Chartplotter on a Tablet - advice?

[Ground Tackle]

Do any of you use a tablet with the Navionics charts loaded onto it with the boating app as your chartplotter? If so, are you happy with it? From what I understand as long as I purchase a tablet with a gps receiver and a sd card slot I should be good. Any thoughts?

We currently have a Lowrance Elite 7 that we purchased just over 3 years ago and we have had nothing but problems with that unit. After a year it started freezing up and the screen would go blank on and off – the gps works sometime and other times it didn’t – completely unreliable and then it started marking fish swimming below the ocean floor!! The only thing that we think is correct is the depth reading. Lowrance was no help, we did all the upgrades they recommended and nothing worked - finally the Lowrance rep just said it is a software problem and sorry about that.

After doing some upgrades to the boat since we bought it a couple of years ago, the final thing we have left to do now is putting radar on and I am leary to go with one dedicated combined unit for everything, because if it glitches and goes down when you are out on the water - you loose everything. So, I am thinking we either purchase another new fishfinder/chartplotter combo and put a stand alone radar unit on, or my other thought is maybe we try the tablet with the chartplotter and I personally want to put our older previous Lowrance fishfinder (it is not a combo, just a fishfinder) which we still have buried in a closet somewhere – it worked excellent, has a large size screen and is just black and white and purchase a separate stand alone radar. I am getting the rolling of the eyes by my husband as he isn’t thrilled with the idea of the older fishfinder going on the boat. He thinks we should just purchase a new combo unit – I am just thinking if the older fishfinder still works as well as it did and the charts on a tablet??? Wonder if that would work ok.

What do you guys think? Advice appreciated. Thanks

 

[Prfisher]

Do any of you use a tablet with the Navionics charts loaded onto it with the boating app as your chartplotter? If so, are you happy with it? From what I understand as long as I purchase a tablet with a gps receiver and a sd card slot I should be good. Any thoughts?

We currently have a Lowrance Elite 7 that we purchased just over 3 years ago and we have had nothing but problems with that unit. After a year it started freezing up and the screen would go blank on and off – the gps works sometime and other times it didn’t – completely unreliable and then it started marking fish swimming below the ocean floor!! The only thing that we think is correct is the depth reading. Lowrance was no help, we did all the upgrades they recommended and nothing worked - finally the Lowrance rep just said it is a software problem and sorry about that.

After doing some upgrades to the boat since we bought it a couple of years ago, the final thing we have left to do now is putting radar on and I am leary to go with one dedicated combined unit for everything, because if it glitches and goes down when you are out on the water - you loose everything. So, I am thinking we either purchase another new fishfinder/chartplotter combo and put a stand alone radar unit on, or my other thought is maybe we try the tablet with the chartplotter and I personally want to put our older previous Lowrance fishfinder (it is not a combo, just a fishfinder) which we still have buried in a closet somewhere – it worked excellent, has a large size screen and is just black and white and purchase a separate stand alone radar. I am getting the rolling of the eyes by my husband as he isn’t thrilled with the idea of the older fishfinder going on the boat. He thinks we should just purchase a new combo unit – I am just thinking if the older fishfinder still works as well as it did and the charts on a tablet??? Wonder if that would work ok.

What do you guys think? Advice appreciated. Thanks

I'm pretty new to all this stuff, so take this with a grain of salt.
Last year, I downloaded the Isailer app onto my pad, so I'd have a larger screen available than my 5" Lowrance. It has some nice features that make following contours easier. I loved it until i found out how inaccurate the bottom contours were on that program. It was cheap, but not worth the money! Lucky I didn't lose a bunch of gear when I dragged bottom while the app showed I was 80' deeper than the downrigger counters. Last week I downloaded the Navionics app & so far, I'm very impressed. $35.00 a year subscription cost. Cheaper than a new combo unit by far.
One thing I like about having the app on my pad is I can check out new areas to fish while hanging out at home.
A buddy of mine is a beachcomber & he uses the Navionics app on his phone as a backup. Recommended it highly to me after the ISailor fiasco.

 

[bigbruce]

The good news is you only need a pad with GPS capabilities - a cheap android will do and you don't need an SD card slot - and the Navionics app that as Prfisher has pointed out is not expensive. The downside of this gear is that pad screens aren't great when the sun shines - lots of glare. Nor are they built for a potentially wet, salty environment. So if you go this route, make sure you have it in the shade and well protected from the elements.

 

[Prfisher]

The good news is you only need a pad with GPS capabilities - a cheap android will do and you don't need an SD card slot - and the Navionics app that as Prfisher has pointed out is not expensive. The downside of this gear is that pad screens aren't great when the sun shines - lots of glare. Nor are they built for a potentially wet, salty environment. So if you go this route, make sure you have it in the shade and well protected from the elements.

On snotty days, I put my pad in a ziplock bag

 

[Redfisher]

I use Navionics on my Samsung tablet ($210 from Costco) and it works ok but I don’t trust the accuracy of the Navionics. I have fished areas around Lasquiti where the sounder and Navionics are out 80’. I love the tablet to preplan fishing areas and it’s great to
use when travelling but fishing ...MEH. I don’t find Navionics on my Lowrance HDS 10 a whole lot better so I am at a bit of a loss trying to get better chart plotter results.

 

[macro]

I run two units. . well.. 4 sort of. ..

1 Lowrance HDS unit . Works great, primarily use it as the fish finder, second is a Hummingbird Helix 9 g2 which I use it for maps. The bonus with the bird is it can do live bottom mapping, so I have very accurate maps that I overlay on top of the Navionics ones.

The HDS can do that too, but it requires an active subscription to navionics. I dont like the pay to play model so I dont subscribe.

Reason for dual electronics is this - fishing days are few and far between and I dont want a single gear failure to put me offline.

Other two backups are water proof cell phones that each have a copy of navionics on them.

Cheers

 

[Ground Tackle]

The good news is you only need a pad with GPS capabilities - a cheap android will do and you don't need an SD card slot - and the Navionics app that as Prfisher has pointed out is not expensive. The downside of this gear is that pad screens aren't great when the sun shines - lots of glare. Nor are they built for a potentially wet, salty environment. So if you go this route, make sure you have it in the shade and well protected from the elements.

 

[Ground Tackle]

I was thinking about the glare as well . Also, even with a good car mount for a tablet, I can see a tablet going flying if it is rough water. Ok, thanks you guys......I think we will be buying a new combo unit.

 

[Gong Show]

They are excellent as a redundant navigation aid. Separate power, antennas and screen from your fixed units.
Almost everyone knows how to use a tablet, so guests can use it to have a look around.
They are also useful to plan the next day while sitting around with your crew.
Modern consumer electronics are so cheap and unreliable that I would not use a tablet as my sole unit.

 

[Rain City]

They are excellent as a redundant navigation aid. Separate power, antennas and screen from your fixed units.
Almost everyone knows how to use a tablet, so guests can use it to have a look around.
They are also useful to plan the next day while sitting around with your crew.
Modern consumer electronics are so cheap and unreliable that I would not use a tablet as my sole unit.

I second that. When we did our desolation trip a couple summers ago another guy had a 12" tablet that we would sit around at night and plan with. We linked it to our phone hot spot wifi when we needed to google things as well to book moorage and whatnot.

 

[bigbruce]

I was thinking about the glare as well . Also, even with a good car mount for a tablet, I can see a tablet going flying if it is rough water. Ok, thanks you guys......I think we will be buying a new combo unit.

Here's a really good deal - I bought this unit from GPS Central - works great!
https://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/gpsmap-742xs.html

 

[Olde School]

I gave a similar situation much thought and have settled on this set up for this year:
Lowrance/Navionics with overlay as my main screen.
Guiding out of Ukee last summer gave me a VAST appreciation for overlay.
Using the SonarChartLive gives you ridiculous chart accuracy.
Out back, I have the main unit mirrored to a cheap Android 10" tablet on a RAM mount (this set up allows the tablet to control the main unit). Keep the tablet out of direct sun and rain (under my bimini).
My waterproof Android cell works as a back up navigation device if needed. It has the Navionics app too.

My set up has much flexibility, isn't stupidly expensive, and is fairly user friendly.

 

[Gong Show]

I second that. When we did our desolation trip a couple summers ago another guy had a 12" tablet that we would sit around at night and plan with. We linked it to our phone hot spot wifi when we needed to google things as well to book moorage and whatnot.

I really wish they would keep a few buttons on these units.
Not sure why my hands are not always compatible with touch screens.
They are either too dry or too wet.

Maybe I should take some advice from Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs,
It rubs the lotion on its skin, it does this whenever its told.

 

[Ground Tackle]

I really wish they would keep a few buttons on these units.
Not sure why my hands are not always compatible with touch screens.
They are either too dry or too wet.

Maybe I should take some advice from Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs,
It rubs the lotion on its skin, it does this whenever its told.

Ugh......that movie creeped me right out, even watching it today it makes me shudder - reading your post and that quote......yuck, LOL

 

[Andrew P]

I've been running only a tablet/phone for many years now and love it. I run them with a Raymaririne WIFISH, which syncs right into the Navionics app and not only gives me depth and good fishfinder, but it also updates the charts as you go.

For me the flexibility and low cost approach of tablets are worth it.

 

[cracked_ribs]

I have an old Galaxy tab 3 that I bought refurbished for a hundred bucks several years ago...runs Navionics great. I keep it next to a Hook7x dedicated depth sounder in a ram mount. Works well BUT: outside in the sun it would not be bright enough. Inside the cabin of the double eagle it's great. A cheap, effective solution.

 

[Ground Tackle]

This would always be under the hardtop on the dash - so bright but not direct sun persay and I also looked at some of the tablet sunshades that you can purchase that sit on the mount.

 

[Slabbedout]

I run navionics on a iPad mini and use my hook7 solely for depth. I find the larger screen and the ability to pre plan prior to fishing a excellent option.

I find navionics sonar charts to be fairly accurate but may go to the ray marine WiFi set up in the near future to I can do the depth mapping and overlay, since I think this is truly the only way to get super accurate charts.

 

[Burban]

Unless your sounding and overlaying your own, all charts on gps have a degree of error whether its on a tablet or a head unit. I've been using the Navionics app on a second LCD screen along side my 7" Lowrance for a few years now. I have an inverter wired on board so my tablet has constant power. The Sonar Charts on the Navionics app show far more detail then the standard gps plotter and the contour lines are much closer together, really displaying the ocean floor for you. I know I catch more fish in the winter then my buddies because I use the app and fish structure a lot tighter. Try running the app in sonar chart mode beside your plotter maps. The contour lines are so far apart on the plotter, the detail is so much better on the app.

If you have a Navionics subscription you have redundancy out the a$$, you have a plotter on your phone, tablet, head unit... even the new Mercury vesselview screen lol. You can download the app on someone else's phone and log in in a pinch... the app is really great and an amazing value.

 

[Mark Steffens]

So I've used both and can share my experience. I just started salmon fishing this year and my 25' Bayliner had always been a lake boat so only had the factory digital depth readout. I downloaded Navionics on my waterproof Samsung phone and bought a phone mount, attached my heavy duty GoPro suction cup mount. It worked great but was a pain to answer calls and take photos of fish and send texts to my buddies of said fish! And needed a good 3.5A car socket charger to keep juiced.

I then downloaded Navionics to my kid's tablet, and bought a separate suction cup mount. Awesome screen size, had my phone back to take pics. On rough days however the tablet occasionally got wet, occasionally the suction cup came loose. Based on my depth readings the GPS was more accurate on my phone but I could still stay in a zone, mark waypoints and the autorouting is on point.

Then I just recently bought the Lowrance 9" Ti2. While it's nice having it all there and ready to switch on, it's solid and bright, accurate and I can see bait balls and depth transitions now, I'm not sure it's helped catch more fish, we were slaying it back when I just had my phone. And the functionality of the App is IMO nicer than on the Lowrance.

So I'm happy with the Ti2, but if it's just for navigation the App is great!