Handheld ChartPlotter GPS

[Alex_V]

It looks like I will be doing a trip from Annapolis to Charleston on a new to me boat. It doesn't have any fancy electronics other then a auto helm and a compass. I was thinking about using an iPad with Navionics and a GPSMAP® 78sc for backup handheld chart plotter.

Does this seem reasonable, or should I explore other options or models?

[dwedeking2]

This is what I did for a trip ft myers to Jacksonville with a inreach as emergency backup

[a64pilot]

I took our boat from Daytona around Fl to Panama City Fl with an IPhone when we bought her.
Plotter chip died just South of Daytona.
Not the best plan, but it worked.
Now motoring down the ICW, the IPad is our primary Nav as it has the best charts and has Active Capt, which is invaluable for the ICW.
Yeah I know an IPad ought not be primary Nav, but it is the ICW, pretty tough to get lost

[Alex_V]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

This is what I did for a trip ft myers to Jacksonville with a inreach as emergency backup

Did you mean having an iPad for navigation, and inreach for emergency? Can inreach function as a chart plotter, or some sort of navigation aid?

[Alex_V]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I took our boat from Daytona around Fl to Panama City Fl with an IPhone when we bought her.
Plotter chip died just South of Daytona.
Not the best plan, but it worked.
Now motoring down the ICW, the IPad is our primary Nav as it has the best charts and has Active Capt, which is invaluable for the ICW.
Yeah I know an IPad ought not be primary Nav, but it is the ICW, pretty tough to get lost

Sorry, no clue what Active Capt is.

[a64pilot]

https://activecaptain.com

It’s a crowd based software that has all kinds of notes that will display on your plotter, it will tell you if there is shoaling ahead, which side to favor, all kinds of reviews on anchorages, plus displaying their locations, bridge info opening times etc and telephone numbers. Fuel prices and reviews on Marinas, their telephone numbers, etc, etc.

I find it invaluable, however Garmin has bought it, and discontinued their blue charts also, so I don’t know what all else integrates Active Captain.
I fear it will require a Garmin chart plotter eventually, but that is just my fear.

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by Alex_V

Did you mean having an iPad for navigation, and inreach for emergency? Can inreach function as a chart plotter, or some sort of navigation aid?

Inreach also has gps capabilities and can be paired to a smartphone. The maps were limited and the screen size was small but enough to roughly place me so I knew I was traveling in the right direction in case I lost the better maps / device of the tablet.

I also have a garmin handheld GPS (army taught me redundancy to a paranoid factor) which I found less useful for navigation than the inreach

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

https://activecaptain.com

I find it invaluable, however Garmin has bought it, and discontinued their blue charts also, so I don’t know what all else integrates Active Captain.
I fear it will require a Garmin chart plotter eventually, but that is just my fear.

Not sure what you mean by discontinued their blue charts? Whose blue charts were discontinued? I still see blue charts on the Garmin web site and thought the charts on activecaptain.com were all NOAA charts.

[skipmac]

Not sure about the Garmin 78 but when I bought a Garmin 76 handheld, contrary to what I was told by Garmin tech support, it only came with very basic base charts. Basic as in there were generic yellow lumps over here for land and blue blobs over there for land. No channels, no depths, no markers and the blue and yellow blobs were very approximate.

Had to buy an SD card with US charts to make the handheld useful as a plotter. Otherwise it's only good for showing the lat/lon to plot on a chart.

[rfinneren]

iNavX w Navionics charts on an iPad connected via WiFi to a WiFi enabled AIS system like the VesperXB 8000. It’s glorious!

[dwedeking2]

Yea. I'm going to add a vesper as an interim to a full b&g system

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by rfinneren

iNavX w Navionics charts on an iPad connected via WiFi to a WiFi enabled AIS system like the VesperXB 8000. It’s glorious!

It would be more glorious if you could use it on deck. I would love to use a tablet based nav system but have not found any that are daylight viewable.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Not sure what you mean by discontinued their blue charts? Whose blue charts were discontinued? I still see blue charts on the Garmin web site and thought the charts on activecaptain.com were all NOAA charts.

Garmin has discontinued the IPad App Bluecharts.
Sorry for the confusion, just we were talking IPad and therefore I wasn’t specific.
I’m still using the app, however it now freezes on one iPad and has strange behavior, it replays our route often looks we were recording or something, the other IPad we have on board says the app won’t work with that version of IOS.
So although I just bought maps for the App, I feel sure it’s days are very limited, which is bad, cause for me it was the killer App.
However selling BlueChart chips and plotters is of course a whole lot more lucrative.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Garmin has discontinued the IPad App Bluecharts.
Sorry for the confusion, just we were talking IPad and therefore I wasn’t specific.

Got it. Guess I wasn't following the thread closely enough.

Originally Posted by a64pilot

However selling BlueChart chips and plotters is of course a whole lot more lucrative.

Really profitable to sell chips with US charts when Garmin gets them free from NOAA.

[CrispyCringle]

Originally Posted by Alex_V

It looks like I will be doing a trip from Annapolis to Charleston on a new to me boat. It doesn't have any fancy electronics other then a auto helm and a compass. I was thinking about using an iPad with Navionics and a GPSMAP® 78sc for backup handheld chart plotter.

Does this seem reasonable, or should I explore other options or models?

I just bought the GPSMAP 78sc. Id love to hear your impression of it after your trip. Havnt used mine yet due to winter. Im planning a trip to the great lakes this summer where I want to use it. I bought the marine map upgrade. Seems pretty detailed. We'll see. I just wish the screen was bigger.