Definitely want to get one or the other so any opinions, recommendations or advice from users would be appreciated. What are the major differences? Does Bluechart has anything similar to Navionics' "Sonar Charts" (ie, detailed contour lines)? Thanks in advance.
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck
Good question. Nice to have on board as a back up.Should be some interesting answers.
I have Navionics. Even the non-HD version is brilliant - and much cheaper than Bluecharts if I read the prices correctly for Bluecharts. They have a nice new function that lets it connect to a sounding device (that you'd need to buy) and display the sounder image split screen with the maps.
I had a look at Bluecharts, and it is Apple only it seems (could be wrong) if so, that could be limiting. I watched the video on their web site, and while some things are done differently, they seem fairly similar. I think I like the appearance of the Navionics maps better, but that may be just familiarity.
One feature I don't think Bluecharts has (at least the video didn't seem to mention it) is the ability to switch to a map view that shows real sonar sounded depth contours from the community, rather than the depth contours from the original map. I feel this may help in areas where bars shift in time for example, plus they are more detailed.
However, it looks like Bluecharts integrates really well with other Garmin gear, so if you have Garmin stuff now, that may sway your decision.
B2B, it seems like there are more features and better functionality with Bluechart but my main question is whether they have the detailed "Sonar Charts" like Navionics. Although I've never used Garmin GPS/CPs before, I understand that the the regular Bluechart has something similar but not sure about the mobile app. I've got Navionics on my boat and iPhone; the iPhone screen is too small to be of any use out on the water so an iPad would be a nice addition for a fraction of the price of a 10" touch screen marine unit.
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck
Originally Posted by Gimme5
What features do you see in Bluechart that Navionics misses? I think the way Bluecharts does some of the community stuff looks a little slicker, but Navionics does have community edits, info about locations on the map for example etc, I also think the weather stuff is better done, although Navionics has some.
btw. I have a friend who just bought a 10" android tablet ( a waterproof one) to run Navionics on in his boat. I am sure an iPad with Bluecharts would also be great.
They video on the Bluechart site did not mention some features I use, such as the sonar charts that you are seeking. That doesn't mean it doesn't have them, for sure. Sorry I can't help there.
I think the equivalent to "Sonar Charts" on the Garmin is "Fishing Charts". Like you said, they don't tell you whether it's available on mobile. The other useful feature as far as I can tell (although I could be wrong) is having your GPS/CP sync with the mobile app, meaning you have all your waypoints, trails, etc on the tablet as well. I'm assuming you can key in waypoints and plan routes etc at home and then wirelessly sync them when you get onboard, not something you can do with Navionics.
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote