Navigation apps/tools

[SkaterRace]

I am wondering what everyone uses for navigation, mostly in their smaller boats (sub 25'). I am thinking of using the navonics app on iOS as it seems cheap and I have used it before with good results. Is there something better for small back lakes and the St Lawrence river?

Normally I have just used local knowledge and going slow in new areas. After an incident 2 years ago where I took my lower unit off on my old boat due to a marker being turned around and moved 20 ft. I'd like to avoid the same as I'm sure with the new boat that would be costly...

 

[southkogs]

THIS is from several years ago, and the APP has been upgraded some since then. But I've been impressed with Navionics as I've used it inland and on the ICW. It's hard on battery life for your phone (like using any maps), but works well overall - especially if you do your planning on the computer and load your routes into the APP that way.

I recently got a Hummingbird finder/plotter, and used that more last year. I haven't purchased the Navionics plugin for it, so some of the functionality is a little more difficult to use - but it works well enough so far. I think if I was running on something more substantial (high traffic areas of the Tennessee River for example), I'd add in some of the additional functionality for the Hummingbird. But on the lakes the basic package has been fine.

 

[TyeeMan]

I'm on all sorts of sized lakes. I'm running a Humminbird Helix 10 with a Lake Master Chip. The combination seems to work really well and I find the accuracy amazing.

 

[dingbat]

When was the last time you saw a NOAA survey ship working your local waters?

Bear in mind no matter what app you use, the data presented is always suspect.

 

[TyeeMan]

What I'm saying is, what I see on the map in relation to what I'm actually seeing on my sonar and what I'm actually feeling on on my rod is pretty impressive.

For navigation purposes, the map is for reference only, especially in shallow water. I only trust what I can see under me.

Pretty sure NOAA couldn't even fit their survey ship on the 600 acre lake close to where I live. Also pretty sure that NOAA doesn't bother with any inland lakes less than the great lakes.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I use a garmin hand-held when I need something hand-held

I use a garmin mounted in the boat, along with polarized sun glasses to see the channels.

down here the channels in the ICW move every tide.

regarding small lakes, normally the GIS info is updated by local college students when the guberment has a few extra shekels to toss at students.

 

[SkaterRace]

When was the last time you saw a NOAA survey ship working your local waters?

Bear in mind no matter what app you use, the data presented is always suspect.

Yes nothing is perfect but knowing if something was 5ft or 50ft makes a hell of a difference. For me I think if it reports less than 20ft I would be suspect of it but over that I can't see where it would be a worry?

 

[SkaterRace]

THIS is from several years ago, and the APP has been upgraded some since then. But I've been impressed with Navionics as I've used it inland and on the ICW. It's hard on battery life for your phone (like using any maps), but works well overall - especially if you do your planning on the computer and load your routes into the APP that way.

I recently got a Hummingbird finder/plotter, and used that more last year. I haven't purchased the Navionics plugin for it, so some of the functionality is a little more difficult to use - but it works well enough so far. I think if I was running on something more substantial (high traffic areas of the Tennessee River for example), I'd add in some of the additional functionality for the Hummingbird. But on the lakes the basic package has been fine.

Thanks will give that a read tonight

 

[SkaterRace]

I use a garmin hand-held when I need something hand-held

I use a garmin mounted in the boat, along with polarized sun glasses to see the channels.

down here the channels in the ICW move every tide.

regarding small lakes, normally the GIS info is updated by local college students when the guberment has a few extra shekels to toss at students.

Most lakes I would be on are either ones I know which I don't need the GPS for or are part of the rideau canal here in Ontario. Which is a major waterway for all sorta of boats and the lakes that are part of it are all monitored fairly often. I know the one that I crashed on is monitored yearly for depth and other changes plus has police on it every weekend.

Now for the actual companies updating their maps that is the big difference I think.

 

[briangcc]

St Lawrence - get a navigation chart. They sell them in most bait shops on the US side of the border. And use your eyes. I'm saying this as water levels fluctuate...sometimes drastically and you need to be on the lookout for rocky shoals. **Boated for several years in Abay area from Goose Bay (Kring Point) to Chippewa Bay (Shimmerhorns Landing). I wouldn't trust electronics as a primary nav aid in this particular instance.

I ran an Eagle Fish Elite on the boat I had on the St. Lawrence and it did good with the base map. No navigation aids were marked but it had shoreline.

As for back lakes...they may or may not be covered depending on size and popularity.


Good luck with your decision!

 

[Mohawkmtrs]

Agree with briangcc...get as new as possible paper chart for the St. Lawrence and strip charts for the Rideau and keep up with NOTMARS occasionally.

Use the paper charts to check your electronics.

 

[southkogs]

I have learned both in marine navigation and aviation that spending some time looking over real chart data before you head out using any sort of digital aids is a good idea. I've used Garmin aviation systems all the way down to Google maps, and while some are definitely superior to others - a rough working knowledge of where you're going to be navigating REALLY helps you know how much to trust the device.

 

[SkaterRace]

St Lawrence - get a navigation chart. They sell them in most bait shops on the US side of the border. And use your eyes. I'm saying this as water levels fluctuate...sometimes drastically and you need to be on the lookout for rocky shoals. **Boated for several years in Abay area from Goose Bay (Kring Point) to Chippewa Bay (Shimmerhorns Landing). I wouldn't trust electronics as a primary nav aid in this particular instance.

I ran an Eagle Fish Elite on the boat I had on the St. Lawrence and it did good with the base map. No navigation aids were marked but it had shoreline.

As for back lakes...they may or may not be covered depending on size and popularity.


Good luck with your decision!

Paper maps are not really an option on a bowrider. Plus they tend to be way more out of date than an electronic one. Maybe 20 years ago I would have chose that but not today. Also I don't indend to use the navigation as my only method of knowing the depth. I plan to use my depth finder as well as maps to figure it out. Also want to have a warning system if it goes below 25ft depth.

For back lakes, most of them I either know or are popular enough to have launches full every weekend. Most are marked with homemade markers and looking at the navonics app that seems to be up to date and fairly close to what I know the lakes I have been on to be.

 

[SkaterRace]

I have learned both in marine navigation and aviation that spending some time looking over real chart data before you head out using any sort of digital aids is a good idea. I've used Garmin aviation systems all the way down to Google maps, and while some are definitely superior to others - a rough working knowledge of where you're going to be navigating REALLY helps you know how much to trust the device.

Oh I will be checking all out before I head out. Normally on lakes I have never been I spend an hour or two online looking around then also go slow till I figure out the lake or I follow other boaters too. That last one seems to have been a good source for me so far. Most lakes I go on are popular enough that if you wait 20 minutes you can normally follow a boat's wake to go almost anywhere on the lake.