Tom:
What sort of navigation equipment you need depends on the circumstances under which you would use it.
My sailing is restricted to day sailing in familiar waters so my needs are modest. I use my cell phone and sometimes a tablet and for navigation use "Sail Free GPS" software. This app runs on both my cell phone (iPhone 8+) and my tables - a generic $200 android. SailFreeGPS has a free version and the paid version is, as I recall, under $20. It is actually very powerful and used by some for transatlantic voyages.

My suggestion would be to download the app and play with it over the winter at home. You might find this is all you need and will certainly be useful training.


Graham Stewart
Agile 76

On Sat, Dec 9, 2023 at 9:52 PM Peter Nyberg <peter at sunnybeeches.com> wrote:

> Tom,
>
> The primary device I use for navigation is a tablet computer.  I have an
> iPad.  I’m sure other brands can be made to work, but I have no personal
> experience.
>
> The tablet needs some chart plotter like software.  I’ve used several
> different programs over the years.  Currently, I’m mostly using  Aqua Map.
> Whatever you pick, it will take some time to learn how to use it.
>
> If your tablet has a GPS receiver, then you’ve got about 90% of everything
> you could ever hope for in one small package, and you could just declare
> victory and go home.
>
> I chose to further complicate matters.
>
> My iPad doesn’t have GPS, but my VHS radio does.  The VHS also has AIS,
> which is nice to have.  The VHS outputs this data on a pair of wires in
> NMEA 0183 format.  To make this data available to the iPad required a
> device that will read the NMEA data over the wires, and retransmit it over
> WIFI.  The specific device I’m using is no longer made, but there are
> several brands out there you should be able to find with an internet search.
>
> I should mention that the chart plotter software you choose has to have
> support for reading NMEA data over WIFI.  If you go this route, you’ll want
> to check for this.
>
> The other instrument I use is a depth/speed/temperature sensor, also with
> NMEA 0183 output.  I don’t really care about the water temperature, and the
> speed sensor is unreliable, but I refer to the depth readout frequently,
> especially when anchoring.
>
> I tried a ‘SailTimer’ wind instrument, but couldn’t get it to work
> reliably.
>
> Peter Nyberg
> Coventry, CT
> s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)
>
> > On 2023-12-09, at 19:53:35 EST, Tom Hyatt wrote:
> >
> > I have a general question for Rhodes owners.
> >
> > What sort of navigation equipment (chart plotters, depth instruments,
> wind
> > instruments, etc) do owners have installed on their boats?  Where do you
> have
> > them placed?
> >
> > Are there phone apps that are replacing installed electronics?
> >
> > What recommendations would you have for someone equipping a Rhodes that
> > currently has no navigation technology (except a VHS Radio - newly
> installed).
> >
> > Thanks for your help.
> >
> > Tom Hyatt
> > S/V Eliza Jane, 1978
> > Middle River, MD.
> >
>
>