February 17, 2009 19:49
I'm not a long distance oceanic navigator by any means, but I've been boating around SE Alaska my entire life... I've got a C-Map NT based Furuno chart plotter that I use more as a backup to my local knowledge. I've had iNavX installed with all the raster charts I'm familiar with since I can remember it being available. I downloaded the Maptech app (West coast US) for my iPhone last week, and, as a pocket reference tool, it's absolutely fantastic!
The charts have every bit as much detail as what's on the Furuno, and I always enjoy being able to sit at a local restaurant with crew and plan an upcoming trip instead of having to host a trip planning party aboard the boat.
The major difference I notice between the two apps (on the same iPhone so we're comparing apples to apples - AHEM!) is speed. The Maptech charts are vector, so loading, panning, zooming, etc. is lightning fast. I might like a quick access button so I can zoom out to a coastal reference chart and then zoom in to specific areas without 6 or 8 pinches, but other than that, I'm thrilled with the product.
The review in the app store was written by the developer of iNavX, and it - of course - both praised the Maptech product and offered (very constructive) criticism.
I'm in the process of planning a delivery of my 35' SeaWolf from Juneau, AK to Bellingham, WA this May, and I'll be using all of the available products for the iPhone along side my C-Map Furuno unit and my MacBook Pro running MacENC...
In summary: Pro: Great detail, awesome rendering/resizing speed. Con: lack of quick zoom, on initial exploration it appears to lack even basic navigational functions. If I could plot my position according to the GPS at close intervals and record my track for the whole trip, (and then export the track to an app review or blog site) I'd be even happier... as it is, I think I'll have to use Maps and FirePin to track the course and show our progress to everyone as we go.
-Case
The charts have every bit as much detail as what's on the Furuno, and I always enjoy being able to sit at a local restaurant with crew and plan an upcoming trip instead of having to host a trip planning party aboard the boat.
The major difference I notice between the two apps (on the same iPhone so we're comparing apples to apples - AHEM!) is speed. The Maptech charts are vector, so loading, panning, zooming, etc. is lightning fast. I might like a quick access button so I can zoom out to a coastal reference chart and then zoom in to specific areas without 6 or 8 pinches, but other than that, I'm thrilled with the product.
The review in the app store was written by the developer of iNavX, and it - of course - both praised the Maptech product and offered (very constructive) criticism.
I'm in the process of planning a delivery of my 35' SeaWolf from Juneau, AK to Bellingham, WA this May, and I'll be using all of the available products for the iPhone along side my C-Map Furuno unit and my MacBook Pro running MacENC...
In summary: Pro: Great detail, awesome rendering/resizing speed. Con: lack of quick zoom, on initial exploration it appears to lack even basic navigational functions. If I could plot my position according to the GPS at close intervals and record my track for the whole trip, (and then export the track to an app review or blog site) I'd be even happier... as it is, I think I'll have to use Maps and FirePin to track the course and show our progress to everyone as we go.
-Case