Which Nav App for iPhone?

May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Sorry for the oft asked redundant question....which nav app do you guys favor for an iPhone? local day/weekend sailor here, don't need Carribean, Europe, Antartica, etc., simply NC and surrounding area....Navionics perhaps?...what do you use & why. Simple functionality (and price of course) is important as I am not much of a techno-geek....
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
thx Gene! trust your judgment always....if it got you to and from the Dry Tortugas safely, it'll surely be sufficient for the Neuse River & Pamlico Sound!
 

AaronD

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Aug 10, 2014
723
Catalina 22 9874 Newberg, OR / Olympia, WA
Navionics here. :thumbup:
:plus: Same here.

I've tried a few others, and I keep coming back to Navionics:
1) The user interface is more intuitive (to me) than anything else I've tried.
2) Automatic dock-to-dock routing - of course the routes aren't perfect, and you always want to review themn. But the ability to quickly estimate 'going from A to B will take about 3.5 hours, and A to C would be 4.5' is really nice. We're all addicted to mapping systems for driving, and this is the closest I've seen in a boating app.
3) Navionics 'Sonarcharts' add additional depth detail, aggregated from all the boaters who let their sounders upload to Navionics. I turn this option on when entering a shallow gunkhole. My experience in the Puget Sound has found it remarkably consistent (your mileage might vary, especially in other locations).
4) AIS integration (if you have a receiver)

A few more notes about AIS in my boat thread.

That said, I am considering a real chart plotter one of these days...
 
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
The autoroute feature in Navionics is nice, but as AaronD said you have to review them before using. It routes a little too close to shore for my liking. I usually sail the route a little wider than the plot provided there's no obstacles on the other side. You can run multiple devices and all your routes will be available on each with an internet connection. For non-US charts it's the easiest and probably cheapest way to go.
I actually prefer OpenCpn for underway navigation. There's no autoroute so you have to build your own routes but then you know they are where you want them. It's a free download and US charts are also free. Foreign charts are available but not for free. You can display raster (traditional paper charts) or vector charts. I like the rasters which you can't get on Navionics. OpenCpn will display anything you can feed it with NMEA, AIS, radar, depth and speed, even engine gauges. Much more versatile but a little harder to set up.
 
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ShawnL

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Jul 29, 2020
106
Catalina 22 3603 Calumet Mi
+1 for OpenCPN. I put it on a raspberry pi and added a touch screen to it and a USB attached GPS antenna. Working in a mount for it so it'll sit on the starboard bulkhead next to the companion way when sailing, then swing back into the cabin when not. The interface isn't as nice as one built for touch screens / tablets, etc. But still very usable. And, with it I have an internet enabled computer on the boat. I guess I'm kind of a geek.
 
Jun 21, 2011
49
Catalina 22 MKII Scarborough, Ontario
Another useful little app that I was introduced to recently and which I use frequently for short sailing excursions is “ Waterspeed”. It is free at the App Store and shows speed, average speed, heading, distance covered, and elapsed time, and tracks your route. The information can be saved for future reference. Your speed can also be seen in bold lettering on an Apple Watch, which is also a useful feature!
 
Jan 15, 2021
22
Catalina 22 2313 Bowleys Quarters
navionics is easy, accurate to within 1 meter. lost my lights just at dusk and had to use my Navionics to get back to my slip at the marina. worked perfectly. right to my slip. very happy with this kit