Tablet and GPS
 

I've never had a tablet and know nothing about them. Pre-pandemic there was a discussion here about using a tablet with Navionics an/or Bizer for GPS navigation. I suspect technology has changed since then. Any particular iPad that is good for this purpose? Some other device? I see that Amazon sells refurbished iPads for abnout half the price of new.. Is there a caveat for these?
TIA.

Navionics works great on an ipad, as long as it is GPS capable. The only ipads that are GPS capable have wifi+celllular capability. The wifi-only units do not do GPS.

Android as well
 

I use a Samsung Tab A with Navionics on the lake. It's a 10 inch screen and has worked fine for me. Only thing is finding a good way to mount it. Mine kinda sits on my dash in landscape mode above the gauges on a small ledge so it's not held in place, it just sits there. It's launched a few times in rough water so I'll need to come up with something different. Either way it works fine for navigating.

I use a Dragon note K10, I also bought a tablet windshield mount from amazon

Bookatfly and Diunooo1; Thank you. I have a mounted MFD, that my primary helmsman rejects, so I'm looking at something that can be used away from the helm. Usually, we just passed a chart around to guests and extra crew, but a tablet doesn't blow in the wind or have to be refolded every couple of miles.

Be careful buying a refurb on line. They tend to be older models and Apple stops supporting them after a while so they become expensive paper weights.

We purchased one during the pandemic so my son could do his remote learning on it for kindergarten as I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on an ipad for a 6 year old. It wouldn't load any of the apps because it was too old and I ended up just buying a new (for 2020) one anyhow.

I bought a $90 Android tablet on Amazon, and use it for Navionics. You don’t need a cell connection, just download your charts from home wifi. Just about any Android tablet will work—as stated confirm that it has GPS.

I use an IPAD with gps for flying, it works great. I do use cellular service with it, but you don't have to. The down side is they are expensive, probably more than a dedicated portable gps unit.

You must have gotten a very old one then. In general, Apple supports phones and tablets longer than other manufacturers with ongoing software updates. However, that doesn't mean that app makers themselves will always have the same amount of ongoing support.


FWIW, I have an iPad Mini that is older than I can recall, it's got to be close to 10 years old now. It still works fine, and last time I tested some of the nav apps, they all worked fine on it.

Apple sells refurbished gear directly, with full warranties. Depending on when a given line was refreshed they may include the current model and one or two generations back. From Apple.com select the Shop tab, then the “certified refresh” specialty store. Inventory is updated frequently so it can be worthwhile watching it for a week or two to see what models and configurations are available.

We’ve bought several refused iPads and Mac Minis and all have been in like new condition, and without problems over the long term.

You def need a cellular capable iPad, however it does not have to be connected to a cellular provider. They are just the only ones with a GPS chip. Once you get the Navionics app up and running, you can download map so there is no lag.

Woodsy

Hi Descant. I use Navioncs on my iPhone, but I also have it installed on my iPad. My iPad doesn't have a GPS, so I can only plan routes and things like that on it. No navigation capabilities, but it does sync great with my phone. I can be relaxing at home and plan a route, and it'll automatically sync with the phone. You can even go to their website and plan out a trip, and it'll save to your devices. The web options are limited compared to the app, though.

For me, the phone is large enough. The screen is almost 6.7 (I think), so it's almost as big as some GPS plotters. If you have a GPS-enabled iPad, that would be amazing. I'd trust buying a refurbished one from Apple but no one else.

I've attached a screenshot of a route I created on my iPad from Lees Mills to Meredith to purposely show how it handles a complex route and sets up the "turn by turn" navigation for you.

I'm in CT right now, so the top right module says I'm 154 miles from my first stop, which is Lees Mills. If I was there, it would show correctly. The bottom right shows the distance to the final waypoint, so again, it's factoring in the distance I have to travel from here to the lake. The top left shows speed and course over ground, which is handy to know when encountering buoys.

You can customize the app with info about your boat including draft, length, width and height plus your cruise speed and gallons per hour. This is VERY handy because when you plot a route, it takes all that into account and won't route you somewhere you can't go. I've read that the "height" setting isn't always calculated accurately, which is why I never trust it 100% and always verify everything myself.

I always put in my true average cruise speed, which is around 12MPH because, even though I can go faster, I'm often going slower through no wake zones, stopping to take photos and the like, and I want it to give a true indication of time frames. If I ever had to get somewhere quicker, I know I can (almost) always go faster if needed.

You can set the units to metric, statue miles, knots, whatever you feel comfortable with, and if you have any AIS equipment, it works with that and NMEA Wi-Fi devices.

For mounting, I'm a big fan of the RAM Mounts. They have all kinds of accessories and different ways to attach your phone or iPad (or just about anything) to your boat. If you went with a RAM Mount, I'd suggest staying away from the X-Grip style holders. I initially got that to hold my phone but didn't like it and ended up getting the RAM Quick-Grip instead after watching YouTube videos where most complained about the X-Grip.

Oh, and one last thing. Whatever device you plan to put it on, GET A POWER CABLE for it because the battery will die insanely quick otherwise. The GPS and screen will always be on, and both of those drain the battery like crazy.

Sorry this ended up being so long, but I just wanted to give you some details into what the app offers. There's also some good YouTube tutorials about it too. Hope this helps!

Yes, great point. Even though I use the app on my iPhone, I always pre-download the maps so I'm not sitting there waiting for it to download over a slow or non-existent connection if I'm in an area with bad coverage.

Skippermark, thanks for the detailed post. I never thought much about height until I looked at your screenshot. I can't fit under the Long Island Bridge, so that area is one that just isn't "in my vocabulary". My daughter has a smaller boat with no electronics, so we could use the iPad to advantage on her boat. It appears the app, with "height" inserted would take me through the Hole in the Wall or around Little Bear, either of which is my normal route.

Which windshield mount from Amazon do you use? I assume it's a suction cup design. Any issues with it coming off in rough water?