navimatics-Detailed Marine Charts Comparable to Garmin's BlueCharts
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Screen Shots and Text by jack yeazel °27 June 2008

Navimatics are quality marine charts uploadable to Garmin GPS devices and Garmin MapSource.  They cover most of the US coastline and will be covering the rest of it and the US inland rivers soon.  The maps are derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Charts and are updated regularly.  They cost less and cover greater regions than Garmin BlueCharts, which were reviewed (HERE) in 2002.

Unlike the Garmin BlueCharts, one can upload the navimatics charts to any number of Garmin units.  We had no trouble installing the charts in MapSource or uploading them to a Vista C, GPSmap 76C, and a nuvi 760.  Below are some examples of actually using the charts for navigation.  Our Americas BlueCharts (v4.00) are fairly old.

The Navimatics regions are much larger than the BlueChart ones.  For example, one has to buy 3-4 regions (at $150 for the 1st region and $116.65 for every additional one) to get full Florida coverage. With the Navimatics charts you get full Alabama and Florida coverage for only $95.


Navimatics Map Administrator

A unique feature of navimatics charts is that with the above MapAdmin, one can select or unselect the charts to display on MapSource.

(Click on these two MapSource thumbnails below)
navimatics                                                                     BlueCharts
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Saint Catherine's Island below Savannah, Georgia

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Screen Shots from a nuvi 760

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Screen Shots from a Vista C
Notice that recorded tracks can be uploaded to the Vista C and GPSmap 76C, but not the nuvi

(Click on these two MapSource thumbnails below)
navimatics                                                                     BlueCharts
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Mouth of the Homosassa River, Florida

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Screen Shots from a nuvi 760

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Screen Shots from a GPS 76C

(Click on these two thumbnails below)
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Index of the Alabama/Florida and South Carolina/Georgia charts used in the review

COMMENTS:
This chart program is professionally produced from NOAA data.  In taking the above screen shots, the maps were 'mixed' with other Garmin maps without ill effect.  Loading them into MapSource was remarkably 'uneventful'.  With these charts in your GPS, I think you would have to 'work' at getting lost!

jack yeazel