Best Boaty Apps for Android Tablet

Jurgen said:
Hi all,

Just moved over to the dark side froom iPad to Android.

What apps do the android users recommend?
Click to expand...

Have been using an HTC One 8 for a couple of months...(gone back to iphone now).
Navionics is as good on android, weather pro continues to be the best weather app, imho and if you have a wifi router on board it is well worth spending a few quid on a chrome cast for your TV...

I'm loving my iphone 6+, not used my ipad for a couple of weeks now....just need to grow longer thumbs!
 
Got an Android phone, anyTide app fairly good. Colour note checklist of stuff to when arriving / leaving boat, ie gas, sea cocks etc. ES File Explorer allows access to NAS drive if you have photos / music stored on network.

Anders
 
Nigelpickin said:
Have been using an HTC One 8 for a couple of months...(gone back to iphone now).
Navionics is as good on android, weather pro continues to be the best weather app, imho and if you have a wifi router on board it is well worth spending a few quid on a chrome cast for your TV...

I'm loving my iphone 6+, not used my ipad for a couple of weeks now....just need to grow longer thumbs!
Click to expand...

Was put of Navionics after reading some less than favourable reviews
 
I think it's an awesome bit of software Jurgen....you have to pay a 'premium' price but for less than 50 quid you have a full suite of nav aids, charts, tides, currents, route planning and more.....
When cruising, to be able to sit in a cafe, plan then next day's route, save to the phone and then upload to the head unit is pretty amazing...

Couple that will the fact that it can be used as a repeater on the boat and the co pilot can use the phone to command the head unit and it is a winning package....
Of course the value is greater if you have a raymarine plotter....
 
Nigelpickin said:
I think it's an awesome bit of software Jurgen....you have to pay a 'premium' price but for less than 50 quid you have a full suite of nav aids, charts, tides, currents, route planning and more.....
When cruising, to be able to sit in a cafe, plan then next day's route, save to the phone and then upload to the head unit is pretty amazing...

Couple that will the fact that it can be used as a repeater on the boat and the co pilot can use the phone to command the head unit and it is a winning package....
Of course the value is greater if you have a raymarine plotter....
Click to expand...

Just got an Android phone and a C125 plotter. I am a techno-dunce but amazed what can be done even by me. Downstairs making tea viewing c125 screen mirrored on tv in saloon using rayview, full function remote control of plotter from phone using rayremote. Won't let me download view and control onto phone because they judge screen is too small, but you can with a tablet and we can using wifes old ipad. Back up option of navionics on old iphone (which I'll keep on board for emergency use) and on android phone itself or mirrored from that to tv. That should be enough to keep me entertained for a while. Just going to have to remember to look around from time to time.
 
ohmaggie said:
Just got an Android phone and a C125 plotter. I am a techno-dunce but amazed what can be done even by me. Downstairs making tea viewing c125 screen mirrored on tv in saloon using rayview, full function remote control of plotter from phone using rayremote. Won't let me download view and control onto phone because they judge screen is too small, but you can with a tablet and we can using wifes old ipad. Back up option of navionics on old iphone (which I'll keep on board for emergency use) and on android phone itself or mirrored from that to tv. That should be enough to keep me entertained for a while. Just going to have to remember to look around from time to time.
Click to expand...

Thought the Raymarine software onay worked with iphone and ipad?
 
I'm a great believer in the Android
The more I use it, the more I like it.

Just bought myself a new tablet - thought the old one was getting past it
Once the new one was ordered, I searched the internet and found a user supported upgrade to Kit Kat for my old Asus tablet.
A couple of hours later the old one was running as good as the new one which arrived a few days later
I didn't want to risk destroying/bricking the old one until I hac replaced it with a new one.
Shame - I probably don't need two - I'm sure I will make use of it though

Whilst on the Android subject, earlier this year, I bought the best software ever for my Samsung Galaxy S4.
Called Anchor Alert by SlimJim - cost about a tenner and is really the best anchor alarm software I've used.
I even wwrote my own a few years ago - but this is great - incredibilly accurate.
I think it was written by a yachtie
This is the link to the software's website
http://www.slimjimsoftware.co.uk/
available on Google play market - as I sah about £10 - well worth the money
 
Last edited:
Hi Andy,

I have 'Windfinder' installed on my Samsung S4 and previous Htc. It works well and reliably. It also works world-wide so you can check weather, wind and tides in any chosen area. Good google map type screen too. All favourites are listed and you can select either where you are or where you plan to be.

It's a free app download through 'Playstore'.

The main advantage of Android is that because they have most of the worldwide market more apps are written for them and most offer a free app version, (Not Navionics tho) even if it is scaled down or has pop up ads. If you like the app, upgrades to full versions usually cost less that apples too.

You can see it here:
http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/solent_mrsc

Btw. If you select somewhere like Yarmouth, make sure you check it's the Yarmouth in the UK by flipping over to map page or you could be looking at 3 feet of snow and sub zero temps. :encouragement:


Roger.
 
If you don't want to pay for the Navionics HD, MX mariner is a SIMPLE plotter.. £4 for the app, and £4 I think for huge charts.
Don't get too carried away with weather apps.. many of them are using the same grib files etc, and it is only the graphics that differ.
Best one ? Navionics HD. Just a shame phones and tablets are useless in sunshine, unless of course you boat in grey cloud ;)
 
Yep - it is fully featured
When setting the anchor alarm, you "point" at the position of the anchor and tell it how far the anchor is away(by estimating from the amount of chain that you have out and water depth etc).
It then draws a circle indicating a possible swing.
You can also set exclusion areas within the circle.
The app takes into consideration GPS errors etc.
We used it in anger last summer and I quickly learned to trust it.
In Mallorca we usually get an onshore wind (sea breeze) in the evenings which turns round 180 degrees to the opposite by the morning.
This app shows the boat turning through the circle and worked well every time.
Additionally, you can set the alarm t0 send a text to another phone - great for popping ashore to restaurants etc.
You can even interrogate it from the remote phone and it will report its status.

I definately slept easier this year with this app than any other alarm that I've used.
 
Hurricane said:
Yep - it is fully featured
When setting the anchor alarm, you "point" at the position of the anchor and tell it how far the anchor is away(by estimating from the amount of chain that you have out and water depth etc).
It then draws a circle indicating a possible swing.
You can also set exclusion areas within the circle.
The app takes into consideration GPS errors etc.
We used it in anger last summer and I quickly learned to trust it.
In Mallorca we usually get an onshore wind (sea breeze) in the evenings which turns round 180 degrees to the opposite by the morning.
This app shows the boat turning through the circle and worked well every time.
Additionally, you can set the alarm t0 send a text to another phone - great for popping ashore to restaurants etc.
You can even interrogate it from the remote phone and it will report its status.

I definately slept easier this year with this app than any other alarm that I've used.
Click to expand...

Am liking this app, if Raymarine works with android even better.

just dissapointed thatmy fav appfrom the ipad imrays chart is not available for android, why dont the developers write for both?
 
Jurgen said:
Am liking this app, if Raymarine works with android even better.

just dissapointed thatmy fav appfrom the ipad imrays chart is not available for android, why dont the developers write for both?
Click to expand...

Navigation
Yep - I would like to see OpenCPN on the Android but I believe it is a lot of work - I think I read somewhere that there is a group porting it.
Not a big deal to me because the PC version on all platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux) is so good now that IMO nothing else beats it.
My on board system is fundamentally Raymarine with a PC system installed in parallel.
Tablets are great as a planning aid but IMO a built in system designed with sunlight viewable displays will always out perform.
Two other examples where tablets fall down - Radar and AIS - both really useful additional nav aids.

If OpenCPN were available for a tablet, I would install it - mainly because I'm a great believer in the product but I won't loose any sleep over it and I can't be bothered with the Navionics app which has the same chart database as on my Raymarine G series Nav system.


EDIT
I'm "Going Geeky"
I've just done another search - OpenCPN and the Android - something I've been doing every now and then for a few years.
And it seems that there is a chance it will be ported over to the Android after all.
Here's the link on the Cruiser Forums (the place where OpenCPN development is discussed and supported)
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f134/ocpn-for-android-proof-of-concept-and-teaser-133759.html
I'm no expert and don't know the team but I think that in this thread the OP is the "brains" behind the project.
The above CruisersForum thread if 95% full of rubbish but it seems to me that the OP (bdcat) and boat_alexandra have the news that we want to hear.
As I understand it, the reason OpenCPN has been successfully ported to different operating systems is that it uses a "wrapper" between it and the underlying op system.
Up to now the wrapper used has been wxWidgets but there isn't a version for the Android.
An alternative to wxWidgets is a wrapper called qt and the team responsible for qt are in the process of producing a version of qt for the Android.
I don't pretend to understand any of it but it seems to me that wxWidgets team may well be working on an Android version as well.
Either way, bdcat (who I believe is the brains and driving force behind OpenCPN) is currently working on a proper Android version using one or both of these technologies (wxWidgets and qt)
Geeky Bit over.

So to recap, the good news is that OpenCPN for the Android could be just round the corner - something that we have been told in the past was very unlikely.

Anyone interested in the current OpenCPN software (for Windows, Linux and MAC) can find out more here www.opencpn.org
 
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Hurricane said:
So to recap, the good news is that OpenCPN for the Android could be just round the corner - something that we have been told in the past was very unlikely.

Anyone interested in the current OpenCPN software (for Windows, Linux and MAC) can find out more here www.opencpn.org
Click to expand...

excellent news!

I've used OCPN three years ago on MiToS delivery trip on a tiny sony vaio subsubultrahighrezpocketableinbuiltgps thing... Worked perfectly under win7 (except for the subhour battery life which had me going up and down the f/b ladder all the time :D )

yes bdbcat is the guy behind lots of developments in ocpn, I think he was also behind the radar plugin.

I'm definitely going to have ocpn on all laptops/notebooks/tablets onboard!

cheers

V.
 
Just want symetry with apps on different platforms, if BBC Iplayer, Facebook, YouTube can do it then why not everyone else?

Yes appreciate that the above companies have deep pockets and want to keep everyone happy but come on guy's Android is not a minor player!!!!
 
Jurgen said:
Just want symetry with apps on different platforms, if BBC Iplayer, Facebook, YouTube can do it then why not everyone else?

Yes appreciate that the above companies have deep pockets and want to keep everyone happy but come on guy's Android is not a minor player!!!!
Click to expand...

Actually, I have sympathy with the developers on this.
There is a huge amount of work required to port software to different systems.
The Android platform is full of low cost applications - indeed most are completely free.
To expect developers to spend a huge amount of time developing for a particular platform when the reward is small, is IMO, a big ask.

As far as OpenCPN is concerned, I am very humble about it - completely developed by the enthusiastic Open Source community - multi platform is a massive achievement.
And it seems that we may see OpenCPN on the Android soon.
I've written apps for Android and Apple - it seems to me that OpenCPN on the iPad though, would be a VERY big ask.
 
I was following some of the links in this thread and wandered to map.openseaorg.org which appears to be a sea-going version of OpenStreetMap which I use on my phone via the Maps.Me app.

If you go to the website and choose the view tool you can switch on a layer which runs smoothly and shows you all the AIS traffic.
 
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