I have been using my iPad as a navigation tool almost since the time that I got it and I have to say that I like it although it does have some short comings in one or two areas. The first of these is that the iPad is very difficult, no make that impossible to see in bright day light and secondly the it is not water proof or even splash proof come to that. For that reason I do not use my iPad as a main navigation tool but as a secondary unit either at the chart table or some other area on the boat where it will be protected from water and sun.
I attach the Ipad to the boat with a Sea Sucker mount which I wrote about here. One of the best $99 that I ever spent.
Many of the charting apps that you can use on your iPad can also be used on the iphone but the small screen size of the phone reduces the functionality of the charting somewhat. It is useful to understand a little about electronic charts which come in two basic forms depending on the manufacturer; raster and vector charts. Raster charts are scanned images of paper charts, a picture if you will over which the little cursor or icon of you vessels position moves. Vector charts on the other hand are for the want of a better word full electronic charts where additional information can be added or subtracted to the chart without affecting the base layer. With a raster chart as you zoom in you just get a bigger image of what is on the chart and thus at very large magnifications details will start to get lost as the coastline edges, depth contours and other information starts to become pixelated, a bit like looking at a newspaper through a powerful magnifying glass. These problems are somewhat alleviated with a vector chart and as you zoom in additional detail may be revealed to the user such as spot depths and other data which is not shown when zoomed out. You also have the option of turning layers on and off so you can thus show and hide some information depending on your personal preferences.
Although I have not tried all the charting apps that are out there I have been using three regularly; Navionics, Jeppesen and the Nobletec
I started using the Navionics app almost as soon as I got my iPad 3 years ago and have to say that I like it a lot. The cartography is virtually identical to that found on my aging Raymarine unit it is easy to use and is not burdened with two many functions that you will never use. Navionics is a vector chart app and although you can't use a 3D display like you can with the Jeppesen and Nobletec I am not too fused about that. In concert with the other apps you can choose to overlay Google earth so that will give you some idea of the surroundings, especially useful if you are trying to make out some landmarks approaching a strange harbor for instance. Another cool feature which to be honest is not one that I have used a lot is to take a picture with the Ipad while the app is open which is then geotagged to the location that you took it. In other words you could take a shot of a harbor entrance and then a little camera icon pops onto the screen of the location to show that you have a picture then anytime you touch the icon the shot pops up, very nifty. $55
The Jeppesen has 3D viewing meaning that you can by sliding your fingers up the screen lay the horizon down to give you some idea of perspective. The Jeppesen uses there own C map cartography and in may ways this is more colorful than the Navionics charts if you like that sort of think. However I do find the screen a little fussy and there are a ton of small button icons along the bottom of the screen which I still do not understand all of what they do and exactly what their function is. What is useful however is the compass function which displays a compass rose on the bottom of the screen and rotates in a very lifelike way just like a proper magnetic compass does.$30
The latest app to me at least is the Nobletec time zero which like the Jeppesen has 3D capability, route planning, real time tidal updates, tidal vectors and currents and weather data. What is cool about this is that it is free to try, it comes with chart of Miami so you can fiddle with it a bit and find out if t is for you and if so you can download the charts for North America for $40 which is a real bargain. Charts are saved on the device itself so even if you do not have a wifi or cell connection you can still use it for navigation. The screen shot is actually from last weeknd when I was aboard and as you can see it is a very clear and easy to understand chart. Click on it to make it larger if you like.
I have a J/29 with just enough battery to run the instruments and the nav lights (all LED). For beer cans navigation isn't an issue, but on the bay races we find our Garmin 600 Montana painful to use. The menu system is rather convoluted, thus difficult to learn. And the screen is so small.
I was thinking of an iPad using the any one of the apps you have mentioned. And the waterproof case you recommended on Spin Sheet as well.
I do not currently have an iPad, but I'm willing to invest in one if it makes it easier for more than one person on the boat to figure out where we are, and where we should be going. And yes, I always have paper charts on board.
Here are some questions which I hope you can find the time to answer:
1. Do you think the apps would be easier to learn by a "beginner"? Not for myself (because I'm a bloody genius) of course, but in terms of a relatively shallow learning curve.
2. Being a true touch screen, would the apps be easier to manipulate in terms of scrolling, etc.
3. Could you estimate what kind of battery life one could expect whilst running any one of the apps?
Your article above is really informative, and (IMHO) well written. I'm jealous.
Thank you for your time.
- Bob Dymond
Posted by: Bob Dymond | May 26, 2015 at 03:20 PM
Bob
Just got my hands on an Android tablet and tests have started. I'll post something up here on the blog in a day or two with my thoughts, and a few photos.
Posted by: Mark | June 09, 2015 at 08:05 PM
Many thanks for your discussion regards iPad as a chart plotter. I am a self confessed idiot when it comes to the computer....but I have now bought a iPad so I am halfway there..so thanks
Dennis...Fremantle Western Australia
Posted by: Dennis Trew | October 07, 2015 at 10:54 PM