Has anyone used an Iphone or simlar at the helm?
I have a small Garmin 76Map unsing a decades old set of Blue HCarts that I have used for over 20 years but I’l thinking of repurposing an Iphone 15Pro have that has Aqua Maps installed.
I have a cabe to the house battery system for the Garmin and I cluld just run a USBC in it’s place.
I have a Samsung tablet off the dodger rail as well. More for crew awareness.
I am thinkung a water proof case is all I need. What are the issues I may have missed?
Thor
I believe other than actual GPS positioning on Aqua Maps all other functions use the phones data ( WiFi or cellular ) like weather, Active Captain etc.
Brian
I’m a Southern California fair weather sailor (both because I want to be, and because down here that’s mostly what we’ve got). So, your mileage may vary. I don’t think you’re forgetting anything urgent, though.
My Samsung has an IP68 rating (water-resistant for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes, although not recommended for saltwater or prolonged exposure). My guess is an I-Phone is at least as good. You might still want a waterproof case, but might be able to get by without it.
I forget the name of the outfit where I bought my holder for clamping it to the pedestal rail. But you don’t need that (since I recall that you’re the one who told me about them).
I have a number of cords going up my pedestal through cable clams on the cockpit floor. They’re fed through a PVC pipe attached to one of the verticals to keep the wires protected and tidy. With your batteries where they are, it’d easy for you to do that, too, or run it from the cockpit side. That’d reduce the tripping hazard of the USB-C line. I’d put a covered female USB-C at the top end, with a short male-male connector between it and the phone. That way, the USB port’s protected when not in use.
I use an iPad to mirror my Garmin, mounted under the wind dodger, to my helm so I can see it better. I have a waterproof case on it. I do sometimes have an overheating issue, both with the iPad at the helm and even if I place it under the wind dodger and the sun hits it from aft. Might be a bit better without the cover on it but I would still want something around at least part of it to help with falls.
On my 26 all I use is an older version of the Oukitel RT3. It is ruggedized Android tablet that runs everything (AquaMaps, Navionics, etc. ) just fine. It is waterproof, drop proof , built in GPS so no phone connection needed (although it does have provisions to add a sim card) , lots of storage, and has a huge battery. The screen is plenty bright for daytime use and it costs only around $200. I have used it for years and love it. I highly recommend it. Paired with a rugged tablet mount this is all I have needed.
Our Garmin is so clunky to use that iPhones and iPads are our primary navigation tool. Initiating withMotionGPS, then iSailor, and now we almost exclusively use Navionics.
We/I have been very reliably using the iPhone for this since 2008. The current phones themselves are water resistant so I use a waterproof case with a lanyard. 25$ on Amazon or AliExpress. we tend to have to replace charging cables more often as the they beat up and corrode in saltwater.
I use this case, it is ok, but distorts camera a bit and camera controls work, but not ideal.
I have used Navionics on both iPhone and a Lenovo tablet (MOST Lenovos have built in GPS and are quite affordable). Works great EXCEPT both devices are impossible to read in direct sunlight. Going to a chart plotter for next season.
Our chart plotter has been reliable, but I usually have my phone in my pocket and have iNavX on there. If for some reason I want to use the phone at the helm, I have a phone holder clamped to the binnacle. And paper charts below.
We have used Navionics in the past with an iPad and iPhone on another boat. We are currently contemplating whether or not to go that route again. Those of you who use a tablet/phone, how do you get an actual depth reading or is that not a concern?
I keep an iPhone with Navionics, Aqua Map, PredictWind and MarineTraffic on it. I keep it in a waterproof case with a float on it when I’m near water. I do have a chart plotter at the helm but it can be handy to have a second electronic navigation source for planning ahead as I keep the chart plotter for current navigation.
