iPad/iPhone navigation app

[fsudelt]

Whats everyone’s favorite iPad/iPhone navigation app to use for charts?

I haven’t had to use one in a few years & the one I had no longer is supported.

Thanks!

 

[superwa]

Navionics is by far the best one. The autorouting feature is amazing.

 

[mpatton]

Agree with Navionics. Easy to use.

 

[Stee6043]

I use Garmin Bluecharts on my iPad along with an outboard GPS receiver. I assume this is the one you currently have since it cannot be downloaded anymore? If you already have it the app still works...works quite well, actually. I just don't think it's getting updated.

 

[Boater420]

Navionics

 

[FootballFan]

I still go to BlueChart because I like its interface (well, I know how to use it). Problem is the AC data no longer updates.

I have Navionics, love it. Though the version I have does not have the AC integration yet. Thought it was supposed to be available this summer.

For this past trip I wanted updated AC data - so I got AquaMap. Its pretty good. Gave me the AC data I wanted and a decent user interface.

Both AquaMap and Navionics are more accurate. You would think they would all be the same - but they are not. Starting to think the positional errors that show up in BlueChart are problems in the charts - not the app.

I had seen positional errors in BlueChart in the past cruising around S Florida. On this recent trip, saw several times that BlueChart showed incorrect boat position. Not an issue in open water. But definitely an issue when in narrow channel.

Mark

 

[In Two Deep]

I recommend SeaNav US for a totally stand alone app for the iPhone iPad. Works independently form your other electronics.

 

[FootballFan]

I recommend SeaNav US for a totally stand alone app for the iPhone iPad. Works independently form your mother electronics.

Not sure I understand the comment. Could you expand on the part about working independently? All of the apps I mentioned are using the GPS chip on the iPad.

Thinking I am missing something or not understanding.

thanks

 

[In Two Deep]

What I mean is that it works independently of the navigation systems in your boat or the subscriptions to the charts you use on your on board GPS

 

[FootballFan]

Thank you.

I haven't integrated anything into the boat electronics.

Curious to see how Navionics handles the Active Captain integration.

 

[Adefelice]

Navionics for me as well! The auto-routing is great but you still need to look closely at the automated route as I see it take a few shortcuts I wouldn't dare go with my boat.

 

[fsudelt]

Thanks everyone for the great info. As always very helpful!

 

[scooper321]

Riding home on Sunday, in the rain, I had my Simrad on, running Navionics maps. It was showing my route and I was following it. I also had my iPad (also running the Navionics app) on the helm. It was raining hard at times, and water started leaking in through the canvas/Bimini junction. As it dropped on the helm, I noticed that my Simrad kept working flawlessly. But even with my iPad in my Lifeproof case, when water drops got on the screen, the touch screen failed to work. Water drops on an iPad co fuse the capacitive touch screen and it won’t reliably register touches. Worse, it occasionally registered “touches” from the drops, changing the display on the screen (meaning the charts disappeared). Did I mention the actual marine chart plotter kept working, flawlessly? Please don’t rely on your iPad as your main plotter...

Btw, on other voyages, the iPad often gets direct bright sunlight. In many of those cases, the sun on the iPad gets it so hot that it goes into “thermal shutdown”. In that mode, the iPad turns itself off (meaning no charts) until it cools down. My marine chart plotter works flawlessly during these times. Again... please don’t rely on your iPad or iPhone as your main source for charts and navigation.

Btw, I did use BlueCharts in the iPad as my backup, until Garmin broke it. I liked it. But it no longer works. Just recently downloaded Aqua Map to play with. I like the idea of having different maps on my two devices, and right now I’m running Navionics on both.

 

[JVM225]

I’m a huge iPad fan and it has become an invaluable asset on the boat for streaming content to my TV’s via an AV connector, streaming music to my boat stereo via Bluetooth or aux Jack, using the Internet, keeping PDF’s of all the manuals for the boat and systems on, downloading my newspaper via my digital subscription no matter where I am, and keeping books in the kindle app.
But I don’t know that I would rely on it for Navigation. Might be okay for a backup, but probably not as a primary.
The screen is tough to see in sunlight, it will get very hot in sunlight, and the screen doesn’t respond well to sweaty fingers. I take it to the gym to use while I do cardio and once I start sweating the touch screen gets sketchy about responding.

 

[Stee6043]

I’m a huge iPad fan and it has become an invaluable asset on the boat for streaming content to my TV’s via an AV connector, streaming music to my boat stereo via Bluetooth or aux Jack, using the Internet, keeping PDF’s of all the manuals for the boat and systems on, downloading my newspaper via my digital subscription no matter where I am, and keeping books in the kindle app.
But I don’t know that I would rely on it for Navigation. Might be okay for a backup, but probably not as a primary.
The screen is tough to see in sunlight, it will get very hot in sunlight, and the screen doesn’t respond well to sweaty fingers. I take it to the gym to use while I do cardio and once I start sweating the touch screen gets sketchy about responding.

I was a pretty staunch advocate of the iPad as a nav tool with my prior boat where I had no real marine grade chartplotter built in. Now that I own a boat with built-in chartplotting...and after crossing Lake Michigan with both systems running side by side....I still love the iPad. But I think it's more of a brand thing in my case.

I bought a boat that has a 1 year old Furuno GPS system installed. The UI of the Furuno, in my opinion only, is absolutely awful. Pinching and zooming on the iPad while underway is nearly impossible. But this Furuno rig I have is sooooo amazingly silly to work with in all conditions, even at the dock, I can't believe people suffer through this willingly. I have to go through 6 menus using arrows and enter buttons to get anywhere. I have to navigate the map with a multi-speed pointer. I suspect there is a way to connect it to a phone to make this easier but I haven't yet looked into that.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Again... please don’t rely on your iPad or iPhone as your main source for charts and navigation.

+1 You just saved me a lot of typing!

Btw, I did use BlueCharts in the iPad as my backup, until Garmin broke it. I liked it. But it no longer works. Just recently downloaded Aqua Map to play with. I like the idea of having different maps on my two devices, and right now I’m running Navionics on both.

My Bluechart Mobile still works...? I just launched it on my iPhone along with Active Captain. IIRC, I had to buy the charts BCM uses. I was able to download new charts for AC.

 

[fsudelt]

Was asking as this would be a back up to whatever our new to us boat will have. I’m a pilot (private, not commercial) and I always believe it doesn’t hurt to have a secondary source for navigation as anything can happen while your underway.

 

[FootballFan]

Was asking as this would be a back up to whatever our new to us boat will have. I’m a pilot (private, not commercial) and I always believe it doesn’t hurt to have a secondary source for navigation as anything can happen while your underway.

I have two Garmin chart plotters. My iPad, my wifes iPad, and paper charts for every place I travel.

Backup is good.

I second that an iPad is nice for route planning or as a backup. But not as you only tool.

Mark

 

[RollerCoastr]

I also have 2 plotters, an iPad and an iPhone. Totally with the crowd on redundancy! Full disclosure: this is only my first season with the second plotter, and I really only bought it because it was on close-out. I needed to fill gaps in the dash and I wanted another display for data.

A detailed search of my posts would likely reveal me insisting that I like radar overlay and I don't need two MFD's. Now I'm addicted and am seriously considering adding a third. I can be found running overlay on one screen and dedicated RADAR on the other, and that's only one of nearly countless combinations.

Maybe I should get two more screens...

 

[scooper321]

I really only bought it because it was on close-out. I needed to fill gaps in the dash and I wanted another display for data.

Oddly, I understand this logic.

Maybe I should get two more screens...

You know, I always thought overlaid Radar was the way to go. Then I talked to others about it, and actually looked at how busy my plotter already was with JUST the charts! So now I’m reconsidering. But I do support your desire for more screens. More is good!