Need advice

[Denis Pike]

Hi mates, how are you doing here?

Me and my buddies are trying to make a useful weather app for boaters. I know there are already a bunch of different apps and weather services, but they all have some pros and cons, especially if we are talking about navigation and fishing.

We already have an app but I don't want to write it's name because I'm here not for advertisement but for your advice and help.

Would you mind sharing me your experience of using weather apps while boating, especially how you combine them with navigation apps and fishing services or maybe with something else?

I'll appreciate any feedback from you. Thank you!

 

[racerone]

Most folks go fishing to relax I think.-----No need to involve more complex phones into fishing for me.

 

[dingbat]

Hi mates, how are you doing here?

Me and my buddies are trying to make a useful weather app for boaters. I know there are already a bunch of different apps and weather services, but they all have some pros and cons, especially if we are talking about navigation and fishing.

Would you mind sharing me your experience of using weather apps while boating, especially how you combine them with navigation apps and fishing services or maybe with something else?

I'll appreciate any feedback from you. Thank you!

My thoughts.....those relying on Apps for weather, navigation and or fishing Services do so because they lack first hand experience. A very large percentage of your target market (experianced users) don't use apps for one reason or another.

Don't get me started on "land" connected (cell) based applications for marine use. Large swaths of water lack, or have poor cell phone coverage.

Locally, NOAA Marine WX is running joke........don't know how many times I've arrived at the waters edge expecting to see calm winds and flat seas only to arrive 15 knots winds and white caps. Quite evident the forcasters have no idea of the weather anolomnies of the area. Fortuantly, there is enough live "bouy" data to make an informed decison on your own if you know where to look.
In their defense, larger bodies of water cause a number of localized weather phenomenons. Very hard to present a viable forecast w/o local knowledge and or first hand observation.

Be interesed in what you call "Fishing Services"?

The "hunt and fish time/days" type apps are a joke.....there are tried and true scenerios for the best times to fish, but the data to make those determinations are typically not aviabile until 12-24 hours in advance, if at all.

 

[Chris1956]

I would expect a component of a useful app would take into account a few factors. How far is your usual boating trip? How much weather can you observe, and how much weather do you need the internet to predict for you?

 

[briangcc]

I look up and pay attention to the weather. That's my weather app. If it's dark, wind is kicking up whitecaps, I'm more likely to stay onshore than to venture out and become the tallest object out on the lake.

As far as Nav...I have GPS on my fishfinder so no fumbling for a mobile device. And something to consider...if you're relying on a mobile device only for Nav, what happens when said device is either water logged or down in Davey Jones locker?

For fishing...I drop a line in the water. IF I catch something I continue casting. IF I don't, I'll give it a couple lure changes and up to "We're bored, can we move?" before moving. To find out where fish are biting, and on what, I talk with my extended family back onshore as we generally have 5 boats or more in the water fishing.

I applaud the idea but in my particular case it's not something I'd use.

 

[JimS123]

My boats are equipped with marine radios, which have weather channels on them. As far as weather, that's all I ever needed.

On another topic, I don't watch farce book ((formally known as X (or whatever)), so I don't need a smartphone, and don't need any stupid apps.

Now, I confess, I have one now. When Mercury had a sale on Vesselview I bought a phone as well. This app ties me into all the parameters of my engine. Of course, the dumb thing came with weather.com and a radar app, so not I don't even need the VHF any more.

Bottom line.......we have too many apps already, don't need any more.

 

[racerone]

If water birds are diving / feeding on the surface then likely there are bigger fish around.----That is where you throw a line in.-----Nature simply does not need HUMANS with electronics around to do even more damage to dwindling fish stocks.

 

[Scott Danforth]

usually throw the phone in the glove box because the phone is not readable in Florida sunshine.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I don’t rely on apps for much of anything at all. For fishing I Just look at the local weather for the body of water I plan to fish. I pay particular attention to wind. That’s usually good enough for me. My onboard electronics have all the on water navigation I’ll ever need.
Good luck with it maybe you can come up with a winner.

 

[1985 Century Mustang]

For boating I use "Windy" a great app.shows me seas, wind, temps etc. and it's free. Good luck on your app.

 

[airshot]

I have lived in the same area most of my life and been a boater since age 12, all I need to know is wind direction and speed and I can tell you what the lake will be like when I get there !! Know the area where you boat, become familiar with water conditions based on wind speed and direction...Our local lake forecast is correct about 50% of the time, so not worth listening to it. In years back, the weather guy was a fellow boater and his forecasts were normally right on the money, but when your weather folks are not boaters....an educated guess is all you get....

 

[dingbat]

I have lived in the same area most of my life and been a boater since age 12, all I need to know is wind direction and speed and I can tell you what the lake will be like when I get there !!

I wish it was that simple for us.

Between the mountains, the Bermuda High and the elevated water temps (upper 80's) , the weather is very unstable and conditions can variety greatly in a distance of a few of miles.

Once the water temps get up in late Spring, Sea Breezes becomes a factor. It can blow 20 kts for about an hour prior to sun rise and sunset

 

[Scott Danforth]

I will add, weather apps are only useful when there is cell service. cell phones do not work when you are 25+ miles off shore. having a radar on the boat is what is needed for that

additionally, certain bodies of water ignore weather forecast. for example, deaths door in the bay of green bay on lake michigan. a 3 degree swing in wind direction can have waves grow from 1-2 foot chop to 6-8 feet tall due to the doppler effect.

then again, I have pulled most of the apps from my phone because of non-use over the past 3 years. getting too disenchanted with cell phones to care about apps

 

[pgandw]

Don't like to use apps while I'm boating. I like to look at the scenery and what I'm doing. I suffer through Navionics Boating App for navigation. For weather, I look at the forecast before I go, and I look out the window.
Fred W
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC

 

[Texasmark]

I have a "Flip Phone" and it doesn't have aps.........yeaaaaaaaaa. For weather forecasts I rely on Weather Underground .com on the 10 day forecast. You get all the anticipated weather info including barometer, humidity and wind direction and velocity anticipated throughout the day listed in a 24 hour chart for each of the10 days, Once you get familiar with all that weather data you can learn how to interpret fact from fiction and plan your trip. I especially find their wind data educational as you get direction, amount, and the time of the day different wind conditions are expected. I find their information to be very accurate as I check with them before I decide to go boating as I don't like big waves....so far, so good.