Chart Plotter Failure & iPhone

Newsgroups Archive Prior to 2025
1

We were motoring through very heavy fog in 30 knot gusts and 2 metre seas on the nose with a group of boats a couple of weekends ago. A fellow Nonsuch 30 had a chart plotter failure and what followed was about an hour of chaos as we all went looking for the lost boat in the fog. At some point the skipper of the boat remembered he had an iPhone in his pocket. He turned it on and launched the map app and within seconds he knew where he was and continued on safely.

There’s great technology in your pocket and someday it could get you home safely when all else fails.

I will be the first to admit that I rely almost entirely on the technology on my boat as I sail up and down the Nova Scotia coast. I carry lots of back up with me so I feel relatively safe. I now feel a little safer knowing I have an iPhone in my pocket.

Jamie Morrison
Dexterity II
30U 225
Halifax, Nova Scotia

2

That is a really great tip, I have an iphone but never considered it for marine use…i’ll have to experiment with it next time out :slight_smile:

Mike
KAT-LEEN
NS30C #037
Rock Hall, MD

3

For $9.99 you can’t beat Navionics Marine App. I use US East charts. They’re great. I used to bring my laptop on board but this program, in combination with my paper chart book (just in case), works great. A friend of mine has the same app for android and it was only $4.99.

If you can run it on your phone – definitely buy it.

Mike Ostrow
NS 36, #40, Arendar
Annapolis

Jamie Morrison wrote:

4

Navionics and iNavX both make chartplotter apps for the iPhone. iNav X is about 50 bucks. Navionics is about ten bucks. Both provide most of the info that I get from the Navionics Gold app I run on my Raymarine C series plotter. Nice to have in your pocket for a back-up, or I suppose you could save thousands on a Chartplotter and installation on your Nonsuch and use the laptop you own as your primary and the iPhone as a handy backup. These and other iPhone apps also provide info on tides and weather. I use an iPhone app called RadarScope to see just where that line of thunderstorms is and which direction its heading.

Practical Sailor had a review of iPhone apps, particularly Navionics and iNavX a couple of months ago.

Mike Hoff
Evelyn May 26 112
Lake Tashmoo, Martha’s Vineyard

5

…and the Navionics charts are available as apps at a reasonable price, truly remarkable. I looking forward to trying it out on my IPAD, the screen is about the same size as my Raymarine C70 that I paid more than a thousand bucks for.

Bob Hindle
Pipe Dream
NS30 #230

6

Just a heads up…I logged onto the iNavX app and it had a notice NOT to download it to your iphone if you had the 4.0 software. This is the latest iphone operating system software and there must be bugs with the iNavX app. But not to fear, it goes on to say they are working on the problem and will have it fixed soon…

Mike

7

just be careful…its not as waterproof (or sturdy) as the raymarine!

Mike

8

Hi

Unfortunately, even though Apple promises it is Bluetooth ready,
the Apple iPod Touch, little sister to the iPhone, will not work with
a Bluetooth GPS Receiver and a charting program.

Bummer

Al

9

Hi

The Navionics App ($9.99) is excellent.

Al

10

Dump the Apple they only work with Apple

we have options.

JFG

11

Well, it’s “nice” to have it in a pinch, but we’re dealing with cell phones, and AT&T coverage at that…
In a pinch is just when we would be out of cell range…

Brian & Susan Berdan
“Blue September” 260 #007
Bainbridge Island, Washington

12

With Navionics, and iNavX, the chartset (US East, etc.) is downloaded to the iphone and permanently resides there to work with the integral GPS. No AT&T connection is necessary for the iPhone Navionics or iNavX app to work offshore.

Mike Hoff
Evelyn May 26C 112
Lake Tashmoo, Martha’s Vineyard

13

Luckily the iPhone does not require cell coverage for the chart plotter apps to run. It has a built in GPS.

Jamie Morrison
Dexterity II

30U 225
Halifax, Nova Scotia

14

Hi

iPhone uses built in GPS and Charting App.

Al

15

Anyone considering upgrading to a large screen dedicated chartplotter really should consider going instead with a laptop and one of the available electronic charting packages. That is what I did last year. For very nearly the price of a 10" or so color chartplotter I got a 13" MacBook Pro, a USB GPS receiver and the MacENC software from GPSNavX (which includes updateable electronic charts for all navigable coastal and inland US waters). I moved my 12 year old monochrome GPS/Plotter from belowdecks to the helm and use it to steer courses I plot on the laptop belowdecks. Selecting and entering waypoints, composing routes, scrolling charts, etc. is much easier on the laptop with its larger screen, trackpad/mouse and full keyboard. And, of course, a laptop can be used onboard and ashore for many things other than navigating. One does need to exercise some degree of care with a laptop aboard a boat and insure a reliable source of power for it but so far I am very happy with the setup I have.

Best regards,
R. David Young
(by iPhone)

16

I am using navionics right now on my iPhone to nav from Bedford to armdale ns

Much better detail than my new garmin 720 with 2010 card but loads slower
Just as accuate

If you have an iPhone get navionics
No brainer
Must dock now

Bruce Flinn
448-2234

17

Boy, for a tech-head I can’t believe I goofed on that one! I stand corrected.

Brian & Susan Berdan
“Blue September” 260 #007
Bainbridge Island, Washington

18

Last summer I was returning from Toronto to Port Credit in dense fog at night. Shortly after exiting the west channel the autopilot took a hard left, the chart plotter began jumping around erratically, even the radar image was spinning uncontrollably. I took out my iPhone, brought up Navionics Great Lakes and proceeded directly to Port Credit without drama.

We determined later that the fluxgate sensor for the autopilot had gone Tango Uniform, when you combine this with the 1/3 offset mode (which we had set during the inner harbor transit to help avoid the erratic behavior of the waterfront cruise boats) it renders a $20K Raymarine system useless - but fortunately does not affect a $200 iPhone.

One of the waterfront cruise boats was showing an alternating flashing red and green light. I had never seen that used, and could not find it in any reference on board. It turned out to be the disco light on the top dance deck.

Jon Fitch
'Anomaly'

19

And it doesn't have to be an iPhone. My Android phone with FREE navigation tools out-performs my Garmon Nuvi.

Bill Spencer
LIONHEART, NS30U #352 Hyde Park, NY

20

I don't yet have an iPhone, but I do have an iPad with iNavX. It is wonderful. Here is why I think so:

iNavX� - Marine Navigation App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

iNavX� brings official NOAA RNC raster United States waters marine charts to your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Included detailed chart coverage: West Coast, Gulf Coast, East Coast, Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii, and US Virgin Islands.

One app for all your devices with access to thousands of charts and maps: official CHS Canada charts, Navionics Gold charts, Fish'N'Chip charts, HotMaps, NV. Verlag charts, Hilton's Fishing charts, TRAK Canada lakes fishing maps and Solteknik European waters charts may be purchased separately from X-Traverse.

With iNavX� you can use the built in location services (i.e. GPS, cell tower, WiFi) to plot your position in real-time on the multi-touch scrolling and zooming marine chart.

Using the iPhone's, iPod touch's and iPad's WiFi connection, iNavX� can act as a repeater for popular marine navigation software that supports NMEA data over TCP/IP such as MacENC or GPSGate. This includes GPS, AIS receivers & transponders, and Instruments (Depth, Speed, Wind, etc.)

In addition to real-time chart plotting, iNavX� supports waypoints & routes including KML (Google Earth) and GPX import/export, track log, measuring bearing/distance, GRIB weather forecast, tides/currents, anchor alarm and port/navaid search.

The power of a color chartplotter for a fraction of the cost.

John Foster
BLUEBERRY 22 48
Alameda CA on San Francisco Bay
Northern California