DigiBOAT proudly admits its charting and navigation software will never be Microsoft Certified, believing that software on board must be designed differently than software on desktop. Their mantra is to create "a navigator's tool on a computer, rather than a Windows program that does navigation."
The three founders of this Australian company definitely have the sea-time to know what on-board software requires. Their collective experience ranges from motor to sail, dinghy racing to yacht regattas, and coastal cruising to bluewater passagemaking. In fact, during the writing of this article, DigiBOAT's technical director, Simon Blundell, one of three founding members and the sole programmer, responded to our technical questions while sailing from Burma to Phuket and then, later on, following the final race of the King's Cup Regatta.
DigiBOAT's Software-on-Board, usually called SOB and pronounced as the word "sob" rather than the acronym "es-oh-bee," was first released as freeware in 2004. Blundell designed the software after an extensive research phase, during which he did some unconventional fieldwork, including following vessels around local Australian waters in a runabout and interviewing sailors with disabilities. By following vessels of all types – including racing yachts, fishing boats, commercial ferries and recreational power boats – he hypothesized the information a helmsman would need in different situations or at different times.
This went beyond obvious navigational queries such as position, speed or depth, and included information for more intelligent navigating – such as the time to round a point, or the distance off a buoy or headland, or the relative position of a crossing vessel. From his interviews with a blind sailor, he developed Talking Pilot, a feature that narrates vessel and navigation data.
SOB now claims nearly a half-million downloads. It became commercial software in 2005, but remains a very inexpensive e-charting option. A generous three-month trial version includes free email technical support.
DigiBOAT offers four versions of SOB: LITE (free), Registered (free), Standard (about $53), and Pro (about $71). LITE is an unregistered free version with a trial period of one month. Some functions are disabled and only 20 waypoints can be displayed. Registered is the full-featured program for a three-month trial; Standard is full-featured and includes unlimited use on three computers; and Pro includes all the features while adding network support.
We reviewed the Standard version and found it to be a solid program that delivered many high-end features at a bargain price. While there is a learning curve to overcome, DigiBOAT offers superlative documentation to help its users master the program.
However, while SOB is one of only three PC-based navigation applications making use of C-Map cartography, the company's plans to steer clear of raster chart support will cause pause for many U.S. boaters.
SETTING UP
We downloaded the latest version known as "+GRIB v8.30," that now includes the ability to read GRIB weather files. In the U.S., SOB is only available as a download from DigiBOAT's website (with the option to obtain a CD-ROM via mail). SOB is sold through a few resellers in several European Union countries, Scandinavia, Singapore, India and Argentina. In keeping with DigiBOAT's international focus, the software is available in Norwegian, Dutch, French, and Italian. A German version is scheduled for early 2008 with Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, and Taiwanese intended for late 2008.
Registering with DigiBOAT initiates an email with the link to download SOB. You then reply by emailing your PC code, which returns up to three different unlock codes for use on three computers, such as your laptop, home and office computer. As an international "online" company, all communication with DigiBOAT is by web or email. They do not maintain phone-based technical support.
The SOB download and installation was very easy. The program downloads with a C-Map worldwide background chart and 15 full-detail C-Map charts that allow you to sample the cartography before you purchase a C-Map Wide Chart Area or MegaWide Chart Area. These chart regions sell for $199 and $249 respectively. Since SOB can be used on several computers, DigiBOAT also recommends the C-Map USB Key, a $35 dongle that unlocks C-Map charts on any computer with the key inserted.
