Handheld GPS vs. Smart Phone

Small-Boat Navigation Strategies

By Josh Colvin

The boat was leaking. I guess that shouldn’t have come as a surprise—she was half full of water in her slip. But even after bailing before setting sail, with our hastily-installed automatic bilge pump whirring along and one of us on the hand-pump, we were still only breaking even out at sea. And it didn’t help that whitecaps blown down from the northwest were hammering the starboard bow and sending buckets of water back aboard.

We were planning to deliver the little open boat some 20 miles to windward, but the wave action was hard on her hull’s rotten timbers and we had some concern she might really open up. It was time to consider a closer destination or bailout spot in case things really went south.

With all of the wind and spray, paper charts seemed fruitless, so I reached inside my PFD for my handheld GPS, only to discover I’d left it at home. Fortunately I had my iPhone, so I pulled it out and fired up the Navionics app. Within seconds I had our location, speed, and a detailed chart I could zoom instantly in-and-out with my fingers. As I was picking our new route I was able to see a real-time weather forecast and tidal currents—and since it was a smartphone I was able to Google the marina’s phone number to call ahead with a question.

I’d played around with Navionics on my phone before, but had always viewed it as a secondary or tertiary navigation method, after a dedicated GPS and paper charts. But using my smartphone this time left me with the feeling my GPS was becoming obsolete. (I recognize purpose-built GPS units still maintain a few advantages over the smartphone, but with smartphone development likely moving faster, I suspect any relative disadvantages will soon be overcome.)

This got me to wondering: What are other small-boat sailors using as their primary navigation aids? I decided to ask for feedback from our readers and a few experienced friends.

“I still bring along paper charts,” says expert small-boat cruiser Scott Widmier. “They are the most reliable of any navigational aid—never running out of batteries, still functioning when wet, and having an ‘always-on’ display.” But Scott also acknowledged paper charts have their shortcomings. “They don’t have that nice ‘you are here’ triangle indicator, and they can be bulky.”