Large Screen Portable GPS

[ZoroMan]

Hey all---

I may need to move a boat from the Hudson River in NY through the locks of Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake in Western NY state.

Can you suggest or recommend a good PORTABLE GPS / Navigation system that has a BIGGER SCREEN???

I cannot see the little 4.5 inch screens I prefer a 9 inch screen but will accept a 7 inch screen... and yes it does need to be portable. I would want a clamp on holder so I can see the portable screen while I am at the helm but I do not want a screen that has to be permanently mounted in a cockpit.

Obviously whatever GPS I end up with it needs to have the map for the Erie Canal and waterways of NY state.

All suggestions welcome. Even a Tablet if you can explain to me where I can get a nautical gps system.

Thanks!

[bensolomon]

Get an iPad and use iSailor. It's great! It has been my sole source of electronic navigation for 10 years.

[Greg Brannon]

A tablet, Apple or Android, as large as you can afford or want to pay for, with Aqua Map installed. Hard to beat. You can find mounts for whichever tablet you choose. You'll probably need either a data plan or WiFi connection for the tablet at journey intervals, but it could be done without if you're willing to accept some limitations.

Greg.

[glenn.225]

Second or third, the tablet. Use OpenCPN and NOAA charts. Very small fee for OpenCPN and chart are free. There is tons of info here on OpenCPN.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by glenn.225

Second or third, the tablet. Use OpenCPN and NOAA charts. Very small fee for OpenCPN and chart are free. There is tons of info here on OpenCPN.

[emoji106][emoji106]

[requiem]

Tablet. Make sure it has built-in GPS; iPads are nice but you need the cellular* model unless you get a separate bluetooth GPS for it.

I'm guessing the boat doesn't have much electronics on it already, as otherwise I'd ask about integration. You may be able to get limited AIS functions with the iPad options; I don't know if OpenCPN will integrate will with something like Boat Beacon. Always be aware that apps such as Marine Traffic can display stale data (minutes, hours, or days old), but those listed here may provide data that's closer to real-time.

Since you're asking for a bigger screen that suggests you may also want a larger font size used. I haven't played much with accessibility settings that would enlarge fonts so can't offer too much here.

Regarding software:
- On Android OpenCPN will work, and you can install that on your computer as well to familiarize yourself with it.
- On iPad iSailor, SEAiq, or Coastal Explorer will work. You might be able to run the last two on your computer as well; I don't track which has Mac vs Windows versions.
- Both platforms support Navionics. Some of the chart markings are quite minuscule, which even I find rather annoying.

* No, you don't actually buy or use cell service, it's just that the GPS hardware is on the same chipset that the cellular hardware is.