iPad mounted on boat?

Has anybody mounted an iPad display on your boat?

If so, how does screen visibility work in the sun? Does it shut down due to heat?

I fished with a buddy once that had an iPad setup with Navionics, and it was less than ideal. Pretty significant lag on the GPS location, and visibility was terrible due to the sun. This was probably 5-10 years ago tho, so the lag issue in particular might be better now.

Considering how my phone works when I have used it for mapping it would not be ideal but could work. Are you considering connecting it to one of the portable sonar balls you throw over the side of the boat? I’ve connected one of those to an iPad in the winter in a wheel house and it worked well but that’s about the only situation I would use it in.

Thanks, that is my exact plan (a dedicated Navionics screen) but after buying a mount/waterproof case I started thinking about all of the potential downsides.

I’m not too worried about the lag (I run Navionics on my phone now, and it isn’t too bad) but I do really worry about visibility, and the dang thing shutting down on hot days.

I did this on an old boat with no dedicated electronics. I hated it but that was 4-5 years back. Sunglasses and iPad screen don’t cooperate well unless on full brightness; and when navigating at speed, even 25mph approx, the iPad couldn’t render the map quickly enough to keep up with the boat. Those things may have improved with more recent iPads.

I’ve used a Samsung TabS on a Ram Mount with lowramce elite f7, worked very well in evening and night with very little lag

I should have clarified that I am on a kayak fishing shallow/skinny water, so no worries about GPS keeping up at speed.

In any case, I decided to buy the iPad Mini 6 paired with Navionics app and so far it has been great. I have not had it out in high-heat/extreme sun yet, but polarized glasses actually seem to make the screen better when outdoors.

Running the Navionics app with the screen on continually drains the battery right quick, but I’d estimate ~6 hours of run-time based on my experience so far. I’ll probably add a lightweight charger with some velcro to the back of my submersible case at some point.

Overall, it is exactly what I wanted. Extremely lightweight, no extra battery or wires required, and it allows me to follow ledges, drive directly to humps, and weedlines and so on.

p.s. I got the 5G model which is the only option that includes true GPS so that may help the Boating app work smoother, not sure but no complaints so far.

The I pad should work just fine. The speed will be no different then a phone if it has wireless service. My I pad is fast as hell. Good luck. Hope the heat doesn’t kill it to bad. I wouldn’t think it would. My phone sits on my boat dash all day when I’m in the boat. And I don’t ever remember it having issues

I use a samsung tablet to connect to my vessel view mercury app.
Visibilty is fine.
do not use for mapping as yet.