http://www.stormcam.org/charts-chartplotter/
Can a car gps be modified for marine chart use?
Buying a boat but don’t want to spend big money on a chartplotter for occassional use unless I can use in for in car navigation as well. Any advice?
It all depends on the model of GPS unit that you have in your car. Some models can have new maps (or charts in your case) downloaded to them but not all. Garmin does make a pda unit that can be used and updated with both charts and maps. I got one off ebay and love it. The cost of adding the charts to the gps unit was not cheap..about 300USD. You might be able to get a used/reconditioned one for about that price.
The biggest concern would be the marine saltwater environment. It might not be the best for a unit that is not designed for it.
The USCG requires however that any vessel regardless of size also have a paper chart on-board and that GPS should not be solely relied one for your navigation.
NavNet 3D Training – Part 2 – Intro to the Chart Plotter