Electronic Sea Charts for Boats

Electronic Sea Charts

- Which chart is the right one for my chart plotter? -

Digital nautical charts are usually so-called vector charts, which means that chart sections can be enlarged or reduced and detailed information is displayed depending on the zoom level. The best known manufacturers of electronic nautical charts are Navionics and C-Map. Both manufacturers use different types of memory cards and different software systems. Not every card fits every chartplotter. Get an overview of the different sea charts.

What types of memory card are available for electronic sea charts?

Electronic sea charts are available in 4 or 6 different memory card formats.

1. Compact Flash charts (CF) from Navionics             

2. Micro-SD / SD sea charts from Navionics

3. C-Card sea charts from C-MAP

4. Micro-SD / SD sea charts from C-Map

While the Navionics Compact Flash and C-MAP charts are used in older chart plotters, modern multifunction displays usually use micro-SD cards to display electronic charts.

Which sea chart does my plotter support?

Depending on the manufacturer of your chartplotter, different chart systems are supported, although Navionics nautical chart support has become standard with many manufacturers. Please note that there may be differences in compatibility depending on the plotter model. In general, the following compatibilities apply:

Raymarine

Raymarine chartplotters support Navionics nautical charts and C-MAP 4D sec charts. 

Navionics

Navico chart plotters, i.e. Simrad, B&G and Lowrance chart plotters, support Navionics nautical charts and C-MAP N+ charts.

Garmin

Only Garmin blueChart charts are supported by Garmin chartplotters. 

For detailed compatibility checks for different plotter models, we recommend using our chart finder.