Garmin Navionics+ / Vision+ Blank SD/microSD Chart Card

This is the genuine Garmin blank chart card, part number 010-13885-00. It ships empty, and that's the whole point. Instead of buying a preloaded card locked to one region, you get a blank data card and load exactly the Garmin Navionics coverage you want onto it. Pick your area, download it, drop the card in your Garmin chartplotter, and you're running current cartography at the helm.

Here's how it works in practice. You buy this card, then you buy and download the chart region you need, either Garmin Navionics+ or Garmin Navionics Vision+. The download happens through Garmin Express on your computer, or you activate the content right on the plotter through ActiveCaptain. The card is just the container. Whatever coverage and detail level you choose, that's what ends up living on it.

Because it's a Garmin card, it's built for Garmin chartplotters. If you run a Garmin helm, this is the format that slots right in and reads without any fuss. It handles both the full-size SD slot and the microSD slot, so it fits the card reader on your unit whichever style Garmin used. There's no adapter board or workaround needed. It just works with the gear you already have.

So what's the difference between the two content lines? Garmin Navionics+ gives you the detailed base charts most boaters want, with depth contours, marine points of interest, and regular chart updates. Garmin Navionics Vision+ builds on that with high-resolution relief shading, sonar imagery layers, 3D views, and high-resolution satellite imagery. Both write to this same blank card. So you decide how much detail you need for the way you fish or cruise, and this card carries it.

Where does a blank card like this earn its keep? A few common situations. Maybe you just picked up a new-to-you boat with a Garmin plotter but no charts for your waters. Maybe you've got an older Garmin unit and the charts on it are years out of date. Or you're planning a trip well outside your usual grounds, say running from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf, and you want fresh coverage for the new territory. In every one of those cases, this blank card plus a downloaded region gets you sorted without replacing the whole plotter. Some boaters even keep a spare blank on hand so they can load a new region whenever the plans change.

One thing worth understanding is how updates work. When you download Garmin Navionics+ or Vision+ content, it comes with a window of chart updates included, so the charts you loaded keep getting corrections and additions during that period. When it lapses, you can renew the content to keep everything current, and the same card holds the refreshed charts. You don't need to buy new hardware to stay up to date. You just refresh the coverage on the card you already own.

The activation side is straightforward once you've done it once. Register the chart content to your Garmin account, then use Garmin Express to write the region to the card, or let ActiveCaptain handle the transfer on a connected plotter. Give it a few minutes to write, confirm the plotter reads the new charts, and you're set. If you ever want to switch regions down the road, you download the new coverage the same way.

A couple of honest notes before you buy. This card is blank. There are no charts on it until you download a region, so plan on that second step. It's made for Garmin chartplotters and Garmin Navionics content, so it's the right call when you're already running Garmin at the helm. And we'd keep the card dedicated to your charts rather than loading it up with other files, just to keep things clean and reliable out on the water.

If you're not sure which region or which content tier fits your boat and the way you cruise, give us a shout. We rig and run this gear ourselves, and we're happy to help you match the right coverage to how you actually use the boat. Buy the card, download your charts, and you're ready for the season.