App recommendations for navigation
 

I boat local and know my local lakes very well. I would like to go to LOTO one day and cruise the Orange Beach area. Im not sure if I want to mount a gps chart plotter on my boat that might get used once or twice a year. Im also limited on space and dont know if I want to clutter up the helm on my 246 Cobalt. Any suggestions are welcome. I also posted the same question on the Cobalt section.

A chart plotter would be a must if I was going off shore but I know thats not going to happen. Im thinking a good app with charts would be enough. I might be wrong.

LOTO is fairly deep all around....In all the times I've been there in the past I've never ran into any shallow areas to worry about. There was one time when we were near the Dam, we were floating about 20' off a rock face and the depth gauge was reading over 100' deep! The only thing I would want is a decent map of the lake...we found a nice cloth map once at some local shop and just kept it on the dash of the boat for reference...the lake is pretty basic unless you are going into the side channels for some exploring....and even then you really cant get lost. Plus the local and fellow boaters are nice if you ask where something is located on the lake...and then the water patrol will help just the same.....hell they even gave me a ride back to the boat ramp one time when Waterfoul's (blast from the past eh?) baja blew a drive :)

If you still want an app, I just sopoke to a buddy of mine down in Tampa and he uses an app by Navionics (Boating Marine & Lakes) .....chart plotter/gps he says is good for what he needs when he's not on his own boat....

I am in the same area and have 2 simrads on my boat and I use one of them to prop my iPad up against and run navionics as well, it’s awesome and always up to date.

As stated above use Navionics. I use Navionics too and find it very good. I would recommend using it on an Ipad vs I phone. It could be my old eyes but I find it hard to see when you are in rough water. I also use the RAM-X mount with a suction cup and have never had it fail to hold.

.


This would proly work with an Apple iPad.

https://www.milltechmarine.com/Using...ATED_b_25.html



https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...cd1ced986e.jpg






.

LOTO is easy to navigate. You can use the Lake Locator App to find exact locations of places.

Man you guys rock! I definitely need to do some homework. It would be nice to have something if you get into a bind aka lost... Ill look at the Navionics app. Not sure about the WIFI interface noli. The goal is to do some exploring hopefully soon. Right now we are trying to decide where to go. Seems like LOTO is the happening place but Im pretty familiar with the Orange Beach area. I guess it will boil down to where we can rent and if they have boat slips. LOTO is 150 miles further for me so not really an issue.

If you haven't done LOTO you need to. It is one of a kind for Powerboats.

Ill have to see about some cabins or houses to rent. Most likely it will be late August and only 4 of us.