[Skippermark]

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!