Need to know what is the best boat navigation app to guide you through your next sailing adventure? In this boating resource guide, we show what your best options are.
Boating has been around since ancient times and has come a long way since then. With the advent of smartphones, you can easily navigate through the water at a touch of a button.
These days smartphones aren’t just for communication, taking photos, or watching your favorite videos online. Mobile technology can also help with marine navigation, keeping track of tides and currents, and more.
Whether you’re a first-time sailor or have been sailing for a long time, there’s a boat navigation app out there that could help make your boating life so much easier.
Is There A Free Marine Navigation App?
There’s no denying how convenient it is to use marine navigation apps and know that the application will take care of the rest, so you can simply relax onboard. While the best boat GPS app out there comes at a price, some apps are available fully free or offer basic but valuable tools in the free version.
- C-Map Embark: Free basic version
- Navionics: Free app, but you must purchase chart regions and other upgrades
- iNavX: free for Android’s basic version
- Garmin BlueChart Mobile: Free app and includes a high-level world chart
- KnowWake: Free app
Almost all boat navigation apps offer free or reduced-rate trials, allowing boaters to try the app before buying it. If you do sign up for a free trial, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to test it out when you’re out on the water.
If you feel that the app you’ve chosen doesn’t meet all your needs and expectations, you can always use multiple apps that are designed to help with a specific problem.
How To Choose The Best Boat GPS App
With so many boat navigation apps on the market, choosing can be a challenge. Here are the most important things to consider and features to look out for when choosing an app to help you with marine navigation.
- Chart Data- Ensure that they use reliable sources for their chart data.
- Ease of Use- Apps are supposed to make your life easier, so you should pick one that is user friendly and are simple enough to understand
- Offline chart availability- Network connection can be unreliable on the water. A good app should allow you to download the chart beforehand and view it even if you lose connection.
- Flexibility- This allows for customization to fit your needs and should be functional even when you’re aboard a different type of boat.
- Automatic Route Planning- Head out to your favorite destination using the dock-to-dock guidance from your boat navigation app.
- Sharing & Connectivity- This allows you to connect with other boaters.
- Tides & Weather forecast
- Depth markers & underwater contouring- Helps in finding the best fishing spots.
Best Boat Navigation App
Use the latest and most detailed chart data straight from your phone, tablet, or PC with the C-MAP App. Plan out your route from start to finish, save your favorite destination or fishing spot and enjoy the rest of your time on the water.
- You can customize your charts
- Weather forecast, air and water temperature, wind and wave data… and more
- Autorouting
- Allows you to plan and track your route
- C-MAP Traffic & AIS
- High-Resolution Bathymetry
- Custom Depth Shading
- GPX Import & Export
- Anchoring Alert
The iNavX is a trusted boat navigation app across the globe used by all kinds of boating enthusiasts, from casual and professional sailors to fishermen and daytime cruisers. It is the only chart plotter on mobile phones that delivers charts from your favorite chart providers and hundreds of features.
- Color chart plotter
- Access to thousands of charts
- Real-time Navigation on Marine Charts
- Waypoint Selection, Creation, and Editing
- Real-time Instruments (Speed, course, bearing to Waypoint…)
- Marine Chart Selection
- Route Editing and tracking
- Anchor Alarm
- Weather and Forecast Integration
- Forecast Plot (Wind and Pressure)
- Marine Chart Info
Whether you’re cruising, fishing, sailing, or enjoying other activities on the water, Navionics is a reliable companion to have on your trip. This boating app provides detailed nautical charts to help you get to travel to and from your boating destination safely and a lot easier.
- Satellite overlay with SonarChart shading
- Relief shading
- Sonar imagery
- Daily chart updates
- Dock-to-dock Route Guidance
- Allow you to connect with friends and fellow boaters
- Weather forecast
- AIS feature (see nearby targets overlaid on your charts)
- SonarChart Live
With the iSail GPS, you can create and edit waypoints and routes so you never get lost on the water again. This is a great primary GPS navigation app that is well received by the boating community because of its straightforward approach and ease of use.
- Allows you to view your current location and track your course
- View waypoints of important places, and routes to guide you
- Charts auto switch to show the highest resolution chart available for your location
- A speed graph for your track
- Import and export GPX and KML waypoints, routes & tracks
- Stitch together charts for seamless coverage across chart boundaries
- Print charts overlaid with waypoints, routes, and tracks
The Boat Beacon app was designed and developed by the CEO of Pocket Mariner after a near-miss at sea. This reliable and affordable boating navigation app is an AIS-based collision detection system available for iPhone and iPad or Android smartphones and tablets.
- Real-time map view of your boat and boats within 30NM
- Ship details with distance, bearing, type, size, etc.
- Ship vectors showing future predicted positions
- Live AIS feed
- Over the horizon collision avoidance and alarm
- Allows you to connect with fellow boaters
- Compass mode
- Current Speed, Course, and GPS location
- Track recording and sharing
- Man Overboard tracking (iOS only at present)
- Anchor Watch and Theft Alarms (iOS only at present)
Marine navigation apps have made quite a big impact on how traditional and modern boaters travel on the water.
While it is important to learn and understand the techniques of traditional navigation, there is no denying that recent innovations in technology have allowed for a more safe and relaxed time on the water.
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MORE RELATED RESOURCES
Boating is so much easier with a navigation app at hand. But after a day of fun on the water, you should also know how to properly store your boats. Check out our recent post on how to store a pontoon boat, some principles may also apply to boats in general so make sure you don’t miss it.
And if you ever want to become a full-time sailor, coz why not? Here is a post about Life aboard a sailboat, for more inspiration.
