Apps for you phone, pad, worth it?

[joes new addiction]

I get emails from "About Sailor on a regular basis.
Being a newbie, I try to get as much info about sailing to lessen the learning curve.
So this author rated the best chart apps for phones.
Kinda came at a god time, I'm reading my book, "Coatal Navigation" by Mike Pyzel for my ASA cert. in April.
Always been a "map" junkie.
Road, topo, route sheets. I was the guy who kept time when we did motorcycle enduros. If it had a map on it, my nose is in it.
So the authur rated his top apps.
1 Memory Map
2 MX Mariner
3. Naviating Marine Lakes
4 Nuti Chart Lite
I looked on my wife's I phone, (I have a old phone cuz I brutal on them, I get the hand me downs to kill), at the chart apps available, what they can do etc. (there's a LOT)
Price range- they go form $9.99-$49.99 for the few I looked at.
Looked at MX Mariner on line (they have have a U Tube on the entire system. WoW! what it can do).
SO the question is...................................
A chart app for my phone?
has anyone used them, pros-cons
What CAN they do, not do?
An I phone app or a GPS? or a paper chart or all?
Presently I really don't need anything yet, (I just rented my first slip at a small, well small compared to some of the places I see people sail at on this site lake- Lake Walenpalpac in Pa.), but I have a friend who has a "summer house" in Clayton N.Y. on the St. Lawerence that I might head up to this summer to see if there really is water there.
IS a phone chart app worth the $$?
Joe
So many questions, so many things I need to know

 

[Merlin Clark]

There is a lot of discussion about using smart phone and pads for navigation.
My daughter broke her iphone and the replacement cost was to be something like $450, luckily we were able to add a line and get a new one for the reduced rate. Sorry if this sounds like an old mans ramble but this got me to thinking that I would rather spend a little more than the replacement cost of a phone or pad and buy a decent plotter that is made to be out in the weather and is mounted where people are not going to be able to sit or step on it or drop it in the drink. Not to mention the loss of contacts, music, pictures etc if the phone or pad is trashed or lost over the side.
At our old marina the saying was the bottom was paved with cell phones and car keys!
Just my 2c, do what works for you.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Also, I just found these for a project we putting together in N Africa: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=63802
Kinda pricey but it does just about everything but empty the litter box and put beer in the fridge.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Excellent Value

I have Navionics for the Great Lakes on my iPhone, and iPad. They are excellent apps, and have worked well for us. I do have a charting Garmin handheld, so that is our goto solution in the cockpit, with the iPhone as the backup. Navionics has marinas and their phone #'s on their charts, and being able to simply tap the screen to call a marina is slick. I have compared their charts to Garmin and never found them to be of lesser quality, or detail. The other big use of the iPhone is to see weather radar in real time.

Since I have once joined those who are paving the bottom with an earlier cell phone, we keep the iPhone in the cabin, just inside the companionway when we are not using it. This has worked well for a couple of summers.

The Australasia charts on Navionics have also be key in planning our trip to sail in New Zealand, and Bora Bora. (Can't wait, we leave March 16!)

 

[Winkfish]

Your fist go-to thing should be an up-to-date paper chart. After that, electronics should be back-up/support. On that front, I have a handheld Garmin GPSMap 76cx. Great piece of equipment. Bought the unit and the g2 chart for , I believe, $250 from West Marine. When I get a smart phone, I'll probably load some kind of gps app as a second backup.

 

[dlewis812]

of course updated paper charts are a must (and some sort of gps).. however i second the navionics app; easy to read and so much info. i have my Ipad mounted on the pedestal along with a waterproof case if needed

 

[inarathree]

I have Navionics on both my iPhone and iPad. For coastal sailing they work fine, or as a backup to a dedicated solution. I wouldn't go out and buy an iPhone/smartphone or an iPad just for navigation, a $250 GPS from WM is best. But I had both, so a $14 app was the way to go.

The iPad also does double duty, as it is loaded with other apps and games (for the kids ), and a couple movies for when spending the night somewhere. A stargazing app is also good for clear nights away from civilization.

If you do a quick search here, you will find many posts about apps for smartphones. There is also an external site, if you google for mac sailing apps, or something like that, there is a forum there for apps on iDevices.

adding web site:

http://www.macsailing.net

 

[Jared1048]

I'm actually buying a ipad3 specifically for sailing. Biggest selling point was the cheap navigation software for $50 and its extremely power efficient. The fact that it can also double as a link to watch netflix movies, digital bookshelf, web browser and entertainment device made it a very easy sell for me. I will of course have a backup handheld gps and paper charts but the versatile use of it makes more sense to me than dishing out a couple thousand for a dedicated marine chart plotter.

Being that the ipad3 is coming out in about a week the old ipad2’s have been flooding craigslist as people are ditching them for the latest and greatest. You can pick one of for about half price now. I’m waiting to see the features the new ipad to see if it’s worth the extra money.

If you’re worried about breaking or water damage they do have cases you can put them in that add a great deal of protection.

 

[joes new addiction]

Thanks! It seems we're split 50/50 on this.
My first thought was "how many I phones (or androids) will I break or drop into the abyss"?
So far I've refrained from taking my company cell onboard, just a tract phone I found years ago.
When I was looking at apps on my wife's I phone, I got, "We're not gonna sail outta sigh of land are we"?
"Dunno, the Palpac isn't a big lake, but when we go to Jim's "small house" , (his camper in Clayton N.Y.) I may go into the Great Lakes. This will be later on in the summer, I have to get the boat all sorted out first".
I got "THE LOOK" from her on this! (She's not too hip on this sailing at this point)
Prehaps I stick to the orginal plan, fish finder/sounder, a good gps and some good 'ol papercharts, (seeing how I'll be able to plot a course after the class, this will be good practice)!
One question------------ Of the people who are so/so on the apps, how many were born in the age of slide rules, black-n-white T.V.s and cars with tailfins?
Joe
I wonder how the world would be if Chris Columbus had a nav. app. on his smart phone when he came over?
Can you imagine the entire crew wearing tattered clothes, on their hand and knees scrubbing the decks, whilist texting, taking pics with thier phones and posting it on face book?
Each crew member with a phone in his hand pointing in 50 different directions with there phone held out in front of them with a nav app saying, "Go this way, go this way"?!!

 

[Gary_H]

I use the Navionics chartplotter app on my Android phone. I have only navigated with it once to test it It actually works very well. I have it primarily as a backup to my regular Garmin Chartplotter. I also have OPenCPN and Seaclear on my laptop as well as papercharts and charting tools. I have also considered downloading Navionics to my wifes Toshiba Tablet....just because I can. I also have a sextant but haven't leaned to use it yet. Still with all of this...I'll probably get lost....but If I do, I'll just pull over somewheres and ask directions!!!

 

[Gary_H]

Oh as far as loosing your phone overboard..I have a soft clear plastic type case that you put you phone in and it's waterproof and floats. You can still use all the touch functions through the case as well as bluetooth and wired headphones. I learned my lesson when I ruined my previous expensive smartphone during the last hurricane. Google smartphone waterproof cases.

 

[GorillaToast]

I have Navionics on my iPad and iPhone as well, but when the time comes to actually sail somewhere where I need real navigation I'll buy iNavx. Navionics does not use the actual NOAA raster charts, where iNavx does. And you can download the latest corrected chart as often as you need them. The detail on the NOAA charts is so much better.

As to losing your devices overboard, I have Otter cases on both of mine. They are very tacky, and the phone or pad won't slip out of your hands. Plus, I don't leave them lying around in the cockpit. The phone goes into a waterproof container the moment I open the boat, and the iPad is in a water resistant plastic case and mounted on a swing arm mount that only allows it to come out as far as the companionway entrance.

As far as other useful apps,

MID
Google Earth
PocketGrib
Wind Meter
WindAlert
MyRadar Pro
Windfinder
TWC
AroundMe
AnchorAlert

Don't have any yet, but +1 on paper charts and sextant. The hooligans will figure out how to jam GPS soon, and I'd sure like to have a paddle when I'm up that well-known creek.

 

[Merlin Clark]

One question------------ Of the people who are so/so on the apps, how many were born in the age of slide rules, black-n-white T.V.s and cars with tailfins?
[/quote]

I fit those shoes Joe!
Our B&W tv weighed about 500lbs, took up half the room and only got 3 stations 'cause that's all there were. Flash Gordon's rocket ship was held up by wires you could see.
I don't twitter, find most stuff I see on facebook to be senseless chatter (if you love god repost this, my baby took a crap this morning, yadda yadda, I've got a billion "friends" and don't know them) and the idea of a phone that converts speech to text and the text to speech has got to be the peak of mankinds achievements- NOT.

I know I'm a dinosaur and am ok with it!

But I do think the apps and all these phones can do is very cool!

 

[TerryGufshoz]

One question------------ Of the people who are so/so on the apps, how many were born in the age of slide rules, black-n-white T.V.s and cars with tailfins?

I fit those shoes Joe!
Our B&W tv weighed about 500lbs, took up half the room and only got 3 stations 'cause that's all there were. Flash Gordon's rocket ship was held up by wires you could see.
I don't twitter, find most stuff I see on facebook to be senseless chatter (if you love god repost this, my baby took a crap this morning, yadda yadda, I've got a billion "friends" and don't know them) and the idea of a phone that converts speech to text and the text to speech has got to be the peak of mankinds achievements- NOT.

I know I'm a dinosaur and am ok with it!

But I do think the apps and all these phones can do is very cool![/quote]

 

[TerryGufshoz]

I'm a sextigenerian, but I embrace the abilities of all the hand-held devices. It's amazing how such a new concept has changed our lives. I will admit that I leave all the social sites to my children and grandchildren. I use "Marine Charts" on both my iphone and my ipad. Its works great and is very accurate. That said, I would never leave the dock without paper charts, compass, and a lead line.
One note of caution: iphones and ipads are very susceptible to humidity, and warranties don't cover water damage. I carried an iphone in my pocket, and the humidity from my sweat damaged it.....argh.

 

[Stephen Trapani]

Simple sealable small freezer bag with a little air in it waterproofs your phone and floats it too. And everything works when its in the bag.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I'm a sextigenerian, but I embrace the abilities of all the hand-held devices. It's amazing how such a new concept has changed our lives. I will admit that I leave all the social sites to my children and grandchildren. I use "Marine Charts" on both my iphone and my ipad. Its works great and is very accurate. That said, I would never leave the dock without paper charts, compass, and a lead line.
One note of caution: iphones and ipads are very susceptible to humidity, and warranties don't cover water damage. I carried an iphone in my pocket, and the humidity from my sweat damaged it.....argh.

My neighbor went through 3 iphones, 2 dead from h2o and later got one of the thin ones with the kevlar back? and it got bent when he sat down with it in his pocket.
He's very active and rough on gear.
I've got house payments to make and so have treat mine like fine crystal! Better yet, leave it on my desk where it'll be safe. If I don't have it with me during my off time I don't have to answer it.