What marine i Phone apps are you using?

[Jeff Asbury]

What marine i Phone apps are you using? I got my first i Phone. All I down loaded so far is the free AIS app, and it pretty much sucks. I can't get the map very large at all.
I also checked out some of the NOAA radar apps and they really varied in price. Some as little as $99. Are there any good cheap GPS or Chart apps, Wind apps? I am mainly interested in apps for Coastal Cruising. Thanks in advance!

 

[paul culver]

Hi Jeff

I too have been hijacked by the iPhone. My sailing apps are Memory-Map, Wind Meter, Windfinder, Celestial and KG Free. Also, check out SkyView Free for star gazing.

Paul
E29 "bear"

 

[toddster]

When I first bought my boat, the iPhone was my only working navigation instrument!

MotionX-GPS is a great low-cost chart app. I'm amazed at how it's grown since I first bought copy for $5 years ago. In the "maps" tab you can switch between road maps, terrain maps, satellite images, hybrid views and NOAA charts.

This year, I'll switch to iNavX, since I now actually have working instruments to interface with.

The problem with any of these iPhone chart apps is that if you zoom in enough to get your charted depth or navaid info, you loose perspective of where you are on the chart. A limitation of the small screen, I guess. Though an inset location chart at the next smaller scale would be nice.

AyeTides is indispensable! Especially during low-water season on the Columbia. It automatically finds your nearest tide and current prediction stations and gives you the current model.

BuoyData - gives you real time data from instrumented buoys in your area.

I use ShipFinder for AIS and StarWalk for star identification. I've also surprisingly found use for the cheesy ASA app - identifying signal flags. It also has a quick reference chart to vessel lights, in case you've forgotten some of the more obscure patterns.

Air Display can be useful if you've got a chart plotter going on your laptop down below and want access from the cockpit.

Also, gps2ip is a little utility that makes your phone gps unit available to your laptop for use in chart-plotting programs. More of a back-up or trouble-shooting utility.

 

[MarkA]

Navionics USA & Canada

NOAA Buoy Data (I use this every day)

Ship Tracker (seems to work better than shipfinder for me)

Star Walk

Grog Knots

Plus, I have a bunch of other weather apps. Weather Bug elite works best for my neighborhood. NOAA Buoy Data is best for tides, currents, marine forecasts, etc.

Netflix and HBO for streaming movies through the phone to the onboard TV.

Most of the expensive apps have a lite version you can try for free.

(Edited to add paragraphs)

 

[MarkA]

Sorry, but this site doesnt recognize new paragraph commands from iphones

 

[paul culver]

For chart plotter apps make sure the charts are actually downloaded to your phone and not accessed by data link, otherwise you will be SOOL if out of range.

Paul
E29 "Bear"

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Thanks for all the replies.

Thanks for all the replies. Sheesh, I asked for it. That's a bunch of stuff to think about. Are any of these apps free? When I search the apps store for "marine" apps, some come with some hefty down load fees.

 

[toddster]

For chart plotter apps make sure the charts are actually downloaded to your phone and not accessed by data link, otherwise you will be SOOL if out of range.

Paul
E29 "Bear"

Good point. The same goes for the tide and current tables. You can pre-load charts in MotionX, but the function is hidden way back in some menu option. Still, I've been pleasantly surprised at how far the 3G range extends over the water. It ought to get even better with LTE. I'm wondering just how far out you could get data with one of those phone booster power antennas up on the mast.

Also, just to point out the obvious, the AIS apps only work if both 1) you have an internet connection and 2) there is a base station operating in the area. (and 3) the app usually has to be in the foreground.) Lots of the negative reviews of these things are obviously from people who don't understand what is going on.

 

[Carefree Sailor]

Hi Jeff,

Check out this site: http://i-marineapps.blogspot.com/. It mentions iNavX, also mentioned in an earlier response. Everyone I know using it thinks it is great.

 

[toddster]

also www.panbo.net and www.macsailing.net

re: shipfinder. A few weeks ago, I was bored with the TV show I was watching so I fired up ship finder and moved the viewpoint over to Astoria. It was apparently just before the tide and quite the (slow motion) show. You could see a string of ships coming down the Columbia, and some others approaching from the ocean. The vectors on the pilot boats would shoot out as they hauled a55 to take river pilots off and put bar pilots on. Then another one orbiting off the coast, taking pilots off the outgoing ships and putting them on the inbound ones. I had no idea it was that busy.

OK, easily amused here...

 

[MarkA]

I'm tempted to buy an iMuxST, which would broadcast all my NMEA and SeaTalk info to my phone via wifi. It would be cool to control Otto, read the wind, see REAL AIS, etc. from wherever.

 

[toddster]

I'm tempted to buy an iMuxST, which would broadcast all my NMEA and SeaTalk info to my phone via wifi. It would be cool to control Otto, read the wind, see REAL AIS, etc. from wherever.

Well, I'm still building my system (when I'm taking a break from working on the bottom.) But the few times I've checked, the iMux units are currently not available. If you try to order you get a "sorry" page. Internet rumor has it they they've just got too many backlogged orders (really small shop) and are trying to catch up. Hopefully they'll be available again soon, but it's been six months so far...

Similar units are available from digital yacht. For the time being, I'm planning to forego these and just use my macbook as the local WiFi hub. I've got the raymarine ST to nmea box. Just haven't hooked it up yet. It ought to work. (I know, famous last words.) The AIS unit on my wish list also has nmea multiplexing capabilities, so we'll see. I've been concentrating lately on things actually needed to make the boat GO.

Also, my otto just takes the waypoint from the network, but you can't actually control it over the network. That is, when it's time to change course, it beeps, but won't actually do anything on its own unless you push a button on the unit to confirm. Probably a good thing. Wouldn't want otto to go gybing all on his own :0

 

[MarkA]

I can control Otto from my plotter and from the control unit. The iMuxST takes the seatalk signal from the control unit and sends it to the iPad. You can confirm the next waypoint and tell Otto to turn (in track mode). This isn't implemented in the iPhone, tho--just iPad. As for AIS, I installed an S-H GX2150 this weekend and I love it! I hadn't used the DSC feature on my handheld until now--it's pretty cool! When I send a position request to my handheld, it shows up on my chartplotter--great for tracking the kids in the dinghy!