Chart options for new user

[lakershen]

Just got my new offshore boat delivered. It is fully loaded with Furuno equipment, e.g. TZtouch3, DFF3D, open array radar, etc.

I have Garmin on my bay boat and is kind of familiar with Navionics chart.
Understand that Navionics/Garmin cut ties with Furuno, which sucks. I hate monopoly. It is one of the many reasons I chose Furuno over Garmin for the new boat.
A few questions about chart:
1) Is the default chart I am seeing on my TZtouch3 a NOAA vector chart?
2) Is NOAA raster chart also preloaded? Under what circumstances, I should switch to NOAA raster chart?
3) what other charts are preloaded and offered free on TZtouch3 I should consider to use?
4) Do I need to buy another chart? If yes, is CMAP the only option?
I am living in Florida Keys and I fish a lot. Have not used the new boat much. Based on what I see so far, the NOAA chart is comparable to the Novionics chart on my bay boat. The dealer who installed my Furuno package suggested me to buy and unlock the following CMAP chart.

MM3-VNA-022

www.furunousa.com

I have no plan to visit Bahamas yet. Other that the coverage for Bahamas, do I really need the CMAP chart?
5) Is there a way to overlay satellite images on the NOAA chart?
6) Relief shading availability (will ask it in a separate thread)

Thank you!

 

[Johnny Electron]

Congrats on your new boat. It sounds pretty slick. Navionics cut about 70% of the products they were selling after being bought out. It had nothing to do with Furuno but it affected everyone who were using those products which they previously offered. There are other options and many depending on the area. The NOAA raster, NOAA Vector, and USACE river charts are preloaded with some other free source data like East and West Coast fishing charts, depth shading data, and tide and current. Also preloaded but not licenced are C-map and CMOR charts that can be instantly be available with an unlock code (purchased licence from your dealer). NOAA covers the USA and paid by US Taxpayers. Mapmedia and Furuno convert the data into a chart format called MM3 (MapMedia3) making them available at no cost. Annual updates can be downloaded for free at the Furuno USA website (www.FurunoUSA.com). Places like the Bahamas are not the responsibility of NOAA and are not covered by them. Areas that will be navigated not covered by NOAA, it would be recommended to purchase charting. For the Bahamas the Explorer raster charts are very popular as well as the C-map Vector options. If you plan to go further south into the Caribbean I would normally recommend the purchase of MM3-VNA-027 but if you are not going past the Bahamas, I would then normally recommend MM3-VNA-022 which will overlap NOAA data for the East Coast USA for another mapping option as well as providing Bahamas data. Right now guying the C-map navigation chart will also give you access to a free fishing bathy chart for the same area (when available). In the case of buying MM3-VNA-022; they will also provide you a free licence to MM3-FNA-022. Currently units also pre-loaded with all the USA coastline and river SAT photos. To turn it on, just swipe upwards from the bottom of your screen and hit the OVERLAYS tab and select the SATELLITE PHOTO to "ON". If into fishing, if the C-map bathy isn't enough for you (it is very good) then many areas have CMOR relief bathy charts available for purchase for areas including the Bahamas. You really have no need to purchase the C-map chart for the Bahamas now if not going soon but if you want the C-map bathy for free you might consider buying it early. If you decided 5 years down the road to upgrade the chart, it is half price for C-map upgrades regardless of how many years you are behind. If you rather not buy the chart now but you would like some better bathy than NOAAs data and the provided fishing map (you will) then you might consider buying the C-map bathy chart only. (MM3-FNA-022) The price is very reasonable. Your dealer is dead-on that buying the C-map Nav package for area 22 will give you not only the mapping you will need for the bahamas and fishing bathy; but also give you another "Nav" mapping option for the East Coast. Ultimately giving you NOAA Raster, NOAA Vector, C-map Vector and C-map fishing bathy on top of the normal free East coast fishing chart. You might talk to CMOR about their Furuno relief shading options for FL and the Bahamas. While they are a bit costly, they are very nice. Any unlock for CMOR data is purchased directly from them or your Furuno dealer if they are also a CMOR dealer. Hopefully this helps. Welcome to the forum!

 

[jp498]

2. I'd consider the raster chart a bonus rather than a primary chart choice going forward.. noaa is winding down raster chart activities and you can keep it as long as you want so long as things don't change much where you boat. In my area, the raster chart shows seaweed on the shoreline where the vector does not. Some people have a preference for the overall look of it too; seems like a matter of taste.

In the US waters, the NOAA vector and raster charts are excellent and you don't really need more unless you want it. We have many customers use CMAP charts in other brands of plotters, and if they can move from an older brand with CMAP to a newer Furuno for example, and keep the same chart, they will gladly repurchase it for the new plotter. They've grown to like that chart and want that compatibility in their new plotter.

 

[lakershen]

Thanks Johnny and jp498. For now, I will just keep using NOAA charts. CMAP is getting their data from NOAA and the improvements are minimum. Will purchase CMAP chart if I am planning to go to the Bahamas this summer.