There’s an App for That!
Technology marches on, as ever, and marketers and boating service companies want you to cram your smart phone full to the gills with the latest and newest apps. They’ve got apps to forecast the weather, apps to guide you through tides, tricky passages and to find the best lobster dinner on shore. Apps to remind you when to refill with fuel, apps to help you find the biggest fish.
Fear not, intrepid boater … we have examined a couple dozen or so of the latest apps on the waterfront to come up with just a handful you should think about downloading to your phone.
- Marine Navigation Apps
Navionics is hardly a ‘new’ app, but it’s still among the best navigational guides you can put on your phone. This popular app provides charts worldwide, in oceans, lakes, bays and rivers. You will get alerted if there is weather coming in, an obstacle in your path or high tides are forecast. You can add point-to-point chartplotting; you can read current comments from others in the community who might be sailing in your area; you can sync with your onboard Wifi-equipped chart plotter. Free 2-week trial period/$30 per year. Visit Navionics.
KnowWake is an easy-to-use GPS and chart planner for your phone. Great for planning a trip with up-to-the minute charts from around the world. KnowWake is excellent at providing guides to onshore points as well: you can look up restaurants, marinas, fuel docks, boat ramps, bait shops, scuba and snorkel sites and much more. Free to download.
INavX will turn your phone into a serious navigational aid, with charts, weather, showing you speed and bearing, and more. You can purchase add-ons to the app that will show tides and current data, access GRIB weather forecasting and even provide an anchor alarm. $4.99 plus extra for add-ons. Visit INavX.
- Weather Apps
MyRadar. Designed by the Aviation Data System, this weather app provides up-to-the minute forecasts and alerts for severe conditions. Opt in for the dangerous weather alerts, and you can also optimize for wind animations and temperature shading. 50 million downloads. Free download for both iOS and Android phones. See here.
WeatherBug. This simple app provides a lot of weather information: hourly and 10-day forecasts, lightning strike alerts, air quality, pollen counts, radar and more. Free to download for both iOS and Android (though it comes with ads). See here.
Windy.com. A comprehensive app provides more than just current wind conditions. Among the weather models used by Windy are the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), NOAA’s High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR), North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM), ICON D-2 (European), ACCESS (Australia) and more. The app contains more than 50 weather maps and tools, with alerts and storm tracking for your area. Download for iOS and Android, and you can even add the app to your Apple watch. Annual subscription $18.99. See here.
SailFlow. Are you a sailor? This is a must-have app. Live wind flow indicators, combined with SailFlow’s Flow Map Forecast will tell you the wind conditions for your sail. Competitive captains won’t leave port without it! The app also includes weather conditions, forecasts and storm alerts. The basic app is free to download from Apple or Android, and you can upgrade to premium subscriptions at levels ranging from $4 to $15 a month. Details here.
- Tide Apps
Tideschart. Fishermen know that the ebb and flow of the tides affects fish and when they bite. Having a good tidal charter on your phone is a good way to predict where the bite will be. Getting tide data from more than 7,000 measuring stations around the world, Tideschart will graphically show you the predicted tidal flow for the day, show you the current phase of the moon and has a weather screen as wel. Free download for Android and Apple devices. Details here.
Tides4fishing. As the name suggests, this app is a must-have for fishermen. Nautide is the name for the app which provides localized tidal data for fishing, surfing, solunar data and weather. The free download app for Android and Apple comes with ads, but users can upgrade to premium, ad-free content. Details here.
- Fishing Apps
FishBrain is a great little tool for anglers. Before setting out, you can check out the fishing forecast–weather, sun and tides, and species that are biting. Others using the program can post results, so you can see in real time what’s biting and where. Depth charts, chart waypoints, keep a digital logbook and more. Base version is free, but the premium version at $5.99 is worth it. See here.
FishTrack gives saltwater anglers tons of information helpful for catching fish. There’s sea surface temperature charts and global satellite imagery; water temp charts, chlorophyll, water color, currents, tides, moon phases and marine weather forecasts. Mark hot spots with GPS locator tool. Basic version is free, but the $7.99 per month premium fee has lots of extras. See here.
- General Boating Apps
BoatUS should probably be on every captain’s phone. This free app (available for iOS and Android) provides weather, tides, weather alerts and more. It helps you find a marina, transient slip or fuel dock and a good place to eat onshore. And if something happens, you can call for a tow, linked to your GPS location. Download here.
Waterway Guide is an app that will help you plan your next boat trip to a nearby destination. You can access information about dozens of marinas and boatyards, find and hail for a transient slip and get all kinds of information about things to see and do ashore. There’s also a Knowledge Base of stories and information you can access and use. Free download for iOS and Android phones. See here.
