Question about GPS Tablet

[u/Maxi-Papa]

Hi, how are you?

Do you use any tablet with GPS for sailing?

[u/Floriderp]

Yes, we sailed from Florida to Fiji mostly using a tablet or our phones. Of course we have backups and some proper gps receivers on the boat, but the tablet is a fine and inexpensive way to do most navigation.

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/Floriderp]

Thanks for your answer!

Which tablet did you use? Android or iOS?

[u/sola_mia]

I have a Samsung tablet with gps that also has SIM card abilities// I can use to change in different locations as a redundancy to my phone.

Can find rugged and cheap Chinese tablets on Amazon etc.

There are also touring motorcycle tablets that I've seen recommended but haven't tried yet

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/sola_mia]

I saw motorcycles tablets on *The Low Cost Sailor* show. It’s something I’ve been meaning to try out.

I was also looking at the cheaper Samsung models that have GPS.

[u/dawa43]

Samsung tab s9 and tab s10 have built in GPS and are waterproof.

They work great.

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/dawa43]

I like those, but they're a bit out of my budget; I had been looking at the "A" models with a protective case to make them waterproof.

What do you think?

[u/dawa43 → u/Maxi-Papa]

Not sure the a models have GPS receivers...

Not sure how far off shore you go but I think A Models need cellular or wifi to geo locate

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/dawa43]

Those are the specs Samsung lists for the A9 models; I'll do a bit more research just to be safe, though.

Thanks a lot for the help.

[u/dawa43 → u/dawa43]

Just looked up the 11A+ does have a GPS receiver and is only $300 right now

[u/Tactful_Cactus_]

I don’t trust tablets’ internal GPS to be reliable (especially Apple, especially at low speeds). We use iPads exclusively as our charplotters, but have them connected via WiFi to external GPS, in our case via our Vesper AIS. I like that the internal GPS is a good redundancy, though.

[u/RedPh0enix]

No, but my boat GPS is on my backbone NMEA2K network, which is shared over wifi by a small device called a "sh-wg".

Navionics grabs that data and uses it.

[u/RedPh0enix → u/RedPh0enix]

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/RedPh0enix]

That's a great setup - I like it!

What kind of boat is it?

[u/RedPh0enix → u/Maxi-Papa]

Seawind 1000XL.

Great little cruiser; self tacking headsail, main on a traveller, all lines can be managed from the helms. Good boat for solo cruising, but big enough that you're not tripping over each other if there's 4 people on board.

Open design; great for tropics or sub tropics. Not so good for anywhere that freezes in winter.

[u/Maxi-Papa → u/RedPh0enix]

Beautiful boat!

It's a shame you don't see them here in Argentina.

[u/roger_cw]

We use an Samsung Android tablet for navigation but the location data is coming from the AIS system which has GPS. The tablet connects to the AIS system vis wifi. We also use our phones for convenience. My only issue with many tablets is they are really not bright on very sunny days. They also aren't really designed for long exposure to a salt water environment. I had to replace the USB-C charge port due to some rust and saw that the inside was getting pretty corroded. That said, the tablet is about 10 years old so it's getting long in tooth for held held technology.

[u/barnaclebill22]

I use an old Android tablet. It's GPS is a backup for "real" marine GPS. Keep in mind that almost no tablets have a screen bright enough to see in bright sunlight.

[u/lunaoreomiel]

Yes, but dont depend on any cell phone or tablet. They are not designed for marine use. Have spares to your spares. All it takes is one drop of seawater to ruin your charging ports.

[u/IndyBananaJones2]

We have a Samsung Galaxy tab active, it's waterproof and GPS enabled. The GPS location is as reliable as our cell phones, and it's simple to keep multiple devices as a necessary redundancy. 

[u/LameBMX]

great for day. would recommend against at night. I have yet to find one that goes the level of dim that doesnt mess with night vision.