Which iPad Navigation App is the Best?

[Daveineugene]

We are in the midst of our Alaska trip and have really appreciated garmin's marine app. I like it much more than inavx.

[edokarura]

Alaska this time of year? You must be heading south. I just did Juneau to Ketchikan. Used iNav and MaxSea's Time Zero. iNavX is clunky but it sure is nice to get a couple thousand dollars worth of charts for free. MaxSea's app is pretty cool. I've never seen vector charts but it seems that they do a pretty good job of making rasters feel like vectors.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by edokarura

Alaska this time of year? You must be heading south. I just did Juneau to Ketchikan. Used iNav and MaxSea's Time Zero. iNavX is clunky but it sure is nice to get a couple thousand dollars worth of charts for free. MaxSea's app is pretty cool. I've never seen vector charts but it seems that they do a pretty good job of making rasters feel like vectors.

You mean MaxSea's iPad app? Does it not allow you choose vector (NOAA, C-Map, Navionics) charts whenever you feel like it? Like the computer and NAVNet versions work?

-Chris

[ato]

i like the navionics app. the charts are updated and accurate, and it's so easy to use.

[edokarura]

I'm not sure if MaxSea's iPad app lets you choose those options but I may be wrong. It does quite a lot and I keep finding features so maybe I'll happen upon those as well, eventually. What it looks like, though, is just raster charts seamlessly integrated so that you don't get that clumsy fumbling through charts like with iNavX

[Tar34]

I like Navionics on my phone and GPSNavX on my laptop. Here a pict. of Navionics on the iPhone:

[SV Maclas]

We use I NavX and love it. Central coast BC all the way down to Baja. Great clarity, super accurate and cheap! A waterproof case for the iPad makes it portable too.

[WebWench]

We have a ray marine chartplotter at the helm and use our iPads as backups and below. Since both my husband and I have iPads with navionics we have one charging on the inverter at the nav desk and the second in the cockpit. I like systems with redundancy so if one goes down for any reason.....we have another.
Just recently before a 6 plus hour trip the chartplotter went nuts with multi colored lines....no time to fix with the weather window....the iPads got us through and we fixed the chartplotter at destination.....corrosion on the plugs!

[Jbaffoh]

I think the Navionics *apps* are worthless.

Garmin's BlueChart app is much better.

But the best be a HUGE margin is iNavx. If you don't like the free NOAA raster charts, then load it with Navionics vector charts--they're seamless and much faster to load.

[Sailorsrus]

We used an iPad, iNavX and BadElf GPS exclusively last year from Nova Scotia to Bahamas and back. BadElf GPS was velcroed to companion way and had RAM mounts at chart table and under bimini. CableJive 12v extension cables had 12v, BadElf and iPad powered at all times in both locations. Noaa charts were used in US and Navionics in Bahamas - Note: the Bahamas Navionics charts are not to be relied upon except for general navigation in non-critical areas! We found huge discrepencies between Navionics data and Explorer Charts - Explorer charts were far superior.

Next time we would look at a good waterproof case for iPad and would try Bad Elf Pro.

[Tomm0]

iSailor is my vote.
Wish it was on android as well.

[edokarura]

Great stuff, folks.

I just used iNavX on my iPhone and the MaxSea app on my iPad from Juneau to Ketchikan. Both were outstanding.

I fed my MaxSea with Garmin's GLO. It tracks both the American and Russian GPS satellites and does it so well I was able to keep it below on my nav station and still had perfect coverage. Highly recommended.

[rebelatsea]

After using Navionics for a year time the yearly contract activated and I was left without any charts or usable software - contrary to what is claimed by Navionics in their product brochure. Once I had established an internet connection, reloaded the software and tried unsuccessfully to re activate chart that had now been re-purchased and after following all the user guides still unable to re-activate my needed chart. The support I received from Navionics is non existent and to date have yet to receive any requested support. Clearly I made a wrong call in buying a laptop as a replacement for a chart plotter as without reliable support from Navionics it has proved a very costly exercise. I am now looking at installing a marine chart plotter which in hind sight I should have done a year ago.

[vancouver25]

Using iSailGPS as a backup on both iPhone and iPad to Garmin chartplotter and Navigatrix netbook. Price is right and uses free NOAA raster charts. Practical Sailor liked it too.

[jkindredpdx]

When I was looking for software I sampled the software listed on the NOAA site ENC Resources . Of course they don'nt endorse any particular package. I use the OpenCPN PC based program and paper charts, but assume they list products with iPad apps now. . .