iNautical

Application: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Function: Chart viewer
Cost: Free app, charts $15.99
Rating: *

Waterproof Charts LLC has been around the marine industry since 1984.  They are well known for their high quality paper marine charts.  They were the first company to repackage the NOAA charts and provide them on a waterproof and tear resistant paper.  Now they are providing these same charts electronically.  Their new app, iNautical was just released June 17, 2011 and provides access to these same great charts on your IOS device. The charts display beautifully on the iPad as shown below.

The app is free and they do provide one chart to get started.  The chart of Florida to Puerto Rico & Mona Passage is included for free.  Additional charts can be purchased for $15.99.  Their regular paper charts cost between $26.95 to $29.95 so the electronic versions are somewhat cheaper.

Features:

• This is a basic chart viewer, no navigation features are provided.
• High resolution 10 megapixel charts.
• The charts provide combined multiple NOAA chart regions.
• Chart include big colorful display of soundings, navigation beacons and lights.
• Include fishing locations, boat ramps, restaurants, marine services, waypoints and GPS coordinates.
• Charts can be purchased for Bahamas Crossing-Bimini&West End, British Virgin Islands, Central Bahamas-Bimini to Georgetown, Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay Fishing, Corpus Christi Inshore fishing, Florida Bay, Grand Bahamas and the Abacos, Hilton Head and Beaufort, Lower Keys fishing, NW Lake Erie and the Detroit River Fishing, NW Lake Erie and Detroit River, North Bahamas Islands, Northwern Bahamas Bathymetric Fishing Pennekamp Park- Islamorada Fishing, Pine Island Sound and Matlacha, The Thousand Islands, Thousand Islands Fishing and West Grand Bahamas and Berry Islands.

The charts quality is great and you will appreciate having multiple NOAA regions on one chart.  This app and charts are a great backup for your other navigation systems. These charts can be used for planning and reference.  With many other great charting apps out there I would probably not use these charts myself.  I can only hope that navigation and GPS features will be coming in future releases.   If you are a fan of the Waterproof charts you may find this app useful.