New Owner

[DaggersJeff]

Apologies if this has been discussed before.

looking at equipping my Bayliner 2655 with a chart plotter . Have looked at a few, but also have received suggestion within last few days of using a cellular I pad with navigation software.

Peoples thoughts on the two?

Thanks,

 

[Bigplumbs]

Apologies if this has been discussed before.

looking at equipping my Bayliner 2655 with a chart plotter . Have looked at a few, but also have received suggestion within last few days of using a cellular I pad with navigation software.

Peoples thoughts on the two?

Thanks,

Ipad and navionics is very good. Must be cellular as you mention or the GPS won't work. The issue is that the screen is very hard to read in sunlight and also finding a suitable mount to hold onto it in a chop is difficult.

I would go Garmin chart plotter. You can get some nice ones that are removable from the mount. They are very good

Dennis

 

[rafiki_]

I use my iPad, backed up with my chartplotter and paper charts.

 

[DavidJ]

Just installed a Raymarine Axiom 9 and really pleased. Very intuitive and a really clear and bright screen. The Raymarine brand was chosen because of ease of integration with older generation Raymarine kit.

 

[rubberduck]

Just installed a Raymarine Axiom 9 and really pleased. Very intuitive and a really clear and bright screen. The Raymarine brand was chosen because of ease of integration with older generation Raymarine kit.

Us too, superb bit of kit.

 

[jfm]

As said above the issue is sunlight visibility. This may or may not matter to you. A marine unit is typically 1000-1200 nits brightness; an iPad is ballpark 450 nits. That difference is a big deal in bright sun

 

[[2068]]

Latest generation iPad Pro is more like 600-650 nits, but still nowhere near as bright as an Axiom.

 

[julians]

A Garmin 276cx is pretty good for a relatively inexpensive chart plotter for a small boat.

It also has an internal battery so can be used away from the boat,or easily moved between boats.

 

[Hot Property]

If you have an enclosed cockpit with some shade then a GPS enabled tablet using navionics is a good and cost effective solution. 2 friends with larger boats use them successfully mainly as the movement onboard is minimal.

If you have an open top sports boat the issues are:-

Bracket to hold tablet in place, they are available but in my experience can't handle choppier seas.
Screen is not nearly bright enough in sunlight
Tablet battery overheats - happened to me last Wednesday in the Solent so summer not required!
Salt spray as they are not waterproof
Screen too bright at night time

It is very useful when approaching unfamiliar waters as you can zoom right into the chart and for route planning. I still use my old Garmin chart plotter in conjunction with the tablet as at least it won't bounce off the cockpit floor unexpectedly.

 

[Bigplumbs]

In summary if you already own a tablet I would get navionics to use either down below or when at home planning routes etc. But when on the boat I think you need a proper detachable chart plotter

 

[oceanfroggie]

Ipad and navionics is very good. Must be cellular as you mention or the GPS won't work. The issue is that the screen is very hard to read in sunlight and also finding a suitable mount to hold onto it in a chop is difficult.

I would go Garmin chart plotter. You can get some nice ones that are removable from the mount. They are very good

Dennis

+1

I use iPad with BlueChart mobile apps as a backup and for route planning, tides, weather, etc, but because of the daylight visibility and usability I need underway, especially if in a rough sea I also use a Garmin marine plotter, one wth buttons because I don’t like touchscreen only interface when there is a lot of boat movement.

Ps. I also like the Navionics HD app

 

[Bigplumbs]

I actually have the Garmin Echomap 55dv that I interchange between 4 boats. Mounting it takes 2 seconds

Dennis

 

[kevingreystones]

I have used my iPad for the last three years mounted on a Scanstrut Mount , however this year we have a lot of problems as the iPad kept overheating due to the intense sunshine ( seriously )

 

[DavidJ]

I have used my iPad for the last three years mounted on a Scanstrut Mount , however this year we have a lot of problems as the iPad kept overheating due to the intense sunshine ( seriously )

Interesting, I played with navionics on an old iPad as a backup and had it in a waterproof case, it got very very hot and I guess would have eventually packed up. The heat in this case was internally generated.

 

[oldgit]

Apologies if this has been discussed before. looking at equipping my Bayliner 2655 with a chart plotter . Have looked at a few, but also have received suggestion within last few days of using a cellular I pad with navigation software. Peoples thoughts on the two? Thanks,

Your choice might depend not so much on budget but on where you intend doing your boating. If you mainly are going to boat in non tidal or sheltered waters of river estuaries then tablet or laptop may well satisfy your needs.Better a large screen on a tablet than some next to useless weeny chart plotter.On other hand if you are going out and over any distances , a decent well bolted down chartplotter, can be very reassuring. Have 2 x fixed chatplotters on my boat but do prefer my laptop with nav software for creeping about in local muddy creeks and coastal hops in calm conditions . Worth considering a newish decent s/hand plotter as updated charts are not that expensive. Last tip, get a screen your eyes are comfortable with.You might not have problems with details in the comfort of the chandlery but add a bit of wind and rain !

 

[Alanij]

When I first bought my boat three years ago I used a non-cellular waterproof Android tablet with Navionics software, which worked perfectly well, although I did use it plugged into a power-bank, as the battery usage was fairly high (~4 hrs to discharge the tablet battery). I bought a new Raymarine plotter as part of an upgrade to the electronics last year, but still have the Navionics as a back-up, plus now use the tablet with the Raymarine Control software as a second display on the flybridge.