BoatCruiser and SailCruiser are two relatively–new charting and navigation applications from NavSim Technology, a Newfoundland company specializing in computer applications for the piloting and shipping industry.

NavSim Technology is best known for its NavCruiser PRO software, a professional package currently used by more than 75 percent of Pilot boats on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Originally a spin–off from the National Research Council's Institute for Marine Dynamics in Canada, they continue to work on the development of an advanced marine autopilot system for the shipping industry.

Several years ago, NavSim began to adapt its technologies and leverage its code base for recreational software products. BoatCruiser was introduced in 2004, followed in 2006 by a sailboat edition called SailCruiser.

Today NavSim offers four software packages: NavSim Viewer, BoatCruiser or SailCruiser ($399), and NavCruiser PRO ($1,199). The NavSim Viewer is available free with the purchase of two charts from the NavSim MapServer, which we'll discuss later, but it only views and prints charts. At the other end of the continuum, NavCruiser PRO is for professional or commercial vessels. BoatCruiser 2.0 is targeted at the recreational power boater, incorporating features such as a Fuel Cost and Consumption Calculator. SailCruiser 2.0 is built on BoatCruiser's platform, with sailor–specific features such as SailTimer.

NavSim's challenge with BoatCruiser, and its sailboat edition SailCruiser, is the transition from professional and government sales to the retail recreational market. Several components must be present to create a successful retail product, including packaging, marketing, retail distribution, and, most important, ease of use for the occasional boater.

NavSim has a strong marketing team and the product looks professional. Their promotional materials read even better. But we found it fell short on ease–of–use and its claims about product features. At only three years old, NavSim hasn't quite nailed the out–of–box, plug–and–play characteristics required of modern retail software products.

Having said that, the company does a good job listening to users and responding with updates, so we feel it is only a matter of time until they get there.

SETTING UP

NavSim has chosen C–Map to be the principal provider of charts for its software. In fact, BoatCruiser may be purchased as a bundle with C–Map charts, including a MAX Wide Chart Area for an extra $200 or a MAX Megawide Chart Area for an additional $320. (Note that these same charts can be purchased directly from C–Map for $199 and $249 respectively.) Bundled packages can be ordered through NavSim's website. They are also available at select marine retailers, such as Bluewater Books & Charts and The Nautical Mind (see links).

If you already own cartography or don't want C–Map charts, a software–only edition of BoatCruiser ($399) may be purchased online through NavSim. If you already own C–Map MAX cartridges, these can be read only with a C–Map USB 1.0 multimedia reader, available directly from C–Map. The newer USB 2.0 multimedia reader offered by C–Map is currently not supported by NavSim; you must buy a dated PC–Planner kit containing the older reader and software for $179.

If you choose a C–Map option, the North America BoatCruiser package includes three C–Map discs and one unlock code. (All three regions are provided in advance for convenience, in anticipation that you will later purchase additional unlock codes.) Although NavSim promotes this as a "free unlock code for new users," it's a bit misleading. You have paid more than the retail C–Map price to receive that code. You do not receive an additional unlock code. Additional unlock codes, through C–Map, cost $199 for a Wide Chart Area, such as the U.S. East Coast and the Bahamas. A Megawide Chart Area, for an additional $249 per unlock code, covers an area such as The North American Atlantic Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.

NavSim is a company that makes frequent updates to its software. The application automatically checks for updates and downloads the latest changes. Our package, shipped directly from NavSim, updated from version 2.0.1 to 2.0.17 upon installation.

Unfortunately, plan to spend quite a bit of time getting BoatCruiser installed and running. It literally took us eight hours—including multiple calls and emails to NavSim and C–Map—to get BoatCruiser and our C–Map charts installed. Our attempt to load the Maptech region 69 DVD did not go much better. After an hour of watching the green installation bar, we finally aborted with only 330 of the 645 NavPhotos loaded. Additionally, while using the program, we experienced several lock–ups that prompted us to "terminate the application." Connecting the GPS was a better experience—relatively speaking. However, BoatCruiser's installation "wizards" are anything but wizards. For example, the Device Finding Wizard does not scan the ports for a NEMA device. You must figure out and enter your own port and baud rate using the Window's Device Manager.

Most marketing teams are compelled to use terms like "quick installation," "highly intuitive," and "easy to use." These have become buzz–words in the e–charting arena. However, this series has highlighted that no e–charting package is so simple to use that it doesn't benefit from documentation.

BoatCruiser is not easy to get started and it fails to provide appropriate documentation to help the user through this learning process. A thin User Manual with eight pages of content is a poor introduction to a software package that purports to be "the world's first intelligent marine navigation system," bringing "aerospace style and predictive autopilot technology to the recreational boating market." Indeed, we found it ironic that a 12–page document with so little content contained a table of contents.

Understandably, many vendors are looking to eliminate documentation, claiming printing costs and rapidly changing features and functionality make them obsolete. But the fact remains that a retail software application, as opposed to a software utility, requires documentation. How can one work with a program that is doing parallel line indexing, AIS connection and display, or intelligent autopilot control without a manual?

One excellent solution many other e–charting vendors employ is a downloadable PDF manual that a user can choose to print on his or her own dime. Electronic documents let the vendor easily update and post the latest version while detailing new features and saving printing costs.

Unfortunately, printing BoatCruiser's Help Handbook is not an acceptable substitute for a User Manual. Instead, the document is an amalgam of discrete help menus with no index, table of contents, or identifiable sequence. Although the PDF is 265 pages—taking 10 minutes to download with a cable modem Internet connection—most pages consist of only a large screen shot with very little text. It was also riddled with typographic errors and inaccurate descriptions of the program's features and use.

A $400 software application as robust as BoatCruiser purports to be cannot rely on a 12–page User Manual and a collection of contextual help menus. Sadly, we found BoatCruiser to be counterintuitive and difficult to master with the limited amount of reference material.

LOOK AND FEELa

BoatCruiser uses a standard Windows interface with traditional pull–down menus. A toolbar across the top displays 30 icons.

The interface is highly customizable, combining elements similar to TIKI's frameset customization and RayTech's Excel–like tabbed interface. With the Layout Manager, a user can design the entire screen layout, including the toolbar and screen contents. Although BoatCruiser does not have traditional split screen chart viewing—which is standard in packages at this price level—it does allow for multiple "navigation consoles." Each of these display boxes, chosen from a list of 40 choices, can be customized for size and location.

The flip side of this feature is the tendency to cram too many data boxes onto your laptop screen. To see the information you'll need in a given scenario—be it cruising, racing or fishing— it's easy to create a busy patchwork display. Although you can insert a two–by–two–inch camera view, all your instrument data and a chart, you need to be a judicious designer. Every additional display box subtracts from the chart display.

WORKING WITH CHARTS

BoatCruiser supports several different chart formats, but is optimized for C–Map cartography. Note that while NavCruiser PRO purports to support all C–Map versions—including C–Map NT+, C–Map MAX and the new C–Map MAX Pro—BoatCruiser only supports C–Map MAX. These proprietary vector charts also include tide and current predictions, flashing nav aids, perspective views, and harbor inlet and marina photos.NavSimChart Import Wizard directs you to choose a folder on your hard drive (or a CD/DVD) and then select chart formats to install.

BoatCruiser supports several other chart formats through a chart import scheme (see photo). (C–Map cartography runs native so does not need to be imported.) Of these import choices, BSB/KAP and S–57 charts are most relevant to mariners. SoftCharts are a legacy format, but are still very popular and many boaters retain a SoftChart library of outdated charts. Note that although the many Maptech choices look intriguing, non–Maptech applications typically don't integrate the files into their chart display. In other words, BoatCruiser can read and display those Maptech aerial photos you purchased separately. But since they are not linked to a chart location, the chart does not visually indicate when and if you have a NavPhoto available. All files are accessed through a single "bucket" of Maptech files. The exception is Maptech satellite images, which are geo–referenced within BoatCruiser.

BoatCruiser's chart rendering is very good. Chart images are sharp and easy to read. Although we lamented that loading time for charts was slow (because of the conversion to NavSim's NSM format), the benefit becomes apparent when BoatCruiser promptly displays the images. Both BSB and S–57 format files were very sprightly. Unfortunately, the C–Map data using C–Map's USB 1.0 reader is noticeably sluggish. C–Map now ships a new, faster USB 2.0 reader, which BoatCruiser says it will support by summer 2008.

Panning and zooming across charts was intuitive and responsive. Panning uses a traditional "grabber hand" with an arrow option as the cursor nears the edge of the screen. Zooming uses the mouse's scrolling wheel. Charts are seamlessly displayed and may be rotated to course up, chart up, true north up or magnetic north up. Charts also can be displayed in dusk or night modes. The most recent version (November 23, 2007) added a Go To Boat option in the toolbar, a great add to quickly pull up the chart for your vessel's location.

BoatCruiser also allows customization of the chart display. It has choices over a wide range of units, including statute miles—needed for two–thirds of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard—which we often use as a litmus test for ultimate flexibility. Users have near infinite control over unit metrics for speed, distance or depth. A convenient feature lets you globally set all units to either metric, nautical or imperial for the entire application.NavSimRounding Cape Hatteras northbound, a 14-mile Parallel Index Line can be set to assure safe passage.

Although BoatCruiser touts high resolution chart printing, we had quite a bit of difficulty with the printing feature. We could print charts, but were unable to print routes as claimed. Sometimes a chart would print directly from the application; sometimes it would only print from Preview. Regardless, the print quality was poor with ragged fonts and fuzzy chart images. Additionally, the NavSim and BoatCruiser page footers consumed nearly one–quarter of each printed page. BoatCruiser even conflicted with a standard PC screen shot utility, a program called SnagIt, when we attempted to print screen shots.

It is easy to create waypoints, markers and routes in BoatCruiser. In fact, you can even drag–and–drop photos or documents directly onto the chart as a way to geographically organize related files. You can turn off the linked file icon if you need to reduce screen clutter.

BoatCruiser's routes are easy to build and very visually appealing. You simply string a sequence of clicks. As you move to the next waypoint, a line rubber–bands with you, showing the distance and bearing. When you click, the next numbered waypoint is created. Waypoints are marked with vivid easy–to–see yellow circles. The route shows direction, distances and bearings, and can be easily reversed.

A particularly nice feature is the Parallel Index Line, which was added in the March 2007 update. This feature gives you the ability to visually affix a route leg in parallel to the leg you are traveling. This is useful in several scenarios, such as when you are trying to maintain a safe distance offshore when rounding a headland (see photo).NavSimNavManager is the main view for charts and user-created objects such as routes, marks, zones, tracks and annotations.

All your navigational objects, including charts, routes, markers, zones, and annotations, are managed in one central location, called the NavManager. This high–level window is the portal to your navigational assets. NavManager not only lets you locate your objects, it allows you to organize them. For example, you can copy or move charts into different folders, such as a folder for New England and a folder for the Great Lakes.

To reduce clutter, you can display only those charts for your current region with the hide and show buttons. NavManager (see photo) is an important feature, omitted in many other charting and navigation packages. These types of management tools will be particularly important in the future, when boaters will likely carry larger and larger collections of electronic chart files, waypoints, routes and markers.

If you already have a large collection of waypoints and routes on your GPS or another e–charting package, a fair bit of work is required to import them into BoatCruiser. BoatCruiser supports only two import or export exchange formats: NSO (NavSim Object file) or CSV (Comma Separated Value file). GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is not currently supported. Any import or export process will likely require an additional software utility such as EasyGPS or GPSBabel (see links), or transfers using a C–card multimedia reader.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

BoatCruiser can connect to a GPS, AIS, autopilot, radar with ARPA or MARPA, depth sounder, and video camera. In the case of SailCruiser you can also connect your wind indicator. You can set alarms for either entry into or exit from an alarm zone, and can drop Man–Over–Board marker.

Tide and current predictions, marina locations, and points of interest data are not provided by NavSim but are integrated through C–Map cartography or by importing Maptech data files. For example, C–Map MAX charts have the option of overlaying colored arrows showing direction and intensity of currents. Unfortunately the C–Map granularity is not very helpful at higher current velocities. Although the color scheme begins with one–knot increments (yellow, darker yellow, orange), all currents between three and 10 knots are lumped together with a red arrow. In most vessels, there is a huge difference between a three–knot current and a 10–knot current. Tide stations are shown with a "T" icon; double–clicking brings up a tidal chart. BoatCruiser does not support GRIB file weather downloads.NavSimFuel consumption may be entered on an X-Y graph or in an Excel-like spreadsheet. Fuel cost ($4.00 in our example) is entered in Tool>Options.

In addition to the basics, BoatCruiser has several innovative additional features, including their TimeMachine, Fuel Cost and Consumption Calculator, SailTimer (SailCruiser only), and Auto Chart Update Module.

TimeMachine is basically a simulation feature, which lets you run a course backward or forward in time. With BoatCruiser in Playback mode (as opposed to Real Time mode), trips that were recorded can be reviewed. You can also simulate a passage in a future time frame. The TimeMachine displays daylight information, tidal data, trajectories and any alarms you have set. A time frame is attached to every event or action that is relevant to navigation. You can quickly alter the time scale of your simulation from a span of months to seconds by scrolling with the mouse or zooming in or out with the "+" or "–" keys.

The Fuel Cost and Consumption Calculator is a great feature for power boaters. You begin by entering your vessel's fuel consumption information and local fuel prices (see photo). If you are not sure of your fuel use over all speeds, you can enter your gallons per hour as points on an X–Y graph. BoatCruiser will interpolate between the points to assign an estimate of fuel consumption. Estimates of your fuel use and costs are then available by double–clicking on a route and selecting Properties (see photo).NavSimMotoring at 10 knots, the 50-nautical-mile trip from Miamarina to Weech’s Bimini Dock would consume 46.7 gallons of fuel and cost $186.80.

SailCruiser replaces the Fuel Cost and Consumption Calculator with SailTimer, a module developed by Craig Summers of Indepth Navigation (see link). This feature automatically calculates the optimal tacking routes and angles given wind direction and boat speed (see photo). Tacking routes are clearly displayed on the chart, with tacks shown as red laylines. SailTimer also calculates Tacking Time to Go to Destination (TTG) and Estimated Time to Arrival (ETA). Polars are also displayed, beginning with default calculations averaged across all sailboats (see photo). If you know the performance characteristics of your sailboat in different wind conditions, you can add that information to increase the accuracy of the polar plots.

If you are a sailboat that also motors on long cruises, a recent upgrade includes an option for switching routes between sailing and motoring. When sailing, TTG and ETA are based on tacking and wind conditions. When motoring, they are based on straight line calculations.

The Auto Chart Update Module is an upcoming feature based on NavSim's MapServer (see link). MapServer started in 2004 as a way for NavSim users to obtain individual BSB charts rather than purchasing an entire Maptech CD. When NOAA and the USACE began distributing those same charts for free through their websites, MapServer lost much of its value.

But, capitalizing on MapServer's utility, NavSim is about to integrate free automated chart updating into their software products. This new feature, called the Auto Chart Update Module, would direct BoatCruiser or SailCruiser to compare the charts you have loaded with updated chart offerings and automatically download new editions. According to NavSim, this feature will cost $49 after the free Christmas promotion that ends January 6, 2008.

ASSESSMENTNavSimSailTimer displays the best tacking choices for given waypoints. Polar plots and boat instrument data complement chart and "highway" views.

NavSim's challenge will be to adapt its excellent marine research ideas into a product that is ready for a retail recreational boating audience. Recreational boaters demand e–charting software that is trouble–free. They are out on their boats for recreation—and will not tolerate computer hassles during their limited free time.

Although it's not there yet, BoatCruiser should eventually reach this goal. It is strongly positioned as one of the few navigation packages that supports C–Map cartography. But, as it stands now, BoatCruiser tosses out some lofty terms a bit prematurely. In short, our sense is that marketing is ahead of engineering on many of BoatCruiser's features. But we think in time they'll tune their features to match the chutzpah.

Our optimism stems from NavSim's exceptional responsiveness to user feedback. Every month, NavSim incorporates user feedback from online forums and emails into a new software release (see link). The updates are available free in perpetuity for the product. Each release builds on BoatCruiser and SailCruiser, fixing bugs, improving existing features and adding new functionality. With these constant improvements—and hopefully the commitment to a bona fide User Manual—BoatCruiser should evolve into a product ready for prime time.

Capt. Mark Doyle and Capt. Diana Doyle are authors of the Managing the Waterway cruising guide series, and their work has appeared in numerous publications. They also produce CDs and DVDs of NOAA and USACE charts.