IPadPro instead of laptop

[Onemoreproject]

Because of Covid, I’ve havent seen my boat since I left her in Mazitan in early 2020. PC’s were the favored device for cruising software, SSB, charts, etc. instead of Mac Computers. Although IPads were useful for some things as well.

I really like the new and powerful IPadPro and would like to hear if anyone out there has switched to IPad for all there cruising computer needs?

Or of course I know there are many opinions out there why they would or woul not work.

Bring it on!!

[gaucho]

the iPadPro’s worst feature is iPadOS. It needs to run MacOS. Until it does, it’s basically useful as an internet (expensive) browser. Yeah, a few apps here and there. Navionics works very well for sure. But Excel doesn’t run macros. I cant really edit the level of presentations I normally do in Keynote. the lack of a real file system doesnt allow me to really work on anything. I cant even copy files to an SD card. In my opinion. I love it, if it were 500 bucks. For the price of an M1 MacBook Air, get that!

[Onemoreproject]

We also have a MacBook Pro with a very full hard drive and an IPad 6. We use the 6 as a repeater and loaded our Sea of Cortez maps on it as well. But when I dumped a cup of coffee on my old Air, I fell in love with the big IPadPro screen. I also thought I could make the IpadPro bullet proof by putting it in a waterproof/coffee and wine proof, case and use it with a magic keyboard.

I’ve lost track of sailing iT. Are there good navigation and weather charting systems that work with Macs now? I rely mostly on my RayMarine for coastal navigation in Mexico.

I also have some aged PCs to hook up to the SSB on rare occasions that we use it.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Onemoreproject

We also have a MacBook Pro with a very full hard drive and an IPad 6. We use the 6 as a repeater and loaded our Sea of Cortez maps on it as well. But when I dumped a cup of coffee on my old Air, I fell in love with the big IPadPro screen. I also thought I could make the IpadPro bullet proof by putting it in a waterproof/coffee and wine proof, case and use it with a magic keyboard.



I’ve lost track of sailing iT. Are there good navigation and weather charting systems that work with Macs now? I rely mostly on my RayMarine for coastal navigation in Mexico.



I also have some aged PCs to hook up to the SSB on rare occasions that we use it.

OpenCPN works on Macs (and PCs)... it also works (well) on Androids tablets.

Blue Latitude Sea of Cortez (and Pacific Mexico) harbour/anchorage chartlets available for OpenCPN from O-Charts. Not too far down the road, O-Charts should have SEMAR Mexico charts for OpenCPN [emoji1696]

[FabioC]

I use an iPad to run Navionics, TimeZero, Windy, etc,, and as second screen in addition to my chartplotter (I have three mounts in strategic places, so it can be easily moved to wherever is needed). The iPad is great for that, much more versatile than having a laptop downstairs.
However, as I said in the past on similar threads, I find the iPad Pro too large and awkward to be easily handled in the cockpit or on the rail.
I use an older 11" iPad that seems to be the ideal size/weight for the purpose, and it has plenty of computing power to run the apps that you need.
The new "normal" iPad seems a reasonable size, maybe a tad too large IMO. I have not seen the new iPad Mini yet, but that may be ideal (and it comes with a very powerful CPU), or perhaps slightly too small, we'll have to try and see.
You should go to an Apple store and see how it fits in your hand and try to imagine how you would handle it while sitting on the rail or while moving around on deck, or how it would feel to have it mounted somewhere (e.g., would you bump on it?, etc.)

[neophytecruiser]

As a backup to the dedicated chart plotter and in addition to using OpenCPN on my Mac, I've found i-Sailor (Wärtsilä iSailor - Marine Navigation, Chart Plotter and AIS Viewer for iPhone and iPad) by Wartsila to be a useful navigational backup for IOS (either MacBook or iPad). The charts are kept up to date and navigation using this application is intuitive. It has options to display both AIS and radar data. I've used this software cruising the west coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. I've also had the opportunity to use it in conjunction with a Raymarine chart plotter on a friends boat (delivering between La Paz and Santa Cruz, CA and back) and found it to be far easier to perform ancillary navigational tasks on-the-fly (e.g., distance measurements; bearing measurements; course changes) without having to interrupt the tracking function of the plotter. [As a disclaimer, I have a bias against Raymarine products due to their abysmal support record]

[AJ_n_Audrey]

I have an iPad Mini on which I run Navionics and other nav software. I also have it networked to the back-up Garmin chart plotter, so I have Active Captain running on it, but only when connected to the cheap Garmin belowdecks at the nav station. My chart plotter at the helm is Raymarine, but offshore it's comfortable and convenient to recline in the cockpit with the iPad.

[fred4936]

I use isailor on my phone and iPad as a back-up, and I really like it. It is much easier for me to read than the (ancient) Raymarine plotter that I thinks runs Navionics. But this could be a rastor vs vector issue. My laptop has OpenCPN, which works great, but the laptop itself is a power hog. So I will be upgrading things soon. Looking forward to other replies here.

[billdre]

I understand people often cobble together computer software to use for navigation. My opinion is to do yourself a favor and simply buy a good chartplotter which you can then mount at the helm. It's everything in one place, all the data, tides. Etc. I do use computer software for trip planning but not navigation on the boat. I upload the routes to the chartplotter and I'm all done. Don't make it harder than it has to be.

[Dave Noosa]

Biggest problem with using Apple devices is the battery lifespan. Usually only get 2 years out of an IPad before they make you download software that slows the device right down “in an effort to conserve battery life”