Incorporating an iPad while boating

Speedbird 48

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Mar 20, 2020
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1
I have an 11 inch iPad Pro. One of the reasons I purchased it was because I intend to do a lot of flying down the line, and foreflight is simply unmatched.i was curious to see if there were boating specific apps for the iPad and was happy to find quite a few. I currently have c-map installed, but it doesn’t appear to use NOAA charts. Another app I was looking at is inavx but the subscription seems to be quite expensive if you include charts at 80 dollars a year. I currently have a Garmin gps440 on my boat, and I primarily intend to fish in the puget sound: Any ideas on incorporating an iPad in the cockpit?
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
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47,306
if you can read the iPad outside in direct sunlight, then look at apps. the issues with iPads and tablets using LED technology is they are not bright enough for reading in direct sunlight like the LCD screens

prior to worrying about which app to use, take the tablet and lay it on your boat dash in direct sunlight and wait. first you wont be able to see it, then it will start to get warm and overheat.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
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Jul 27, 2007
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7,952
Personally, I try to incorporate beer and fishing poles into my boating experience. I go out to get AWAY from the IPad.

Maybe an in-dash Garmin, Raymarine or Simrad would be more appropriate.
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
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I wouldn't compare any of the boating apps with Foreflight. The big missing component is traffic data, which helps make Foreflight pretty amazing. The boating apps don't give you the same detail.

I really like Navionics, and it supposedly integrates well with other systems (I have a Hummingbird). I've used the apps out on the water even to navigate using my phone, and I really like the way they work. BUT ... it chews up battery power FAST.
 

four winns 214

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Oct 25, 2008
Messages
757
I use these three apps on my iPad Pro 12.9”:

Seaiq USA (this will give you NOAA raster charts that are paper charts displayed digitally and USACOE vector charts updated weekly)

Navionics USA & Canada (proprietary cartography updated constantly)

Aqua Maps USA (proprietary cartography updated constantly)

All three of the above apps can display current “crowd sourced” data about anchorages, marinas, and navigation hazards. Seaiq can display only data from Waterway Guide, Navionics displays only Active Captain (both are owned by Garmin), and Aqua Maps can display both.

I use these at the helm of my 2012 Ranger Tug R27 that is equipped with a Garmin 5212 chartplotter. The charts on the 5212 are dated, but I use it mostly to display radar, sonar, GPS course, time, distance, and fuel used.

As has been related above, the iPad display will wash out in direct sunlight and overheat if left in it long enough. The helm of my Ranger Tug is inside so that’s not a problem. I have used the iPad Pro at the helm of an open bow boat and it’s usable most of the times of the day. If it’s mid-day, I shade the helm with a bimini.

On both boats, I use a RAM mount to hold the iPad. The RAM mount is secured by suction cups to window glass. I use a Lightning charging cable plugged into a 12 volt outlet for power, otherwise battery life will be a 2-3 hours.

I use a Dual GPS 160 Bluetooth GPS for position data.

I also use ForeFlight on the iPad.
 
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Reelnice

Cadet
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
Messages
6
Personally, I try to incorporate beer and fishing poles into my boating experience. I go out to get AWAY from the IPad.

Maybe an in-dash Garmin, Raymarine or Simrad would be more appropriate.

I agree! I go on the water to get away from all the screens, but it's inevitable that there will be more and more screens everywhere. The next car I buy I'm looking for one that actually has less screens. Although, as much as I'm not a fan, there are a lot of benefits, including safety, to having them on the boat.
 
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