IPad or Galaxy note tablet or Chart plotter

[Richard D]

Need to get some chart plotting ability on my boat and not being a techno guy have no idea what to get.
I dont even have a touch screen phone, so any of the above is going to be a walk in the dark.
I also need to get a phone that will show GPS as a back up so I need to get some sort of smart phone. The first priority for the phone and the choice of nav aid is ease of use, I am not much interested in all the bells and whistles.
So has anyone any experience of say samsung galaxy 2 and and iphone 4 , dont see the point in getting the latest versions. I have seen on web sites how each person jelously raves about the one they own but has anyone truly lived with both to give an honest opionion.
Same applies to an Ipad versus the galaxy note tablet. I have read that the charts you get with the iphone are not as good as the google you get with the samsung and also you get far more free apps and those you pay for are cheaper on andriod, is that so?
Do tablets perform all the functions of a true chart plotter. The ipad/galaxy seem good on paper as you get a 9 inch screen for the price of 5 inch chart plotter.
Some people have told me that for the ipad you can get a totally waterproof cover through which you can operate it as if it were in open air, is this true and is the same available for the Samsung.
All help appreciated

Regards Richard

PS, taken a week to get on the site, dont know how i have got here or if I can get back on, what is the thread called where people are complaining of this, would love to hear others problems

 

[gjgm]

Someone will know more than me, but looking at hand held plotters at the boatshow (similar size to a phone), the screen is so small, I thought it totally useless other than maybe getting a course across some very open water. I certainly wouldnt dream of using it anywhere near any land,obstacles,shallows.
I did read a while back that the accuracy of the gps on tablets isnt as good as dedicated ploetters, but I dont personally know. If so, maybe you wouldnt want to rely on really being 5metres from those rocks....
I like the idea of using a tablet as a back up, or some crude navigation guide, but are they really a subsitute (other than not being waterproof)?

 

[ChrisE]

Well, I use the Navionics app on my iPhone3 and now iPhone4 as a backup for the main chartplotters on the boat. As far as I can tell it is about as positionally accurate as the main plotters. The app lacks some of the functions of a true plotter but it is good enough. You get a position, track, the ability put in waypoints and courses together with a 'course and distance from here'. I haven't bothered with a waterproof cover for the phone as it sits inside my jacket and I don't use it where there's a chance of spray.

I also own an iPad with the same Navionics app but have never taken it to sea but if I did I'd want it in a waterproof cover. I'm sure that you could use it for navigating but as I said at the start I already have plotters on board.

Hope this helps

 

[ghostlymoron]

I don't know about the gps accuracy but have found the app on my phone useful as a backup. Apparently the ipad functionality is as good as dedicated plotters. Whilst waterproof holders are available, I don't think you can charge when its in it which is a serious drawback IMO. Also how do you mount it - you don't want it just lying around in a lively cockpit.

 

[maby]

Depends a lot on what you expect of your plotter. Tablets, smart phones and other computers can do a decent job of showing where you are on the map, and arguably have a better user interface for plotting a route. However, they do not integrate as easily into the rest of the boat - ok, you can buy a variety of NMEA interfaces to hook up to your tablet or computer, but the cost tends to negate any saving you might make by using the tablet in place of a dedicated plotter. I'm also not aware of any radar or fishfinder applications that run on a tablet.

They are also a lot more delicate than a dedicated plotter - our Lowrance HDS plotter plus Raymarine instruments are perfectly happy sitting out on the binacle day after day, come frost, snow, rain and breaking waves. Your iPad or Galaxy will not last five minutes in that environment. The battery life on any tablet is limited to a few hours and they take hours to recharge - a large plotter on the binacle will work so long as you have power left in the boat battery and a Garmin hand-held will work as long as you have spare AA batteries in the locker.

We have both on the boat and both are useful in the right circumstances. If we only had one, it would be the Lowrance.

 

[John_Clarke]

They are also a lot more delicate than a dedicated plotter - our Lowrance HDS plotter plus Raymarine instruments are perfectly happy sitting out on the binacle day after day, come frost, snow, rain and breaking waves. Your iPad or Galaxy will not last five minutes in that environment. The battery life on any tablet is limited to a few hours and they take hours to recharge - a large plotter on the binacle will work so long as you have power left in the boat battery and a Garmin hand-held will work as long as you have spare AA batteries in the locker.

We have both on the boat and both are useful in the right circumstances. If we only had one, it would be the Lowrance.

Completely agree. A plotter is robust and has a power supply. As backup a marine GPS is a robust solution and can be used with paper charts.

My Motorola Defy smartphone's battery does not last long when the GPS is turned on and the chart app is running. Handy to look at a chart ashore but I would not want to rely on it afloat.

A PC or tablet on the boat is useful but again I would not want to rely on them at sea for any length of time or in wet or rough conditions.

My wife also likes a plotter in the cockpit where she can see it all the time so she knows we are not running to danger. This is particularly helpful when I disappear below.

 

[TonyBuckley]

Also how do you mount it - you don't want it just lying around in a lively cockpit.

I mount mine below on a bulkhead with a couple very small pieces of velcro. It's very solid. Not sure I'd want it in the cockpit and never felt the need to do so.

 

[ianfr]

Hi

I have a dedicated chart plotter that is readable from the cockpit even with direct sunlight.
It is pretty waterproof, although when deployed it is sheltered by the spray hood.
The dedicated plotter is on a 110 Ah battery, topped up by solar and engine.

I have an android tablet which has the Navionics and Memory Map apps installed.
In direct sunlight it is not useable even though it is a well made bit of kit. It is kept below as a backup.
I can top up the battery from the boats batteries.


I have GPS on the phone, as a backup to the backup.
GPS position only.
I can top up the battery from the boats batteries.

I have paper charts as a backup to the backup of the backup.
On trips with navigation, rather than eyeball pilotage, position is logged every hour.


I think I have most of the bases covered.

Regards

Ian

 

[Gordonmc]

I still rely on paper charts for first-line navigation but when the day comes to slip the lines I intend to join the 21st century with a chartplotter/radar combo.
Meantime I also have a Samsung Galaxy 7-inch tablet loaded with the usual apps: Navionics, Boatie, GPS Essentials etc. Plus a few hundred e-books and enough music to keep me happy.
I find the tablet a handy piece of work for spot-reference. It lives in the cockpit with its own power supply in a dedicated waterproof box alongside the only other bit of electronics on board, forward looking sonar.
So, while the Galaxy's limitations are recognised the bases are covered at very little cost.

 

[wotayottie]

I have seen on web sites how each person jelously raves about the one they own but has anyone truly lived with both to give an honest opionion.

I have a Samsung Galaxy 1 ie the original. Works fine as a phone. OKish on the internet - slower than the latest ones with faster processors. Have the Navionics chart app on it but its little more than a toy - screen too small for nav, battery liofe when using GPS is maybe 2 hours. When the phone breaks I might well go back to something simpler since all the extras on a smart phone are of little use to me or not practical to use on a phone sized screen.

Same applies to an Ipad versus the galaxy note tablet. I have read that the charts you get with the iphone are not as good as the google you get with the samsung and also you get far more free apps and those you pay for are cheaper on andriod, is that so?

Most apps are a waste of time. As for charts you are mixing things up - the mapping on the I Phone that isnt so good is land mapping. The navionics marine is the same on both.

Do tablets perform all the functions of a true chart plotter. The ipad/galaxy seem good on paper as you get a 9 inch screen for the price of 5 inch chart plotter.

NO they dont perform the functions of a proper chart plotter. They might be good enough if your sailing isnt very adventurous but I wouldnt rely on one. Fewer functions, poor vis in sunlight, less robust, not waterproof. If you carry and can use paper charts then I guess it doesnt matter that much, but if you are thinking of using only an IPad or other tablet, then I would strongly advise against.

Some people have told me that for the ipad you can get a totally waterproof cover through which you can operate it as if it were in open air, is this true and is the same available for the Samsung.
All help appreciated

Regards Richard

Dont know.

 

[StuE]

Whatever you buy make sure they use the same operating system ie/ if you buy an Iphone then buy an Ipad and the same goes for an Android based systems (or windows ). I personally have owned both the Android based Samsung Galaxy S2 and an Iphone 4s, I prefer the Samsung by a mile. Bear in mind many different manufactures make Android devices so you have a huge choice - only 1 manufacture makes Apple OS devices .
Also consider a Netbook - I use a Yeoman chart plotter and a Netbook running Opencpn. I really like the Yeoman as it is a nice blend of old and new.

 

[little shack]

What about on a slightly different tack .dedicated chart plotter and as a back up and a bit of fun Yoeman plotter,must admit that this is still on my own wish list but hope to sort this shortly.Phones always seem to have a slightly delicate nature.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Unless you really want a smart phone why not get a DSC handheld as a back up GPS? If you are going for a smart phone the biggest difference between iPhone 4 and some of the Android phones is the screen size (which makes the phone bigger of course). Galaxy S3 (more expensive) has a much larger sreen and is good in sunlight (though still way behind a plotter). Waterproof covers are available for all the top tablets but they aren't perfect. If I was going to use a 10" tablet my choice would be Asus TF70T (save your money and don't get the docking station unless you really want it). This has an exceleent scrren and is definitely the best of all the tablets in sunlight. Next would be an iPad4 (or a secondhand iPad 3 but not an iPad 2) closely followed by the Samsung Note. I haven't tried the Nexus 10 in bright sunlight (have we had any since they came out?) but it looks to be pretty much as good as the iPad 4, perhaps it could be better than the iPad 4 in sunlight given the highly saturated look of it's display in normal light. iPad has more natural and subdued colours to my eye.

As said by others tablets are a long behind plotters in terms of functionality, robustness/reliability and especially viewability in sunlight.

 

[Richard D]

Must thank everyone for thier input, think it will be a chart plotter and a cheap GPS hand held.

Cheers Richard

 

[PetiteFleur]

I have a Yeoman which works with charts and I like it, also a Garmin 72 with charts but it's a bit small and a couple of years ago bought a netbook with charts from from Stanford/Imray, the adfvantage is that it can also be used in port with wifi for getting online. I only have a 'dumb' phone - so my grandaughter tells me and it perfectly OK for making calls and sometimes a text.

 

[NickRobinson]

I've used Memory Map for years on a laptop and a Windows Mobile PDA then WM phone.
Works well, routes tracks, COG/SOG/ETA, log.

The laptop has always stayed on the saloon table, viewed through the companionway.

Bit thirsty on power using an inverter or direct 12v charger so I've just bought a 10 inch Android tablet, a Motorola Xoom.

I'll report when it arrives. Anyone used one?

Nick

 

[Rivers & creeks]

On our second year with the iPad as the only plotter. It has Navionics and full plotter functionality. Nice bit of large screen plotter kit. Lots of criticism from a few people who've never used one for this purpose but we have and find the 10" screen an easy size to use and Navionics has the same charts as our plotter had before we sold it. We're spoiled now because unless we won the lottery we couldn't afford a 10" touch screen plotter that you can move around the boat.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

On our second year with the iPad as the only plotter. It has Navionics and full plotter functionality. Nice bit of large screen plotter kit. Lots of criticism from a few people who've never used one for this purpose but we have and find the 10" screen an easy size to use and Navionics has the same charts as our plotter had before we sold it. We're spoiled now because unless we won the lottery we couldn't afford a 10" touch screen plotter that you can move around the boat.

There's also been criticism from those that have used it as one though. Perhaps we should really call the plotter an MFD as, while you can do it, it's not easy to get the iPad to display depth for example on an integrated display and I don't believe you can AIS on a Navionics chart on a tablet either. The tablet functionality is way short of the high end charts as well, which have 3D views, photographs for pilotage, etc. and even satellite overlay on some.

 

[maby]

There's also been criticism from those that have used it as one though. Perhaps we should really call the plotter an MFD as, while you can do it, it's not easy to get the iPad to display depth for example on an integrated display and I don't believe you can AIS on a Navionics chart on a tablet either. The tablet functionality is way short of the high end charts as well, which have 3D views, photographs for pilotage, etc. and even satellite overlay on some.

It really is very dependent on what you expect from your plotter and your approach to navigation. If you are a relatively fair-weather, coastal sailor, you are probably fine with a tablet. If you are a traditionalist who navigates primarily on paper and just uses the electronics for planning and to confirm your location, the tablet should do fine.

If, on the other hand, you intend to use primarily electronic navigation and do venture out in bad weather, then I don't think you can rely on a tablet - they are just too fragile. Also, if you want an integrated system with instruments displayed on your plotter screen and coordinates echoed to your instrument displays, the tablet will not fit the bill. If you want AIS or DSC radio, the tablet is not a good solution - ok, you can set up an NMEA interface to many tablets, but the cost of the extra components is going to negate any saving associated with using the tablet.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

If, on the other hand, you intend to use primarily electronic navigation and do venture out in bad weather, then I don't think you can rely on a tablet - they are just too fragile. Also, if you want an integrated system with instruments displayed on your plotter screen and coordinates echoed to your instrument displays, the tablet will not fit the bill. If you want AIS or DSC radio, the tablet is not a good solution - ok, you can set up an NMEA interface to many tablets, but the cost of the extra components is going to negate any saving associated with using the tablet.

Not in my experience; actual 18 months of using it type experience; not discussing it on a forum type experience.