Navigation for the places the charts never finished.
Vortex Marine builds Scout: a rugged, sunlight-readable portable navigator with up to date satellite imagery of the reefs, passes and anchorages that vector charts leave blank.
Why Scout
One tool that already knows where you are going
- See the reality, not just the charts
- Chart contours show you a survey. High-resolution satellite imagery shows you the water — so a reef, a pass or an anchorage reads as what it actually is, instead of a blank patch of blue.
- One screen instead of three
- Charts, satellite imagery, weather, AIS, anchor watch and live boat data in one place — not scattered across a plotter, a phone and a tablet.
- Built for the helm
- Sunlight-readable, wet-hand friendly, and connects to your boat's NMEA 2000 network over Wi-Fi for the data you already have.
Takes the rocket science out of using satellite images.
Matt & Christine
SV Sugar Shack
Watch the talk
Why your Fiji chart is 150 years old
Tony took an hour and a half with Island Cruising to explain what is actually wrong with the charts most of us navigate on, and what closes the gap. No pitch.
- Why Pacific charts still trace back to 1800s Admiralty surveys
- A ten-waypoint route that looks fine on the chart, with four waypoints on the reef
- Why one satellite image is never enough — cloud, chop and sun angle
Scout keeps getting better
What’s new
- Aug 2026Guided setup on the device
Power Scout on and it walks you through every step of getting set up.
- Aug 2026Blend charts and satellite
A slider transitions between the ENC chart and the satellite image — full chart, full satellite, or any blend in between.
What’s coming
- Route export to more chartplotters
Sending a route straight to your plotter over Wi-Fi already works with B&G and Simrad. Raymarine and Garmin are in progress.
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask first
- Do I need a subscription just to use Scout?
- No. Scout ships with full core navigation and open-source satellite imagery up to zoom level 13 with no subscription required. The paid Polaris+ tiers unlock deeper zoom, offline downloads and additional services.
- Does Scout replace my chartplotter, or work alongside it?
- Alongside. Most owners mount Scout at the helm next to the plotter they already have, and use it for what the plotter cannot show them — satellite imagery of the water ahead. It reads your existing NMEA 2000 instruments rather than replacing them.
- Can I use Scout anywhere in the world?
- Yes. None of the apps are region-specific, and ENC chart coverage is available worldwide.
- Is Scout tough enough to live at the helm?
- Yes. Scout is IP65 rated — sealed against dust and resistant to high-pressure water jets, provided all port covers are properly closed. That makes it suitable for permanent helm mounting. It is not designed for submersion.
- What operating system does it run?
- PolarisOS, Vortex's own custom Android-based OS. It runs Vortex's own apps — Navigation, TrueHelm, Tides and Anchor — plus a curated set of companion apps including NZ Coastguard, PredictWind, Windy and VictronConnect.
- What is the warranty?
- Twelve months as standard. As a young company, Vortex will do their best to help beyond the warranty period if issues come up — contact support.
- Do you ship internationally?
- Yes, globally, via DHL. Shipping is DAP — delivered at place, duties unpaid — so any local import duties or taxes on arrival are the customer’s responsibility.
- Who builds Scout?
- A small New Zealand team who navigate on it themselves. Scout came out of founder Tony Sparks going cruising in 2024, finding the charts inadequate in the places that mattered, and building the tool he wanted from the start. Three seasons later the boat is still in the Pacific.