Skipper ~ NOAA Marine Charts, ActiveCaptain, Nautical Weather, and Tides App Reviews

Very handy app

You have to indicate clearly that you have maps for US only. I have found that there are no any maps at all for Mediterranean sea only after I bought a subscription.

I have a costal home but do not have a boat. I was curious about the surrounding sea areas and the nearby harbours and ports. Wow! Even the free version made me a fan and now Ill refer to it and show my boating friends!

Seems to have everything that is needed for information and easy to navigate and use. And also is my last name. Lol

The ability to add any kind of chart from our already paid for charts from the government is awesome! Thanks!

Was right on par with the chart plotter for position and depth. Good stuff.

E.g. When zooming in on Boston Harbor, it does not load the detail map of the inner harbor even when zoomed all the way in.

Seems to work OK on one device. Interesting concept. So I purchased the pro version. Never was able to get logged in on my other apple mobile devices. Some kind of login "unknown error" using the Skipper login. Technology documentation and support are weak.

With this app and my iPad, can easily see fishing points/hazards and navigate appropriately at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated GPS, as well as access all the other useful apps.

Top of the line. Charts,weather,hourly wind report,wind speed by location,tracking,waypoints and a whole lot more.

I was contemplating buying a lowrance hds 7 and gofree module in order to integrate an ipad into my setup. This would cost well over $1500. I decided to try some chart plotting apps on my ipad and see if i could do as well as lowrance chartplotting. This app is awesome. My setup consists of an Ipad mini with broadband in a lifeproof nuud case with RAM mount next to an old garmin fishfinder. While i am sure that this app on the mini would allow you to navigate in the pitch dark with fog it really is not my intention. My use of the app is to see depths, run tracks, and mark waypoints where i catch fish, drop pots, etc. My favorite part of this app is the ability to share your waypoints between devices. I can mark a waypoint on the mini (or on my iphone for that matter) and then fill in the pertinants later on either device while i am at home. Try doing that with a $3000 lowrance HDS12 Gen2. You can even add a picture to your waypoint. The other reason i like the idea of using an app like this compared to a dedicated chartplotter is that they spend years developing and upgrading the software for a dedicated chartplotter while an app like this can be very dynamic. As an example you could submit a feature request to Skipper and they can create an update and publish it in a very short period of time where the dedicated chartplotter would probably not be updated until you spend $3000 more on your next device. I think this is a fantastic advantage and the fact that i can check my email and do 1,000,000 other things on the ipad makes this a great alternative or "upgrade" to a dedicated charplotter. I am 1000% satisfied with Skipper. The subscription is a bit of money but i think the ability to share data between devices is totally worth it. Also downloading maps for offline use is a great feature that is well done in the software, you simply find the area you want and hold down on the grids you want to download. I am in the Pacific Northwest and the charts are totally on point for the areas i fish out of from Seattle to the San Juans. This reminded me of the other feature i like in that you can select base maps . If you select satellite imagry for a base it will overlay the charts as slightly see through so you can read the chart and actually see the satellite imagry underneath. All in all this app is a great piece of software that makes your Ipad rival the big dogs chartplotters in many way and exceeed them in key areas.

Having two other iphone nav apps to determine which works best i kept going back to this one for ease of charting, clarity of use and available details. Best program. More expensive ones available, yes, but why waste money when you can spend it on rum and get a great nav program?

I checked some other Marine App from more “official” provider and I found this one much better. I suggest to use it.

I have other nag apps but this is my preferred one due to is easy of use and quality. More expensive App are available but are a waste of money

Very good app with all what I need, like the Tide & Current, the wind info, tracks and much other.

This is great!

I use skipper to plan trips to Catalina island and the Channel Islands. The satellite image overlay is helpful when planning places to anchor because you can see rocks and kelp and the two are always right on.

As an avid kayaker in S Florida, I would rate this app the #2 item to have while on the water. The #1 is a life preserver. Both can save your life if needed.

I usually wait to review an app but for the price of cheap lunch for $10 I feel I already got way more for my money. I just spent $30 for three paper charts that I will maybe never use but this app gives access to all of the charts and they stay up to date. Still playing around and learning but so far its great.

Works really well. The phone battery runs down pretty fast, so keep a charger