The Hudl, what a splendid piece of kit it is

[hopern1]

So, I am relatively new to sailing and have limited funds so have been working out how to do stuff on the cheap, but still maintain a suitable safety margin.

Of course I would love a GPSMAP® 8015 MFD (seriously? £4.9k for a 15 inch screen ? that's more than twice what I paid for my boat originally (ok ignoring the cost of the new rigging and replaced engine head)).

So instead just got myself a Hudl from Tesco. 7 inches of Android excellence, add in Navionics charts for UK, Ireland and Holland and bingo. A portable plotter, allows me to plan my journey at home, lay out the course beforehand and then track it en route, etc etc
(And yes, before the purists ask, I do have the physical paper charts, I do a written planned journey course with way points detailed etc in case of electronics failure).

So just got back from my first weekend away trip (home port Gosport, went to Cowes). And having done shorter day trips before, the Hudl was simply fab. Sooo much easier, safer, convenient etc etc. It works for me.

regards
Norris

 

[Dipper]

I second that. The only gripe is that the screen isn't very bright in sunlight but I suppose that helps to prolong battery life.

 

[Jamesuk]

I have been looking at buying on for ages but my ipad works so well and I have my iPhone with navionics on it so at the moment I don't need one. I'm waiting tho for Hudl 3 (yes after two) before I buy one. I think by then the screen will be as good as the nexus now is

 

[Vega1447]

So, I am relatively new to sailing and have limited funds so have been working out how to do stuff on the cheap, but still maintain a suitable safety margin.

Of course I would love a GPSMAP® 8015 MFD (seriously? £4.9k for a 15 inch screen ? that's more than twice what I paid for my boat originally (ok ignoring the cost of the new rigging and replaced engine head)).

So instead just got myself a Hudl from Tesco. 7 inches of Android excellence, add in Navionics charts for UK, Ireland and Holland and bingo. A portable plotter, allows me to plan my journey at home, lay out the course beforehand and then track it en route, etc etc
(And yes, before the purists ask, I do have the physical paper charts, I do a written planned journey course with way points detailed etc in case of electronics failure).

So just got back from my first weekend away trip (home port Gosport, went to Cowes). And having done shorter day trips before, the Hudl was simply fab. Sooo much easier, safer, convenient etc etc. It works for me.

regards
Norris

Agree re Hudl - I bought one on EBay for £100.

I also have Navionics UK, Ireland and Holland.

BUT: the fact that there is no way to load or save waypoints and routes means that Navionics is *only* a chartplotter, not a passage planning package.

 

[Mistroma]

Plus all the other stuff it can do as well as standard (browsing, email etc.). Free apps. (anchor alarm etc.) and media player for rainy days (add an HDMI adapter for about £2 to connect to a TV). Power usage is tiny vs. laptop. So useful and very cheap.

I used Tesco vouchers for mine and even got a discount on food & clothing we were buying anyway (Saved at least £20). So def. a good buy and very useful. Not perfect though, GPS & Wifi not as good as on other devices. Can't really complain as Tesco almost paid me to take it off their hands (well not quite).

 

[onesea]

I am not going to say anything against your huddle, I am invariably navigating of my Navionics on my phone if I want to check chart details...

What I would suggest you do for Solent passages is load your huddle up with all your stuff..
Put it below get the chart and use your eyes to get you across learn to look at the chart and see what it is in real life... There is enough in the Solent to navigate from without electronics...

Ok use it to check but make sure you learn to leave it below unless you really need it.... You will enjoy sailing so much more...

 

[hopern1]

Yep I'll give you that. It is limited.

So is there any other software out there that does have that functionality (waypoints and route saving) ?(that works on an Android, GPS enabled device).
regards
Norris

 

[Spyro]

I considered a Hudl after trying my mother in law's but the camera on it is dreadful. Bought an 8 inch samsung tab instead. I do like Navionics but find it limited. I would like to be able to store waypoints and have a goto function. I'd also like to see my heading on the main screen.

 

[mjcoon]

...
BUT: the fact that there is no way to load or save waypoints and routes means that Navionics is *only* a chartplotter, not a passage planning package.

Oh, dear, I was considering buying their Med chart but you have quite put me off! I'm going to have to investigate some of these freebie GPS apps (e.g. "GPS Essentials" despite irrelevancies) more deeply...

Mike.

 

[GHA]

Agree re Hudl - I bought one on EBay for £100.

I also have Navionics UK, Ireland and Holland.

BUT: the fact that there is no way to load or save waypoints and routes means that Navionics is *only* a chartplotter, not a passage planning package.

You can create routes on a pc if you want and they automatically get shared with a tablet, little bit of a fiddle but not too hard..

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?396082-Android-on-your-PC-With-navionics!

 

[jimking]

Routes can be saved on Navionics, we do it all the time. They are saved in archive, they can also be shared.

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

Don't know about you but, from Gosport, I can SEE the Isle Of Wight.

 

[Robert Wilson]

I can see Gruinard Island - mile and a quarter. But NOT today. Thick, low mist. Hey ho.

As for Hudl, I shall follow this thread further before making up my mind. I have an Asus tablet which should let me use Navionics? I would definitely want to create, store and view way-points and have go-to facilities.

 

[lw395]

I've had the Hudl for about 8 months now IIRc. The GPS seems to work less well than when I first had it. It takes a long time to acquire when in the car.
It was never as quick as a TomTom.
So I doubt it has much margin to keep working when it's below decks and there's rain and spray about.
Still a useful device, but I wouldn't bother with it for the Solent. A checkchart in the cockpit is better.

Has anyone made a Hudl work with an external USB GPS?
I've got most of the bits, just not got a round tuit.

I like the Hudl as a wifi web tool, and for showing people photos.
Sygic maps are good too, excellent mapping offline, but this costs about £20.

 

[alant]

I considered a Hudl after trying my mother in law's but the camera on it is dreadful. Bought an 8 inch samsung tab instead. I do like Navionics but find it limited. I would like to be able to store waypoints and have a goto function. I'd also like to see my heading on the main screen.

Try cleaning the lens, camera works fine on my hudl.

 

[mjcoon]

Try cleaning the lens, camera works fine on my hudl.

Yes, "dreadful" is rather a vague description of a fault, especially since there are two cameras.

Mike.

 

[Colvic Watson]

If it's half as good as the iPad then at a quarter of the price it has to be a great package.

 

[lustyd]

There is enough in the Solent to navigate from without charts...

There, fixed that for you Unless you're doing a course it's unusual to reference the charts while on passage in the Solent, especially once used to the various places. Even before that, a few well planned notes will suffice.

Then you just have to deal with the crazy conditions in the Solent, which I maintain make sailing much harder than anywhere else I've sailed with the exception of Arran.

 

[Robert Wilson]

There, fixed that for you Unless you're doing a course it's unusual to reference the charts while on passage in the Solent, especially once used to the various places. Even before that, a few well planned notes will suffice.

Then you just have to deal with the crazy conditions in the Solent, which I maintain make sailing much harder than anywhere else I've sailed with the exception of Arran.

Please excuse the drift, but what did you find difficult with Arran? I ask out of interest having circumnavigated it last year including a hairy hour or two south of Plada lighthouse.

 

[lustyd]

Please excuse the drift, but what did you find difficult with Arran? I ask out of interest having circumnavigated it last year including a hairy hour or two south of Plada lighthouse.

Not so much difficult in that it was hard to do, more difficult in that conditions are harder to predict and forecast wind is meaningless. The Solent rarely reflects the forecast wind direction due to all the local effects, and Arran was similar in that the wind funnelled down either side so despite a very definite easterly wind that day, there was pretty much a northerly both sides of the island. The Solent also has tidal factors which then make the sea state very strange - open water sailing tends to give you predictable swell with predictable waves while the Solent changes constantly and at a moments notice. I'm sure other areas are odd too but those are the ones I've found stick out of all the places I've sailed.