What iPad / Apps Would You Buy ?

[jim_thomsen]

I currently have a Raymarine E120/Navionics chartplotter and it works great. But I am thinking about buying an iPad2 to have as a backup.
After many months of sailing in the Pacific without having an internet connection I have arrived in New Zealand and started reading different discussions of the iPad and navigation apps. There are a lot of opinions and thoughts about different navigation apps.
I will be coming back to the USA for a couple a weeks and would like to buy the iPad & get the best navigation app with charts for the Pacific/Asia/Alaska/West coast USA (I am very happy with the Navionics charts).
So, what would you choose? I would like to order whatever I need now and have it waiting in the US when I arrive and then have a week or so to use it before I fly back where getting help will not be easy.
Thank you very much for your suggestions!

[TassieBloke]

Jim,

Can be of only limited help. Have downloaded the new Plan2Nav app from Jeppesen, only to find they do not have ANY charts of OZ! How wierd is that? Looks ok, but given that experience, I am very hesitant to download the iNav app, although many that have it are very postive. It seems that for the US it is very good and many of the charts are cheap. There is an entire thread devoted to this from a few weeks ago. I was following it, and plan to research it further once I can devote the time to it.

As a side point, I downloaded Tomtom for Australia on my iPad2 and it simply does not work, keeps indicating that there is a poor gps signal. The forums are full of problems with this app, and I am not sure if it is the chipset from the iPad, or a prob with the app...just be careful, as I spent the $70, and had to use Google maps

Cheers,

Bloke

[scubastu]

You may want to consider an Android Tab - lots of Apps including Navionics.
I don't like the idea of being 'locked in' so personally I avoid the Apple products.

[TassieBloke]

Scubastu is spot on.

For a number of other reasons, I am required to have the iPad, since about 6 months. But I am seriously looking at the new Samsung 10.1 Tablet, is currently not yet selling in OZ due to a bull$hit lawsuit from Apple. It looks like the go, and even better, has a USB & SD Card slot, which the iPad doesn't. I personally like anything open source

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by scubastu

You may want to consider an Android Tab - lots of Apps including Navionics.
I don't like the idea of being 'locked in' so personally I avoid the Apple products.

I agree.

I inherited an unused IPad from a family member, however, so that's what I use.

I use INavX with Navionics charts.

Plusses:

Pretty display
Very good performance of internal GPS which, amazingly, works even inside the cabin.
Very cheap charts -- entire Atlantic Europe cost something like 80 pounds.
Totally independent from boat's electronics or electrical systems, so perfect backup.

Minuses:
Apple
Navionics charts less detailed than CMap on the main plotter
Functionality of INavX very poor compared to even very old Raymarine system (RL80CRC+)

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

Nigel Calder's book is now available as an app, but it is expensive, $49.95. Tide programs are really useful as is a cute little app called Sailmaster, I think, that has course, speed, position and inclination.

[Svsilvergirl]

LOVE my iPad. I use Navionics us west and Canada . And charts and tides is a great app. Be sure you buy a 3G iPad. Wifi only doesn't have the gps chipset. I had alot of the android apps on my htc evo phone , wich is basically a small android tablet , and I like the iPad apps better. Enough better that I just switched to an iPhone. One other plus is that alot of the apple apps will allow you to install them on all your iOS devices. So you have the same software on your phone and iPad , and you can sync all the data between them. The iPhone definetly has a lot smaller screen , but it's always in my pocket , and that has been handy when on board other people's boats. Once an apple geek , there is no turning back

[57guy]

I'm in the Bahamas and have two iPads with iNav X and Plan2Nav.
Love the ease of use and probably will not turn my pilot house system on this year.

[mblowes]

You might like to try iNavx. Recently pretty much sailed from Hong Kong to Singapore with it. Admittedly on an iphone for the rhumb line checking, but used iPad (wifi only) to plot waypoints , search obstacles etc. Ran paper charts / etrex as backup, but could not fault INavx. Would have used iPad more if it had 3G as that model also comes with GPS.

Next project will be to get AIS etc broadcast via Wifi do that data can also be displayed on ios devices. At that point I don't believe I would interact with the raymarine gear in the boat much at all

Long trips I would still use charts / Etrex as backup - bit for no other reason than redundancy. INavx is very intuitive to use

[dohenyboy]

I have shipfinder-shows location and information about boats with AIS.
HF FAX-listens to SSB and makes a weather map for you
iNavX- I use it to plan trips as well
Radar Scope - weather radar maps
I have all my manuals on pdf on my iPad
spreadsheet to manage my spares- Numbers

[jim_thomsen]

Thanks for all the great information!