Boating GPS

[Bugzilla46310]

What boating/marine GPS apps are you using? Being in the Midwest, more interested in inland lakes and rivers. Do they accurately identify hazards, etc.? What do you like/dislike?

 

[redneck joe]

I got a cheap tablet and bought an app but really haven't used it. Can't get screen bright enough in the sun and I rarely run with my top up. Over winter i want to try and biu.d some sort of shade cover.

I'm sad, need new gps

I saved my old garmin (about 12 years old) from my last boat. The transducer was shot in the head by a submerged 2x8. I only saved the unit, no power and transducer. Found a transducer on ebay no prob but no power so looks like I'm in for a new one. If anyone has a single pin cord for...

forums.iboats.com

 

[DeepCMark58A]

No map or app will identify all the hazard you will find on a river, it changes with the weather. My depth finder is a humminbird, have the map card for it has all the lake maps of Minnesota in it, major rivers too.

 

[alldodge]

An App doesn't use GPS it uses cell towers, so not much accuracy

 

[Horigan]

Depends on the app. If the phone or tablet has GPS, the app will use that.

I use Navionics, in conjunction with our Garmin plotter. I've had Navionics show shallow water hazards that the Garmin didn't show. Weird since Garmin owns Navionics.

Another option is Aqua Map.

 

[redneck joe]

An App doesn't use GPS it uses cell towers, so not much accuracy

Read thru my thread if you're bored, we talked about that. Very little cell coverage on my lake.

 

[airshot]

I have an older Lawrance unit that the previous owner added a card for the States and southern Canada. Only used it here on Lake Erie, but it works great. In the lake, it shows every marker, bouy, off limit areas etc. When running down the Maumee river it shows all the street names, bridge names that cross or runs along the river. It also identifies the coal docks, ship yards and other major operations. Last Sumner was caught in a monsoon rain storm coming in off the lake. Was raining so hard that visibility was less than 100 feet at best. Could not see the lights marking the channel nor the rock piles along the edges. Used that unit to come in and it was super accurate. The channel is quite narrow but the unit guided me right to the center when I could not see the sides. Only unit I have ever had like it so I can't compare it to others.

 

[Chris1956]

The Marine GPS units are priced by screen size and visual acuity. The reason is that a larger, more high def unit is easier to see the features of the waterway, making them better. Some units have world-wide built in maps, and others use downloads or plug-ins to provide the updated date to the GPS unit.

I would recommend the largest, highest def display that you can afford and fit in the boat. Using a smaller screen, like a phone, will leave something to be desired, IMO.

GPS units come and go, so there are usually some discontinued units on sale.

BTW- the GPS info is provided by a cheap, single integrated circuit chip. The rest of the cost drivers are the map data and screen.

 

[arks]

What boating/marine GPS apps are you using? Being in the Midwest, more interested in inland lakes and rivers. Do they accurately identify hazards, etc.? What do you like/dislike?

My big boat has older, installed navigation electronics. They still work OK but are 20+ years old and can’t be updated. Last summer I tried something different- downloaded 2 apps (free versions) to use with my smartphone- Savvy Navvy and Argo Nav.
Both worked as advertised but they had the same problems- they were VERY hard to read in sunlight, didn’t show enough depth soundings when zoomed way in, and burned thru my phone battery quickly. Only got 2- 3 hours before it died. I also tried them on an iPad. With that it was better, but not much- maybe 4 hours use. Both apps utilize the GPS position from the smart device, so they were as accurate as the built-in Garmin GPS unit I have. Oh, In addition, my device would overheat if left in the sun too long! Really frustrating….
Ultimately, I wasn't satisfied with either app. Brand new electronics is definitely out of the question ($$$), so I am considering buying an app upgrade, or might just try to find something used-but that has its own issues…..

 

[jlh3rd]

I'm running a pontoon boat on the upper chesapeake.
I have a garmin GPS echo map ultra 2 . Has navionics map prescription. It's going on 3 years now, has the 5 inch screen. It's fine for me, and all I need.
I absolutely can't do without it. It does show hazards, channel, markers, POI's, etc., plus I can add waypoints (restaurants etc.) It shows depth on the map and has a depth finder separately.
I have the "Argo" app on my phone but like an Ipad, it gets washed out in the daylight , it's just my backup.
And the price was below $400....

 

[RGrew176]

When I purchased my pontoon boat in February I looked at several GPS units. I decided on the Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 53CV+TRANSDUCER. It worked flawlessly all season. It has all the inland lakes, rivers and Great Lakes where I do most of my boating.

Being a Garmin unit it works well in the daylight no matter how bright the sun shines the unit is readable. I don't fish but the fishfinder part works well and lets me read the bottom quite well.

I do have a tablet with Navionics downloaded but because it is impossible to read in bright sunlight I decided to go with a dedicated GPS.

 

[JASinIL2006]

We boat on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers mostly, and we've had good luck with our Humminbird Helix 5 with CHIRP & GPS. I bought a separate SD card that has detailed maps of Midwest rivers and lakes. It's definitely worth it. It includes all sorts of details like underwater cables, sunken barges, wing dams, etc. There are times when I'd like a larger screen, but my boat doesn't really have room on the dash for that.

I definitely would not go the tablet/smartphone route unless you can really control brightness. I don't think my iPad or iPhone are bright enough for that sort of use.

 

[jlh3rd]

I do have to renew a subscription every year for my Garmin, but it's worth it for piece of mind.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Go Garmin. Any tablet will wash out in the sun and overheat.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

We boat on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers mostly, and we've had good luck with our Humminbird Helix 5 with CHIRP & GPS. I bought a separate SD card that has detailed maps of Midwest rivers and lakes. It's definitely worth it. It includes all sorts of details like underwater cables, sunken barges, wing dams, etc. There are times when I'd like a larger screen, but my boat doesn't really have room on the dash for that.

I definitely would not go the tablet/smartphone route unless you can really control brightness. I don't think my iPad or iPhone are bright enough for that sort of use.

Has everything you need and you can see it in the sun and it mounts right on the dash

 

[Jeff J]

I use a Hummingbird 598 with a card for navigation. It fits my console better than the 899 I have for the 360 or the Garmin I bought for LiveScope. Rivers and lakes.

Neither my phone or tablet can be seen in the sun.

 

[dingbat]

I do have to renew a subscription every year for my Garmin, but it's worth it for piece of mind.

Unlike street maps, a large percentage of the charts for the Bay have not been updated in years.

Do yourself a favor and go to the NOAA website and check the current (update) status of your charts. It’s for that reason that I have not updated my charts in 5 years

https://distribution.charts.noaa.gov/navigation-updates/

 

[Jeff J]

I feel pretty good about the maps I have in the Hummingbird. The local lake is large (600 miles of shoreline at normal pool) and there are wooded areas submerged. The map shows me the creek bed route so I can stay over deeper water and off the trees. I still don’t run full power through those areas even knowing the route on the screen is clean because GPS can be off several feet and there is no visibility in the water.

Old bridge pilings and foundations are another matter. Almost none of those seem to be on any map I have seen but you have the option to add info and save to a map. Some of the units will map an area for you using the sonar.

 

[jlh3rd]

Unlike street maps, a large percentage of the charts for the Bay have not been updated in years.

Do yourself a favor and go to the NOAA website and check the current (update) status of your charts. It’s for that reason that I have not updated my charts in 5 years

https://distribution.charts.noaa.gov/navigation-updates/

Not understanding .
My northeast subscription , which includes the bay, is renewed every april. Plus occasional updates.
My bay map last year showed different depths and shoaling from the previous year in various places .

 

[Chris1956]

Although I have never been able to find any proof, I believe my Garmin with built-in maps is updated over the air. I say this because the main channel in Barnegat Bay is uncharted on paper maps, as it changes all the time. However, the GPS unit always has the proper buoy positions (or nearly so), even after they change over the course of a season/off season.