As winter slowly gives way to spring, I find myself itching to get back on Our Time. But a Robin claimed my boat trailer as her nesting spot this spring, and I had to postpone launching until her chicks had safely flown away. The unexpected delay turned into a gift of time—I used it to finish deploying OpenPlotter and wiring up the digital backbone. By the time the boat was ready to roll, both the robin family and my electronics were set for new adventures.
I’ve been following a number of open source efforts where boaters are building their own chart plotters. The beauty of these projects is that they can combine proprietary products, house them under one system, and make them communicate through an NMEA 2000 network.
My Garmin is great, but it doesn’t always play nicely with other peripherals. So I decided to build my own solution. All I needed was:
- A Raspberry Pi 4B
- A 12‑volt power supply
- A way to connect the Pi to the NMEA 2000 network
I chose the Copperhill PICAN‑M hat and built my OpenPlotter system. And it worked!
Connecting the Dots
To access the Raspberry Pi, I used my smartphone with RealVNC server. By setting the Pi as a Wi‑Fi host, I could connect my phone, bridge the internet, and integrate that connection into the NMEA 2000 network. That meant I could update plotters and even the Garmin before any voyage.
Once installed, I discovered my boat already had an NMEA 2000 backbone—but with proprietary Lowrance fittings. I was glad I’d invested in a generic system. With it, I could:
- Capture and log engine data through the CX5106
- Integrate Garmin with other devices
- Add modern GPS and AIS via the Signal K software
A Digital Boat
With OpenPlotter running, Our Time now has:
- AIS receiver
- GPS receiver
- Wi‑Fi host
- Internet connection via smartphone
- NMEA 2000 integration
- Bluetooth streaming to the radio
Add in solar panels and lithium batteries, and the digitization of the boat is well underway. This is more than just a winter project—it’s the foundation for automation, smarter systems, and a connected future on the water.
I think I’ll call it Digital Boat.
Digital Boat Lesson
“Open source isn’t just for coders—it’s a way to unlock hidden potential in your boat and bring all your systems together.”