IPad Pro 12.9 For Navigation Reviews

[macman4190]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Looking for reviews of the product to see if there has been any issues using it with iNavX or Time Zero apps which I currently use. Are the apps and charts transferrable today like they have been in the past? Switching over to Navionics is also a possibility due to some minor issues over the past year with INavX. Another app to use will be Predictwind with an Iridium Go device.

I have used this iPad for several years with iNavX. No issues. I was in the Bahamas first part of this year with PredictWind and Iridium Go. No issues. Charts are good for two devices. When you renew chart subscription, device count gets reset to zero. Don’t use up your device count prior to getting a new device.

[macman4190]

Thanks for the stylus tip.

[macman4190]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

I use a stylus with it to keep fingerprints off the screen as much as possible.

Thanks for the stylus tip.

[MikeFergie]

I use the 9,7 as the 12 is too big in my opinion. I run Garmin BlueChart mobile and it runs active captain still. I also use raymarine RayControl which talks to my a series Mdf giving me all the boat info on the iPad.

[Thalas]

Not to thread jack, but iPads work WONDERFULLY in berths as portable, low power consumption video/audio monitors and iBooks to entertain guests. You can use a mac mini connected to a router in the salon and stream boatloads of audio/video/epub book selections to multiple berth iPads at once (think entire music discographies, movies, or tv series). This can also be done in PC-land, but the mac ecosystem makes this bulletproof.

I also love that the iPads in berths can load external camera feeds so you can see what's happening around you at all times.

Best of all, you now have navigation redundancy that is being used the rest of the time to keep guests happy.

[Tillsbury]

The 12” is also the perfect size to read Yachting Monthly and all the other mags through Readly .

[Jsled]

We have an iPad Air (without cellular) with Navionics with a Garmin GLONASS Bluetooth GPS (which works perfectly, BTW). We use this for planning when at home for upcoming cruises as well as for daily route planning when onboard and underway. It is a backup for our Furuno chart plotter, and we usually just input waypoints on the chart plotter based on what we decide to do after researching where we want to go on the iPad. This system has been really successful for us and served us well on a month-long cruise to the Saint John River in New Brunswick in August.

[Bon Temps]

First get the newest iPad you can get so that yours will not become obsolete as updates come out. Second try Weather3D app. This app tied to your satalite phone is the best weather product I have ever seen. Even if you update via broadband or WiFi, it is still amazing. Third I would recommend using Navionics. They interface seamlessly with Raymarine and the crowd sourced dept updated have to be seen to be believed. Imagine having a map updated by everyone that goes over any spot in the world. The depth is recorded by the chart plotter, sent to the iPad, then sent to Navionics to correlate and be sent back to you. The depth contours are amazing. I have sailed from California through the Canal to Jamaica, down to Grenada, and back and have using this setup as my primary navigation chart. I especially like to setup my courses on the iPad, transfer them to the chart plotter, and save the chart for future use on the iPad with my notes. I only use the iPad to navagate in harbors because it is more accurate. I also use it to monitor my harbor position to make sure it am not dragging.

[Riddle]

We never had a plotter, up till now used laptops for navigation
Since one year I use the 12,9"iPad pro now in European waters, Very satisfied.
Nav App's: Navionics, iSailor, NV Charts with chart packs of relevant cruising area's. Done Lots of bluewater crossings, still everything keeps working fine.
The iPad is mounted in an Otterbox, not entirely waterproof, but splashproff enough. Mounted in a special made frame under the doghouse. Screen brilliance good, equivalent to plotter, but much more crisp details.
Dimming at night also good. The Otterbox has a protective transparent film that gives a bit of reflection, but not bad that reading would difficult
Power supply through 3,1 A USB socket,- beware of corrosion.
Carry one spare ipad on board with the same apps - just in case.
Highly recommended.

[Craig Staunton]

Having just returned from cruising the pacific we had 2 ipads, one older 9.7 and a new 12.9 -both had GPS. I often had the 2 ipads running with the isailor and Navionics on both and found different features to like about both apps. Isailor had more detail at the smaller scales but would stop at the 180 meridian so you had to scroll right around the world to get to the other side as we did when plotting a course NZ to Tonga and as you cross the 180 meridian the screen goes black like going into a worm hole then you come out the other side.We bought an add on for isailor that connected to our Vesper AIS and it put the ships and yachts that were picked up on the chart so it was easy to see where they were $14.99 .There is a Port number needed which is 39150 Navionics was easier to plot a route and to find out tide info. They both had us anchored on land in Nieafu , Tonga but very accurate in Fiji, Wallis and Samoa. I had them mounted on Rail Grabber screen mounts with a usb base.(made in NZ available from Burnsco`s) If you have a couple of bases the screen grabber is easily removed and put on a different mount( this has a star shaped mount hole in it - the same as a winch handle) . We did this if spray was present and the ipads could be put further under the bimini. The bigger ipad sucked a lot of power and got hot when we had them going 24/7 so we swapped them often (even with screen brightness down to half during the day and as dull as at night.) We also had a free app called ovital maps which is google maps with you on it. It was great when going around all the reefs in Fiji. The charging plug end that goes into the ipads seem to wear out so have lots of spares
Cheers
Craig
SV Maamalni

[woc]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I’m thinking up upgrading one of our iPad airs to an Ipad Pro 2nd generation 12.9 cellular with internal gps antenna 256gb or 512gb tablet for navigation and remote monitor. This is not a discussion intended to debate the merits of using a tablet over a chartplotter, since using only an iPad over the past 8 years has convinced me they can be used very successfully as a stand alone device to travel the world. The Ipad pro will be installed into a Lifeproof nuud waterproof case.

Looking for reviews of the product to see if there has been any issues using it with iNavX or Time Zero apps which I currently use. Are the apps and charts transferrable today like they have been in the past? Switching over to Navionics is also a possibility due to some minor issues over the past year with INavX. Another app to use will be Predictwind with an Iridium Go device.

Primarily looking to find out if there are any issues with the operating system.
So the chartplotter zealots don’t get too worked up or concerned, we also use the following:

1. 3 Raymarine Hybrid Touch chartplotters with Navionics Platinum+ charts
2. 3 IPad air tabets with inavx and Time Zero in Lifeproof cases
3. Handheld Garmin GPS
4. 4 iPhones with iNavx
5. 2 PC computers running Nobeltec
6. 1 MacBook Pro for Predictwind/Iridium Go downloads.
7. A complete set of paper charts and cruising guidebooks

I am using my IPad Pro as a back up to my chart plotter with Navionics. In addition I found the app ISailor most helpful and the chart downloads are very inexpensive but of high quality.

[zboss]

I have used the iPad extensively for the last 5 years for navigation planning but then upload routes to our Garmin chartplotter. The issue I have with the iPad as a primary navigation device is that the iPads do not currently support Qi wireless charging. There are few cases... maybe 2 that I have been able to find... that are ruggedized and waterproof while supporting charging simultaneously. It only takes a few drops of misplaced saltwater to ruin a day and a typical ipad can't get through 12 hours without needing a recharge.

Once iPad has Qi enabled you should be able to charge it through a completely waterproof and crushproof case. Then they just need to add a better anti-reflective screen.

[Alaska JD]

I’ve used an iPad Pro with Navionics and SEAIQ for the past year cruising Southeast Alaska. I’ve had no problem with them and love the high definition graphics. I also have a Raymarine C90W chart plotter and actually prefer using Navionics for general navigation. The problem is that the iPad doesn’t connect to my autopilot or AIS with my current software/equipment mix.

[Tillsbury]

For anyone who’s interested, having used the new 2018 iPad Pro for a couple of days now I can report that it’s a substantial upgrade. The brightness is considerably improved, as is the power. As a non-navigation device it also has dramatically improved sound and Apple Pencil, and the storage available is higher. I’m very pleased with my upgrade, although build-in proponents should note the case is significantly smaller than the old 12.9”, though the screen is the same size.

[bensolomon]

I use an iPad air with iSailor as my chartplotter in a Ram mount at the binnacle. I have no other chart plotter. Used it for the past six years on my boat, and take it when on charter and only use that for nav. Charts are current and crisp. I do review paper charts, though, before every trip and bring the paper with me.