Cruising Forums

summercruise · 10-21-2010, 01:53 PM

Used the iPad as a plotter this year on the Turkish Ionian, with very satisfactory results.

Used the Navionics app, has anyone an experience of any other apps.

PrairieChicken · 12-09-2010, 08:05 PM

I'm thinking of getting the Navionics app for our new iPad. What were your thoughts of this app?

nmit · 01-21-2011, 05:15 AM

I have been using an iPad and iPhone with Navionics on our Bav 44 in closed water and short coastal trips from Pittwater, Australia for the last 6 months or so. Our old Navman plotter (useless article) died and I havnt made a decision what to replace it with yet. Prior to that I had an E80 which was brilliant. I find both the iPhone and iPad adequate. The charts are the full on Navionics charts as far as I can tell and in the absence of anything better at the moment - assuming it's GPS enabled - it has served us well - no groundings yet! Tracking and use of waypoints is a bit tedious with the touch - probably need to persevere a bit more. I'd give it 6 out of 10. Neil

rongr · 07-25-2012, 01:54 PM

I've been using seaiq open on my ipad for the last few months. I loaded my CM93 charts on it like opencpn. The GPS on the ipad has been working pretty well.

**Istioploos** · 07-27-2012, 01:56 PM

I too occasionaly use the iPhone with a navigational app, and with charts of the Med. It is ok but too small for serious use. Well an iPad will be next.

Scurvydog · 05-10-2014, 01:17 PM

Doing an informal survey...

I deliver yachts for a living and most vessels I travel out to collect have chart plotters...BUT...the charts loaded are sometimes 5 or more years old. This used to present problems, but now I can use my iPad with recent updates to get under way.

My question to this crowd is... How often do you replace your electronic chart collections? Or, do you collect and sift through the thousands of Notices to Mariners published?

redbopeep · 05-10-2014, 11:19 PM

We recently purchased a B&G Touch7 chartplotter. You can get a NMEA2000 router/hub that interfaces with it and allows you to use your IPAD to control the chart plotter. That's all functions, the radar, the autopilot interface, AIS whatever... so you can carry it around the boat with you. Nice option. I understand that all B&G and Simrad chartplotters now have this option.

Charts--we are only in the USA and Canada. We update the US electronic charts via NOAA with every trip (this is on my computer) but we use C-MAP charts on the plotter. We bought a set of charts that includes everything on US/CA west coast as well as MX, central america, and a lot of the Caribbean. I have't checked with C-Map about their update process but would expect us to update it as frequently as possible.

Scurvydog · 05-11-2014, 01:40 AM

Redbopeep,

Thanks for your thoughtful in-depth response! Have you seen or tried the Navionics Sonar Charts feature on either your plotter or iPad?

Auzzee · 05-11-2014, 03:20 AM

This thread puts me in mind that the rest of the world should supply marine charts for the same price as they do in the USA. Free is very civilised indeed. Admiralty charts are hideously expensive and a major cost prior to any trip of consequence.

I understand it is not the most prudent of things to admit to, but I am probably not Robinson Crusoe in saying that some of my paper charts are largely uncorrected from the time they were bought.

Indeed, to correct them, in a timely manner, according to regular Notices to Mariners, given that my chart catalogue covers a major part of the world's oceans, would occupy me for hours each week. To correct them retrospectively would take an army of maritime monks with weeks to spare.

However, I always seem to avoid hitting the bricks and can attest that using older charts, without some corrections, heightens one's awareness and makes for a very careful sailor; and reminds me that if I had to eschew all but one item of modern technology on my boat, the item I would choose to keep would certainly be my depth sounder.

And that reminds me of how long I have been sailing. My first boat had 12v electricity when I bought it. Then I installed a brand new analogue 'spinning light' depth sounder...I thought I was the duck's nuts!
God...I must be old......

PS. Just performed a search on Google. It appears these old relics are still available new. Amazing. http://www.nasamarine.com/proddetail.php?prod=stingray

redbopeep · 05-11-2014, 06:31 AM

Scurveydog--we actually don't have an iPad, but just like that the option is available. We will probably buy an iPad sometime soon (and waterproof case) just to be able to use it at the helm. In the USA, I don't need it because I can put NOAA charts on my little Nokia N810 using maemo mapper. That's old technology but it works. Outside of the USA, the charts aren't free so none are available on the maemo mapper program.
Auzzee--we had that sort of depth sounder on our Rawson30 and as far as I know, the guy we sold it to is still using it. It works.

haiqu · 05-11-2014, 10:23 PM

Auzzee: I have a Fuji Royal RF-120 that works in the manner you described. Well, it would except the transducer seems to be open circuit.

We used a pad in the helm on the way to NZ and I found it to be pretty good, although the ruggedized laptop with OpenCPN was our main reference. Paper charts? I don't think I'll ever use them, for the stated reasons. A set of CM93 files dated 2005 will do me, and would probably be as up-to-date as any charts I could buy. I do have a second laptop for redundancy.

Anyone else tried to get copies of the "free" China charts from their government? I felt like I was being quizzed by the CIA when I requested them. Needless to say they weren't actually available.

**Istioploos** · 05-12-2014, 12:53 PM

I looked at iNavX for my iPad. It is listed for $50 on the iTunes store. I am sailing in the Med. iNavX does not come with charts for the Med, instead it links to X-Traverse which lists the charts for $70. So to use iNavX in the Med one needs to spend $120.

redbopeep · 05-12-2014, 05:22 PM

Paper charts-- we always have them aboard and use them. The ones we have for Alaska (where we are now) are old and I cross check with my up-to-date electronic charts to assure I've got the info needed. I love having a paper chart in a clear plastic chart envelope out in the cockpit for looking at tricky passages between islands, shoals, or whatnot ahead. Even though I can see the chartplotter, it's not the same as a good look ahead at things with a paper chart in hand. On the open ocean, it isn't such a big deal and paper charts don't seem to be so necessary, I admit.

**Istioploos** · 05-14-2014, 02:49 PM

Even on the open ocean it feels good to put your position marks on the paper chart. Not to mention that it is good backup system if the electronics fail. I will always use the paper charts even though the electronic are more outdate and maybe (have not decided on this yet) more convenient.

Have a save cruise Brenda.