# Macbook or Toughbook?



## westsailwill (Oct 19, 2011)

Which is better suited for all around cruising (navigation, weather fax, entertainment, durability, etc.)?


----------



## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

not enough information to provide a decent answer....as many that love the PC (or MAC) there will be equal numbers who hate the other..

BTW, these two machines are apples and oranges apart, hardened vs COTS, etc. 

YOU need to decide what packages you are going to run, and where...and what kind of BSOD/reboots/failures can you tolerate in the use of those packages.

UNIX/Linux may be better than either...

I am a MAC user, and a Macbook will not last a week in a wet cockpit...nor would a regular laptop running any other OS....

Best of luck


----------



## celenoglu (Dec 13, 2008)

There are alot of programs available for Windows. I prefer Mac but the software support for marine use is not good enough, therefore I prefer Windows.


----------



## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

I run a macbook with parallels for all navigation. It runs hot, but does the job.

Have my eye on the Toughbook Android Tablet in early 2012....that along with OpenCPN on Android get me giddy about the future. Just need to figure out how to put the NMEA data stream on wifi cleanly (every method I've seen is a cludge).


----------



## dkenny (Oct 12, 2011)

but get a weather resistant laptop..there out there..
in my opinion dump windows.run Linux..if you have to run a windows program use vmware..I have no ties to vmware..you might find some Mac apps run fine under linux.
they are both Unix at the core..
oh most Linux apps are free..
side note!!!
I've been looking at opencpn..linux app that uses Noaa charts..so far pretty good..

-dkenny


----------



## neverknow (Feb 2, 2011)

Look on Ebay for a good used toughbook. those things are made to get wet and be dropped.


----------



## landmineop (Sep 2, 2010)

I got my toughbook, with several different navigation programs loaded, on Ebay. They are called "toughbooks" for a reason. I've never heard of a "tough" Mac.


----------



## LookoutNW (Sep 24, 2011)

Check out ITRONIX They have some taht have GPS already installed in them. OpenCPN and NOAA. Life is good. I have 3 of them. Less than $600 for all 3. Redundancy...


----------



## neverknow (Feb 2, 2011)

Something we do is mount a remote monitor and usb keyboard/mouse in the cockpit. The PC stays safe down below. Many LCD/LED monitors are 12VDC although you can get a DC to DC convertor to regulate the voltage for the monitor.

What we did for our car was build a PC into the dash. using a power supply like this.

MINI-ITX Car PC Power Supply 160W 8V-28V DC-DC ATX PSU | eBay

In a boat that would much easier today. You can buy a cheap Dell and remove the 120volt PS and use one like you see in the link above. You can use a small 8" or 9" monitor like one seen here if you don't want a big monitor.

New 8" Car PC Reverse Color Flat Panel Display XGA VGA RCA AV TFT LCD Monitor CA | eBay

Here's a link to a Dell PC that would be more than enough for navigation use.

DELL OPTIPLEX GX620 P4 HT 2.8GHZ / 2GB/ 80GB/ DVD/ FLOPP / XP PRO / QTY AVAIL | eBay


----------



## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

I used to use a PC laptop, but now use a netbook. But I use them below to supplement paper charts. I use my eyes to navigate on deck. I like radar for restricted visibility and night.

I also have charts on my Android phone - but that is a toy.


----------



## mikefossl (Feb 21, 2008)

I have a toughbook CF-52 which I've been really happy with. I'm running Fugawi, OpenCPN, Nexus race, Visual Passage Planner, SeaTTY, JVComm32 and IC PCR1500 which are all only Windows applications. It's also good enough as a desktop replacement for all my standard desktop apps. I have a spare HD in a caddy that I can drop in which all the basics installed in case I have a HD crash. The machine is solid, never let me down, runs 2-3 hrs on battery and despite being two year's old, doesn't leave me feeling like I need something more. It also has a cool carrying handle that makes me look like a geek.

If you want a solid and capable machine that can take a knock or two I vote for a toughbook.


----------



## sck5 (Aug 20, 2007)

until some ass stole it I had a toughbook which went to Africa with me twice a year for four years and then went on a sail from Chesapeake Bay to the Grenadines and back again. Never a problem - They really are tough.


----------



## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

A have an HP netbook that works very well.

It is only on the boat when I am, so I don't worry about moisture or salt.

I live in fear of the day that I don't dog the forward hatch enough and it gets wet; that will likely be the end of it.

Even knowing that, it is still a good option. The cheapest 'real' marine GPS is many hundreds more than the $325 I paid for the PC, and the PC does a lot more than a dedicated GPS can.

As long as I have the paper charts and know where I am, I should be ok. My Capri 18 isn't going very far offshore. I worry that my compass is only going to provide half the data I need for dead reckoning.

I'll be looking at the toughbooks when it is time to upgrade. I like the spare HD idea.


----------



## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

I use a Toshiba laptop at my nav desk. Don't have anything but my eyes outside.


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Navigation, weather, entertainment........ Ipad !! with $25 waterproof case when necessary.

Built in GPS with 3G models. Navigation apps are inexpensive and incredible.

Email, movies, grib file downloads, skype, etc, etc, etc.

And 10 hr battery power, with almost no drain on house batts to recharge.


----------

