Chartplotters iPad advice

Y

Yorkshirelad

Active Member
Oct 21, 2017
132
Stratford
Boat Info
340 Searay 86
454 Mercruisers with v drives
Ray-marine radar and gps
Engines
454 mercruisers
Gentlemen,
I recently purchased a 86 340EC and am looking to upgrade the old RL Raymarine pathfinder...the radar works fine which I will keep, but I receive no gps signal on the chartplotter. Battery replacement?
Anyway Toronto boat show is around the corner and my head is spinning with information overload. I have the iPad Pro (only wireless) so I guess I’m going to need a Garmin Glo to get my gps signal, but not sure on which app to utilize.

I’m based in Midland Ont. so I need charts for North channel, Georgian bay etc.
I would appreciate some expert opinions.
Cheers Rob
 
You might want to pump the brakes a bit on the iPad idea. They are notoriously hard to see in bright sunlight.
 
Garmin just acquired Navionics, so the marine app market might see some interesting changes...

I'm with bobeast though. I take my iPad everywhere, except to the helm seat. If you're based in Midland and plan to cruise the North Channel, then a legit and robust plotter is easy to justify.

Seeing the iPad isn't the only dis-advantage. It limits possibilities that I wouldn't want to be without, including:

- DSC radio integration
- AIS radio integration
- Sterero/entertainment system integration
- Fuel meter integration
- new radar integration (someday?) MARPA, trails, sentry just to name a few - it's come a long way since the RL
- trim tab monitoring
- WiFi
- night vision
- cameras
- depth sounder integration
- satellite weather

There's also the dreaded "thermometer" symbol. If you haven't seen an iOS device overheat, launch a bunch of apps and lay it in the sun. As you know, the North Channel is not the area where you want to guess about your location while your iPad cools down and reboots!
 
Not really answering your question, but if your iPad overheats, two minutes in the refrigerator brings it back much quicker...

In the airplane, if we lay it on the glareshield for just a minute, it overtemps...the galley refrigerator recovers it quickly...
 
Georgian Bay is no place to mess around. Upgrade to newer electronics would be my advice. You may not need radar, but you need a good, fast drawing chart plotter. An iPAD is OK for backup and for playing around with by your passenger, but not as the primary tool for live navigation. I have an ipad too, with data, so I do have it set up while cruising, but my Raymarine is my primary device.
 
+1 on I Pad as backup. On recent trip my c80 chartplotter would not turn on (bad power feed connection) and had to use I Pad with navionics to navigate.
 
Thanks guys for the input, I will see if there are any deals at the boat show, and use the iPad as a backup.
Cheers Rob
 
I have a Garmin bias, even if I can't always defend it. If you go with Garmin, you can link your iPad to the plotter via WiFi.

I also highly recommend NMEA fuel meters, especially since you have non-electronic engines and plan to travel.
 
I tried a iPad with Navionics in Tampa Bay; really upsetting when traveling at 35 knots/hour and the iPad turns off because it got to hot. A back up device for a boat that will turn off when it gets hot is the sun is not safe. I use the iPad for preplanning while at the dock, sitting a restaurant and at home.
 
I use an iPad running Navionics as my primary chart plotter. I live in SC and have gone all up and down the ICW between Baltimore and Ft Lauderdale with it guiding me, over the last three years. Several 11 hour days in the dead of summer at 95 degrees. It has never turned off or been unviewable. I am on a bridge with a Bimini canopy
 
I have used an iPad for years, but always in addition to a chart plotter. Never had a heat problem. Always used a maverick mount, just kept it out of the sun.

There are times that the iPad does not show the correct position. Typically when there is interference to the GPS signal.

There are portions of the canal leading into and out of Lake Okeechobee where the iPad shows you on dry land - chart plotter shows dead in the channel. Visually not hard to tell you are centered in channel. Have seen this in Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the AICW where there are numerous building around.

Open water - never saw a problem.

I have been a huge fan of using an iPad - posted experiences 3 or so years ago. Invaluable tool for route planning, active captain data, and quick zoom out to check headings and distances.

Personally I wouldn't depend on it as my only chart plotter. Just me.

Mark
 
Ipad with Garmin Bluechart - rock solid and accurate. Actually has more useable data than my G2 Vision charts on the Garmin 7612xsv and has Active Captain integrated. I think the entire App was less than $30.
My Ipad has overheated but only when in direct sunlight in the Fl summer.
 
In my experience:

Ipad with Navionics is a great tool to navigate with. It's an excellent redundant device with a few factors to take seriously.

1. Heat and directly sunlight are big issues. It's hard to see the screen in direct sunlight. So prior planning a sunscreen is advisable.

2, The Ipad will shutdown if it overheats. So making sure it's relatively cool and has ventilation is important.

3. It's touchscreen that is sensitive to waterspray. If water gets on the screen it could be interpreted as a touch input on the Ipad. I've seen the Ipad close the navigation app or open another app because a water drop caused it to consider it a finger input. It can also stop an actual fingerprint from being recognized if water is on the screen. So it's very important to keep the screen dry.

Now, understanding these limitations, I find the Ipad an invaluable tool... The GPS is extremely accurate and I like having the 8 hour battery life the Ipad provides in case you have a power issue on your installed navigation equipment.

I've actually changed my helm so all the old nav equipment and hailer are no longer on the dash. The dash now has a blank panel to support three Ipads. I use two, one for navigation and one for other things like active captain...So basically I have redundancy with just the Ipads.

I also have full RM nav equipment the two plotters and 4' radar array. Radar on the 12" and chart plotter on the 14".... But I will say I look and refer more to the Ipad than the RM equipment and look at it for confirmation purposes...
 
I think the ipad is great as a backup, and even better as a 2nd display of a system already on the boat with wifi, like a Garmin 7610. But to use the ipad for a primary device is not recommended. It may be great on a nice day when you are putzing around looking for something to do. But if the poop ever hits the fan and you need a system you can rely on an ipad is out of its element.
 
I am lot like Boat Guy. In addition to the iPad which I use the most, I have the RL80C running the latest cmap charts, an L760 which also runs the charts, a iPad mini running Navionics (its kept in the salon for crew down there to see what’s going on), my wife’s iPad running Navionics for her enjoyment, two iPhones with Navionics and a VHF with primitive gps features.

So it’s pretty easy these days to have more charts and backups than you’ll ever need.
 
I love my iPad and use it all the time for all kinds of things but I wouldn’t use it as my primary chartplotter.
 
not to impede the OP but...

please school me... i recently purchased a 260DA, the prior owner used the iPad and Navionics.

I tried Navionics for free this past weekend on my phone. Seemed great. Past boats have always been small enough not to matter too much navigating.

So i ask this... i only plan on boating the Gulf Coast for pleasure, no fishing. Do I really need to spend so much on a chart reader? or can a simple tablet w/ Navionics and good GPS receiver be sufficient?

Why / Why Not? ....thanks in advance
 
I have to confess I've used a tablet as a primary device many times in our old boat. I use it now as a back up on the new boat. But the new boat has a Northstar 952. Works fine and the charts are fine but it's mounted at a bad angle tough to see so I rely a lot on an Asus tablet running Navionics. I really like that I can goto the Navionics web site, plot out a graph and it loads on my tablet.

But! I have experienced all the issues others have shared and it's not fun! Been stuck navigating by paper while the iPad cooled down. Could not get the seperate GPS to bond to my iPad when we were enroute I had an iPad 2 with no built in GPS. I would recommend a tablet with built in GPS for that reason.

Other then those issues it's a very usable solution mounted in a shady place away from the sun on a RAM mount on a Sea Sucker it's great.

The Asus tablet is $149 on amazon and Navionics is a great deal for $40. Can't beat it. I had the Garmin Blue charts on the iPad and they were very nice but no android option so I am with Navionics now.

You can use it, not an issue. The best solution for a small boat is to go with one of the smaller 7" plotters for safety reasons and use the tablet as a back up. Plus get some experience with paper charts and keep them around while you are cruising for situational awareness just in case. Like an old pilot once said we are all just a fuse away from being Columbus out there..
 
I see Garmin has discontinued Bluechart Mobile. Does Garmin Active captain replace this? I really like having the Bluechart mobile on the Ipad as a back up and quickly able to zoom in and check active captain notes while on the go.

I did a search but maybe I missed this.

Thanks.
 
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