this would be the same situation with a NOAA paper chart, I have no way to know. Having been on a couple of Washington coastal deliveries with different Garmin chartplotters, they looked accurate for what we were doing, like staying in the channel for the Grays Harbor and Columbia River entries.


Loren

 

[Jason]

I bought the [SIZE=-1]Garmin BlueChart America for Lake Michigan (P/N MUS016R) from gpscity.com - I find it extremely useful - Detailed information is great and depths have been spot on so far.

I didn't get the G2 card because the only use I see for it is in a car. I don't feel I need a "[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]3D perspective" when I'm on "2D water". They also say richer detail and content but only in 3D mode. [/SIZE]