iSailor or Navionics? or

[cottonsail]

I have been very pleased with PolarNavy (windows) and Polar MX (Ipad/Iphone). Last year I bought Garmin Radar so I'm slowly switching to all Garmin (with back up systems).

[Aguabago]

I have Navionics Charts on my Chart Plotter, and iSailor on my iPad/iPhone(s). I have found the iSailor charts to be more accurate and more detailed. iSailor charts also shows things like the details of the docks in marinas, etc. The iSailor also runs on multiple apple devices with just one license. I use the chartplotter more while the boat is moving, but will bring both up when things get dicey. But when in the bar talking to a fellow sailor about anchorages, passages, etc., its nice to be able to pull up the charts on my phone.

[Downline]

We have been cruising for three years now. Started in Durban in South Africa, round Cape L'Agulhas. Up the Atlantic to the Canaries. Crossed the Atlantic and now in the Caribbean. We got a couple of navigation systems but use iSailor exclusively.
Even the pilots in Singapore use iPads with iSailor.
I'm sure the others are very good as well.We just prefer iSailor for the ease of use and accuracy.

[Gone Gypsy]

We sail from our own dock from house exactly on the upper Mississippi River. We will be towing our Corsair F28 trimaran to Florida and I am checking backup navigation for on board Garmin in Florida waters. A trial of Navtronics showed excellent detail on the River - channel markers, unmarked submerged hazards). I read good reviews of iSailor here, installed app on iPhone and loaded map for the River. Poor detail. Corp of Eng submerged wing dams shown, permanent day markers w lights shown. Channel marker buoys not shown and other local knowledge submerged hazards shown on Navtronics did not show on iSailor. Disappointing.

Will iSailor have better detail for Florida? Or is Navtronics always showing greater detail? Thanks for a everyone’s help.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Well again, I am the happy recipient of good advice from this forum. As a result of the high praise for iSailor, I downloaded it on my iPad, and it's like GarminBlueCharts on steroids. Easy to use, more features than BlueCharts, and charts are just as accurate. Love it. Thanks to all.

[Emouchet]

iSailor all the way.


Buy the maps once, then unlimited free update. Not like Garmin or Navionics where you need to pay annual fees.


No limit on the number of device where the app is running: iPad, iphones...


I recommend getting an iPad with 3G is those includes built-in GPS.


Using it since 2013...

[Ostinato]

iSailor's cost can be higher than first glance would lead you to believe. For instance, Navionics makes the entire Med available for under $40 but iSailor parcels the area out so you spend much much more. And detail varies from place to place. For instance if you compare the detail for Nassau on iSailor to Navionics you find Navionics is clearly more detailed. However in Norway Navionics when I was there a few years ago was totally lacking in some anchorages. You would go by harbors with boats sitting in them and Navionics detail would be blank literally.

A really cautious sailor would probably spring for both even though that could get very pricey or at least have the second available when you suspect the other is deficient.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

My plan will be to have both Garmin BlueCharts (if possible) and iSailor, and I'll probably get a second iPad whenever the next $50 promotion is on offer by AT&T. A nice feature of BlueCharts is the ActiveCaptain integration with information about marinas, bridge heights, shoaling, etc. Also, the ease of doing a quick measurement with BlueCharts is nice, but I could do the same with iSailor - I probably just need more experience. I'll use the chartplotter (Furuno) for AIS and for radar. But either iSailor or BlueCharts is a big step up from C-Map, and much cheaper. Fyi, I use an external battery (Anker) which is a) more convenient than charging below, and b) necessary ever since my inverter got fried by a power surge at a marina in Florida. Will replace the inverter once I get a couple of other projects completed. For external batteries I have one large, and one small Anker, and those powered the iPad for three days returning from the Abacos recently. Redundancy is good.

Regarding the Bahamas - anyone know if iSailor can incorporate Explorer Charts like BlueCharts?

[Zven]

Originally Posted by Paul Kelly

I have a Raymarine E7 Chart plotter with Navionics and also iSailor on my iPad. I think the iSailor charts are clearer and better than the Navionics ones....
It's a shame that iSailor is not available on other platforms as I prefer their charts.

It seems iSailor is available on Android now. I have just installed it on my Samsung tablet.
It looks clever ... but I didn't have a chance to test it out on the sea yet.

[Gone Gypsy]

Sailed in Charlotte Harbor Florida for a couple weeks over Christmas. New location for us. Boat has small Garmin 540 on board. Started with iSailor on iPad backing up Garmin. Left Bokeelia canal system through Shell Cut into Charlotte Harbor following Local markers not detailed on either system. Both Garmin and iSailor showed us sailing through land exiting the cut.

Next day ran Navtronics on iPad. All local markers were displayed in Navtronics and our track was accurate through the cut. Liked the display, autotracking and track summary functions on Navtronics. Good display of tidal currents and intuitive function of Navtronics. There a host of small islands and lots of local markers throughout this region. Navtronics was the winner for us in this location.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

SJ2581, I assume you mean Navionics. If so, I can show you areas of the Bahamas where the Navionics charts are way off. All of which is a good argument for having multiple, different back-ups, and knowing which systems have the best base data for the area you're in. For instance, I would always want the source data in the Bahamas to be from Explorer Charts. I have CMap on the plotter, BlueCharts (for now) on the iPad, iSailor on the iPad, and Navionics on the phone. And I have paper Explorer Charts.

My next challenge will be figuring out what the best base data is for the Dominican Republic. I have not spent a lot of time on it yet, because the planned trip is not until early 2019.

[overboard]

Originally Posted by fxykty

I have a Raymarine chart plotter with Navionics charts so wanted alternative charts on my iPhone. iSailor app is pretty good and the charts not very expensive. I found the coverage better in some places and worse in others relative to Navionics for western Fiji.

I want to better understand what you mean by this statement as I am heading to Fiji soon and am seriously considering iSailor after years of iNavx use. What exactly do you mean? Is iSailor worse than Navionics in W. Fiji?

Fiji sits on the dateline and iNavx is a nightmare to use when close to it. It doesn't show anything within 1 mile on either side of this 180* meridian. That's unacceptable in reef strewn Fiji.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

iSailor is a part of Transas and Transas build ECDIS systems so use official chart data, the same charts used for iSailor...

Transas - Company Profile

Originally Posted by Zven

It seems iSailor is available on Android now. I have just installed it on my Samsung tablet.

Two useful comments, thanks to both of you.

All this time, I've thought iSailor was only for iThings, given the name. Or maybe they've only just introduced the Android version.

FWIW, I didn't actually find a ref to iSailor on that Transas website link... unless I was just stricken blind during that session or something...

Does iSailor integrate ActiveCaptain info?

-Chris

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by AJ_n_Audrey

SJ2581, I assume you mean Navionics. If so, I can show you areas of the Bahamas where the Navionics charts are way off.
-----

There have been a couple of groundings/sinkings in the Bahamas blamed on Navionics inaccuracies.
They apparently have not been purchasing the Explorer Charts data.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Two useful comments, thanks to both of you.

All this time, I've thought iSailor was only for iThings, given the name. Or maybe they've only just introduced the Android version.

FWIW, I didn't actually find a ref to iSailor on that Transas website link... unless I was just stricken blind during that session or something...

Does iSailor integrate ActiveCaptain info?

-Chris

Yes it is a bit like digging through a rabbit warren trying to find iSailor on the main site, as for Active Captain i can't say as i have never used it, sorry...

Transas iSailor - Marine Navigation, Chart Plotter and AIS Viewer for iPhone and iPad