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Review on πŸ—ΊοΈ Navionics Plus North Lake Charts - SD/MSD Format by Larry Blanco

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Well, at least for the south shore of Lake Superior near Marquette and Munising, Michigan.

I have only sailed the south side of Lake Superior's eastern tip with this chip - from the Huron Islands west of Grand Harbor to Grand Mare east of Munising. I carefully searched for the rocks marked with asterisks, but visually found fewer. I had to trust that they were there and that my GPS was properly synced - which, judging by other landmarks, it was. This is my first encounter with Navionics and I am used to the full information provided by the Lake Master chips. However, this chip was enough for me to navigate past the shoals and points and stay deep enough in the water for a safe ride. and while using it I have traveled over 200 miles on the water. If you plan to go deep into Lake Superior, this chip can be used as it marks lines 30 feet and shallower near shore. There's a (seemingly) random definition of deeper water depth in some areas, but nothing like the great detail I'm used to from the Lake Master chip for the west end of Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota. This Navionics chip takes a lot longer to load charts than my Lake Master, but that's probably because it covers a much larger area. I like, that the boundaries of the individual paper maps are superimposed on the digital map of the lake. This gives me more confidence that any stones, obstacles, channels or dangers can appear on it. It was more expensive than I need since I've only swum in the Marquette and Munising areas of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'm hoping other boat trips will help justify the expense, and that's probably because I'd love to boat on Lake Michigan, Devil's Lake, and Oaha (both in the Dakotas). Maybe I can save some money by not buying other chips. But without the 1-inch or 3-inch depth increments that Lake Master chips offer, it's hard to believe the two brands are on par. If it turns out I'm more impressed that this chip covers Lac La Croix (on the Ontario/Minnesota border) in great detail. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want. But without the 1-inch or 3-inch depth increments offered by Lake Master chips, it's hard to believe the two brands are equivalent. If this chip turns out to cover Lac La Croix (on the Ontario/Minnesota border) in great detail, then I'll be more impressed. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want. But without the 1-inch or 3-inch depth increments that Lake Master chips offer, it's hard to believe the two brands are on par. If it turns out I'm more impressed that this chip covers Lac La Croix (on the Ontario/Minnesota border) in great detail. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want. But without the 1-inch or 3-inch depth increments that Lake Master chips offer, it's hard to believe the two brands are on par. If this chip turns out to cover Lac La Croix (on the Ontario/Minnesota border) in great detail, then I'll be more impressed. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want. Sometimes I'm boating on the lake with my master and the details aren't that what I want. But without the 1-inch or 3-inch depth increments that Lake Master chips offer, it's hard to believe the two brands are on par. If this chip turns out to cover Lac La Croix (on the Ontario/Minnesota border) in great detail, then I'll be more impressed. Sometimes I go boating on the lake with my master and the details are not what I want.

Pros
  • Pleasant to use
Cons
  • unreliable