iPad navigation

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paulg567

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I have been using my iPad as a chartplotter for about a year now using Memory Map charts and I must say I am very impressed by it.

I have been mostly coastal sailing over the last year (although YM OS qualified) so have had no GPS/connectivity issues. Has anyone tried using one offshore and did it still function correctly?

I do wonder if it is a little fragile for long term use. Would appreciate any protective case recommendations.

Alternatively, is there any real compelling reason to upgrade to a full chartplotter given I'm more than comfortable with traditional navigation and have charts on both my iPhone and iPad?

Cheers
 
iPad work flawlessly out of touch of land. Mine worked just fine in mid Atlantic: position matched that being shown by the chartplotter. That's the answer to the first part of your question.

As regards the second bit, only you can really answer that. The iPad apps all provide the ability to do much of a what a dedicated plotter will do at a fraction of the cost. However, the plotter is more robust, easy to read in direct sunlight and can be linked to an autopilot. Essentially, you pays your money, you take your choice.
 
I use an iPad, but only to repeat my plotter as a navigation tool.

You can certainly get a whole variety of robust and waterproof cases and if you are happy with that, who are we to say you are wrong? The problems with such as an iPad include a limited battery endurance, which would not be enough for an extended day sail, and the fact that the screen isn't bright enough to read in sunlight.

Personally, I prefer to have a dedicated plotter. Mainly, this is because I am not techno-savvy, and all the functions of navigation, AIS, and radar are there on tap. A GPS is not an essential for cruising but a way of making it easier and more enjoyable, so we each tend to end up with different solutions.
 
paulg567 said:
I have been using my iPad as a chartplotter for about a year now using Memory Map charts and I must say I am very impressed by it.

I have been mostly coastal sailing over the last year (although YM OS qualified) so have had no GPS/connectivity issues. Has anyone tried using one offshore and did it still function correctly?

I do wonder if it is a little fragile for long term use. Would appreciate any protective case recommendations.

Alternatively, is there any real compelling reason to upgrade to a full chartplotter given I'm more than comfortable with traditional navigation and have charts on both my iPhone and iPad?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I've just used my Android tablet running Open CPN all the way from India through Suez to the UK.

However it doesnt have anything like the useability of my on board plotter which links to my instruments , radar, ais, vhf, and pilot as well as having features like lay lines
 
Thanks for the replies!

Perhaps I should say I'm on a Trapper 300 (26 feet yacht).
VHF has built in GPS, none of the instruments integrated, no radar, no AIS (but on the to do list) and a tillerpilot.

I find battery life lasts a whole day if you switch the screen off when not required, and I have a 12v soccer for a charger located near the companionway.

The AIS integration is likely to drive me towards a plotter in time, but was interested in others views.

Cheers
 
Get a Lifeproof case. My iPad has survived just fine in one these past two years and my old iPad was OK in the Mk1 version.

The only improvement would be a waterproof charging method - but it's never been an issue for me.
 
If you want to get ais before you install a plotter then the Vesper xb8000 will link to iPad by its wifi. Works great despite sounding like Harry Potters broomstick.
 
wotayottie said:
I've just used my Android tablet running Open CPN all the way from India through Suez to the UK.

However it doesnt have anything like the useability of my on board plotter which links to my instruments , radar, ais, vhf, and pilot as well as having features like lay lines
Click to expand...

What do you mean by Lay Lines, please?
In England they are mystical force fields, laid down by ancient Druids between significant sacred sites!
 
cobolt said:
Important to note that an iPad will only work "offshore" i.e. out of wifi coverage if you have bought the wifi+cellular version!
Click to expand...

Any 1/10th useful charting app doesn't require a data connection (WiFi or cellular) to work once it is downloaded. The iPad GPS will work anywhere which is all it needs.
 
Sold the chartplotter years ago when we realised just how great the iPad is for navigation using Navionics. But we have a wheelhouse which makes the crap sunlight readability much better and sorts the charging and waterproofing issues. A good used iPad3 costs peanuts now and that version is fine for Navionics.
 
MikeBz said:
Any 1/10th useful charting app doesn't require a data connection (WiFi or cellular) to work once it is downloaded. The iPad GPS will work anywhere which is all it needs.
Click to expand...

You're missing my point I think.

If you bought from Apple an iPad "wifi" model (this is true from the first iPad through to the current model), then this does NOT include a GPS chip.

Only the more expensive models sold as "wi-fi + cellular" have an integrated GPS (+ GLONASS) chip.

So if you go out of a populated area with a wi-fi only model (which simply uses known wi-fi spots to figure out where it is), then you'll quickly find the iPad has no idea where you are, regardless of what charting app you are running.

The way around this of course is to link up to an external bluetooth GPS receiver, or stream GPS data from the boat's systems via NMEA using one of the many Wi-fi options on the market.
 
Going back to the original question, I also have a Lifeproof case. In theory waterproof - wouldn't like to test that fully. It is a bit shockproof, but not massively, I would say. I have had the screen fully shatter once when I dropped it, but it already had a crack so perhaps unfair. The acid test, I guess, is that I still use it.

My wife's ipad is enclosed in a fully bouncy kid proof cover, that has been dropped hundreds of times without trouble - not waterproof though.

For me, the ipad should not be your primary navigation tool, for reasons already given - it can break if dropped, and battery life can be poor - I use a huge battery pack with it on deck when doing overnights. That doesn't mean that I don't use it more than the chartplotter, just that the chartplotter is always there in case the ipad isn't. If I was showing someone how to nav my boat, I would point at the chartplotter.

Others might argue that if you have paper as back-up, then the ipad is just fine. They might be right.
 
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Sorry for the digression!

The Lifedge cases from Scanstrut are fantastic, dropped my old device many times and it never got damaged. Unfortunately I don't think they have been updated for latest generation of I-devices. I couldn't recommend them enough if you have a device that they can fit (no connection other than satisfied user on my old device).

They also now do a range of clamps/holders which would be great on a pedestal guardrail or similar.
 
cobolt said:
You're missing my point I think.

If you bought from Apple an iPad "wifi" model (this is true from the first iPad through to the current model), then this does NOT include a GPS chip.

Only the more expensive models sold as "wi-fi + cellular" have an integrated GPS (+ GLONASS) chip.
Click to expand...

Apologies, your post read to me as though you were implying that a cellular connection was a requirement. All clear now.
 
I have an old chart plotter that works.

But mostly use the ipad in a cheap waterproof case from ebay which is mounted via very strong velcro in the cockpit. It can still be operated with fingers and is charged via a long lightning connector.

I use iNavx as that picks up my wifi broadcast AIS targets from a digital yacht product.

It is very good!
 
i've been using an iPad AIr 2 (GSM) since I bought my boat. I use a mixture of Navionics and iNavX with Navionics charts.
iNavX allows me to overlay AIS targets routed via a second hand wifi device from the SH2200 VHF radio.

Admittedly I'm a weekend warrior with occasional forays but its been dead reliable.
 
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