iPad as MFD?

I can understand being afraid of iPad navigation, and even forecasting legal and insurance scenarios to justify those concerns. But I have years of experience running all up and down the icw using an iPad as primary navigation tool with not one screen blackout, not one incorrect position location, and extremely reliable accurate guidance through shallow areas using the sonar chart data provided by Navionics. I’ve been through every one of Tom’s scenarios multiple times except for one. I haven’t crossed to the Bahamas. I am not trying to talk anyone out expensive marine navigation equipment. I’m just passing on actual experiences for you to use as you’d like.
 
ZZ13 said:
I can understand being afraid of iPad navigation, and even forecasting legal and insurance scenarios to justify those concerns. But I have years of experience running all up and down the icw using an iPad as primary navigation tool with not one screen blackout, not one incorrect position location, and extremely reliable accurate guidance through shallow areas using the sonar chart data provided by Navionics. I’ve been through every one of Tom’s scenarios multiple times except for one. I haven’t crossed to the Bahamas. I am not trying to talk anyone out expensive marine navigation equipment. I’m just passing on actual experiences for you to use as you’d like.
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Me too Bill, many years. But I don't bet the farm on portable devices; they are the Harbor Freight tools in my tool box. Maybe just me but I always need an exit strategy that has low risk in my mind.
 
I think there are two embedded threads here. First - Navionics, Second - an Ipad.

Navionics is great. Does it have full MFD (nmea integration/functionality) - no, its not built for that. Charts, route planning, navigation - works wonders.

iPad - everything has been covered above.
 
ttmott said:
Me too Bill, many years. But I don't bet the farm on portable devices; they are the Harbor Freight tools in my tool box. Maybe just me but I always need an exit strategy that has low risk in my mind.
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Roger that. A couple qualifiers. First, I am on a bridge boat so salt water spray isn’t a factor. And I can’t explain why my iPad hasn’t ever overheated. Seems to get pretty hot some days under that Bimini. Second, I don’t use autopilot to follow a course. Heck, I never even use cruise control in a car. I do use AUTO mode to go in long straight lines offshore. Third, I use a standalone radar system. I never could mentally adapt to overlay.
 
ttmott said:
Would you use an Ipad or Iphone to navigate without sight of land and expect to hit a tiny island over a hundred miles away?
Would you use an Ipad or Iphone solely to get somewhere in the middle of the night?
Are you using these devices to stay in established marked channels and areas with good depth?
Are you using these devices to make sure you take that left turn towards the destination?
Are they a tool to plot a route to somewhere never been?
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The answer to all is yes.

Go the the Navionics site on your pc, demo it, maybe pay the $20 annual subscription, etc. Check it out, plot some courses or mark some spots. Then download the app on your smartphone, assuming it's got GPS, sign in with same account and you're good to go anywhere 24/7 and it's also a very cheap, super accurate back up giving you additional redundancy.

You'll see you can do all the stuff on the phone or tablet that you can do on the PC, except you can't enter Lat/Lon on the PC, you have to do that on your iOS/Android OS and of course your PC doesn't track your course when running but your phone/tablet does.

Not that you'd use it but if you mark a spot, you can tell it to chart you the course to get there and it will automatically give you the course you need.

It's pretty darn good stuff for the price of 4 gallons of fuel.
 
HP12Sea said:
The answer to all is yes.

Go the the Navionics site on your pc, demo it, maybe pay the $20 annual subscription, etc. Check it out, plot some courses or mark some spots. Then download the app on your smartphone, assuming it's got GPS, sign in with same account and you're good to go anywhere 24/7 and it's also a very cheap, super accurate back up giving you additional redundancy.

You'll see you can do all the stuff on the phone or tablet that you can do on the PC, except you can't enter Lat/Lon on the PC, you have to do that on your iOS/Android OS and of course your PC doesn't track your course when running but your phone/tablet does.

Not that you'd use it but if you mark a spot, you can tell it to chart you the course to get there and it will automatically give you the course you need.

It's pretty darn good stuff for the price of 4 gallons of fuel.
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I've got it, had also Garmin Blue Chart mobile (still do on an old Ipad), and had Active Captain (really miss that app). The point is the dependability, robustness, and integrity of the portable devices as the only or primary means of navigation. So, I'll tell you this then off the stage - Have you ever had blue water come over the boat? Not many have. I have a couple of times but once in a squall (my 400DA) going south by Sandy Cay Abaco through the rocks to get protected in West End Great Abaco and completely wash my Ipad off the helm which not only wiped out the Ipad but also my valued Active Captain App. The single Garmin 12 inch MFD soaking wet with the radar and depth sounder kept plugging away. If you have ever been through those rocks in bad weather you would know exactly what I'm talking about and why the cautions depending on portable devices. And your device rattling to the back of the boat then leaving the helm to find it?? Don't think so. But that's me.
As an edit we display the Navionics charts on the solon television and pick the next day's destinations. That's really great.
 
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jmauld said:
Why would the gps on the iPhone be any less accurate than on an MFD? You do realize that the new raymarine MFDs use the android operating system. Software wise there is zero difference between the two.
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I can't definitively answer your question with a technical response, can just share personal experiences.

I started using an iPad at the helm of the boat so many years ago I would struggle coming up with the timeframe. I remember a post I did about a trip from North Carolina down to Florida and included a lot of information about using an app on the pad, and my positive experiences.

For years I cruised with the iPad in a RAM mount next to chart plotters (at that time Ray Marine). Was not uncommon for the Chart Plotter to show a difference in the boats location relative to a channel from what the iPad showed.

Chart Plotter showed in the middle of the channel. iPad showed outside the channel. Visual inspection from the helm, dead center of channel.

95% + of the time, the two agreed. No idea why they did not agree sometimes, maybe someone with more knowledge can explain.

I now have Garmin electronics and don't use the RAM mount anymore. Still have the pad at the helm most of the time and look at upcoming navigation decisions, how far left to travel, etc. But do not use the iPad as a chart plotter.
 
I miss the old Blue Chart with Active Captain integration. I also still have it on an old iPad, just it doesn't update anymore.

Active Captain is another great thing that fell out of favor I guess.
 
jmauld said:
I think it’s still in use:
https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-US/

or is this something different?
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It is and comes with all Garmin MFD chart packages. What is missing is the user submitted tracks and data. When Active Captain first started (actually started by members of this Forum and owners of Sea Ray's) the app collected boater's experiences, ratings, and comments for marinas, anchorages, treks, tracks, and depth data; it was a super cool app that was easy to use and gave first hand experiences. Garmin bought the App from them and now it is a Garmin marine integration product. They terminated the user inputs which is really sad; probably a liability risk for them.
 
alnav said:
A) The gateway parameters, host (default is 192.168.4.1) and NMEA server (default is TCP, port 1456) need to be entered in Navionics at Menu..Paired Devices. As long as your phone or tablet is on the same wifi as the YDWG it ought to connect.
B) Agree. I typically just use my iPad periodically for checking on overall progress along my intended track or for looking ahead as to what is coming up outside my MFD's picture. I find Navionics much easier than the MFD to move the picture ahead of track and zoom in or out as needed.
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Thanks Al, I just Changed the server settings and just like that, I had AIS and depth.
 
ttmott said:
It is and comes with all Garmin MFD chart packages. What is missing is the user submitted tracks and data. When Active Captain first started (actually started by members of this Forum and owners of Sea Ray's) the app collected boater's experiences, ratings, and comments for marinas, anchorages, treks, tracks, and depth data; it was a super cool app that was easy to use and gave first hand experiences. Garmin bought the App from them and now it is a Garmin marine integration product. They terminated the user inputs which is really sad; probably a liability risk for them.
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Guess you can’t leave personal tracks and unmonitored reviews in the hands of the public.
 
Henry Boyd said:
Thanks Al, I just Changed the server settings and just like that, I had AIS and depth.
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Henry, sounds good. There is also a way to have the device create a log file that can be downloaded after a trip containing periodic positions, depths and engine parameters.
 
ttmott said:
It is and comes with all Garmin MFD chart packages. What is missing is the user submitted tracks and data. When Active Captain first started (actually started by members of this Forum and owners of Sea Ray's) the app collected boater's experiences, ratings, and comments for marinas, anchorages, treks, tracks, and depth data; it was a super cool app that was easy to use and gave first hand experiences. Garmin bought the App from them and now it is a Garmin marine integration product. They terminated the user inputs which is really sad; probably a liability risk for them.
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Tom, I believe most if not all of the user input features are still available, just buried in the apps and on obscure web pages. That most don't know this is a symptom of the real problem, which is that Garmin, after buying out the founder, hasn't promoted the community at all. There used to be active advocacy, weekly emails, etc. that maintained awareness and interest. Garmin also wiped out all the previous logins and requires a new registration using the Garmin ID. There are recent entries but most seem to be before the transition.
 
alnav said:
Tom, I believe most if not all of the user input features are still available, just buried in the apps and on obscure web pages. That most don't know this is a symptom of the real problem, which is that Garmin, after buying out the founder, hasn't promoted the community at all. There used to be active advocacy, weekly emails, etc. that maintained awareness and interest. Garmin also wiped out all the previous logins and requires a new registration using the Garmin ID. There are recent entries but most seem to be before the transition.
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I didn't know that; is there hope? I assume we cannot integrate with the charts like we used to?
 
ttmott said:
I didn't know that; is there hope? I assume we cannot integrate with the charts like we used to?
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Tom, Active Captain markers can be turned on in both the Navionics and Garmin Active Captain (Charts) apps and I still find them useful for planning. I even think they can be turned on in the Garmin MFD layers setting but I wouldn't normally do that to prevent clutter.
Here's the page Garmin put up to replace the old AC site: https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-US/Map
 
Yes, active captain can be turned on and the content downloaded. Problem is not very many people are entering data.
 
I use my ipad as my primary chartplotter. Never had any issues with overheating or sunlight. It sits just under the canvas and with a ram mount to the canvas frame. I have an older Raymarine plotter as backup and mainly use it for radar. I use navionics on the ipad, and if you look to the top right, that's the magnet mount to my cell phone. If something happens to the ipad, I can run navionics on the phone and just pull the same saved route. I also have a Raymarine Wi-fish fish finder that connects to navionics, and I use the boat beacon app as my AIS transponder/receiver. So I see the charts, the fish and other boats all on the ipad. I'm about to install vesselview mobile for my 2001 8.1L engines, so I'll be able to see all that good stuff on the ipad as well, or on the phone, or both. Love all these wireless stuff. The old plotter works fine if needed, but the ipad just delivers much better results without having to buy a brand new set, new radar, etc.
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superwa said:
I use my ipad as my primary chartplotter. Never had any issues with overheating or sunlight. It sits just under the canvas and with a ram mount to the canvas frame. I have an older Raymarine plotter as backup and mainly use it for radar. I use navionics on the ipad, and if you look to the top right, that's the magnet mount to my cell phone. If something happens to the ipad, I can run navionics on the phone and just pull the same saved route. I also have a Raymarine Wi-fish fish finder that connects to navionics, and I use the boat beacon app as my AIS transponder/receiver. So I see the charts, the fish and other boats all on the ipad. I'm about to install vesselview mobile for my 2001 8.1L engines, so I'll be able to see all that good stuff on the ipad as well, or on the phone, or both. Love all these wireless stuff. The old plotter works fine if needed, but the ipad just delivers much better results without having to buy a brand new set, new radar, etc. View attachment 110479 View attachment 110480 View attachment 110481
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How did you get the Raymarine sonar (fish finder?) to show up at the bottom?
 
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