Nautica y Yates - Informatica a bordo SailProof SP10X
Nautica Y Yates
12/2024

Informatics on Board – Chap. 129 Marine Tablet SailProof SP10X

It is, without a doubt, the best technological instrument I have had on board in a long time, and I recommend all sailors who experience the issues mentioned with other tablets to make the switch to SailProof.

Over the past twenty years, the use of cartography has undergone an impressive digital transformation. Since the advent of the first portable GPS devices in the early 1990s, we have begun to change how we navigate. Manufacturers like MAGELLAN offered portable devices that simply provided our position, and that was sufficient at the time. We continued using paper charts, marking the positions given by the GPS at intervals, calculating, and adjusting the course we needed to follow to reach our destination directly on the charts. 

The next step for these devices was the emergence of programs with navigational charts to install on computers. The first charts were scanned, meaning they were simply photographs of paper charts, and we used them with software like OziExplorer. This program allowed users to calibrate the chart images and navigate using a computer, obtaining position data through an NMEA interface, which back then was received via a serial port called RS232.

Then there were vectorized charts, offering much higher quality and no need for calibration. Some of the first vectorized cartography programs we could install on laptops included C-MAP, MaxSea, and Tsunamis 99 (by TRANSAS MARINE). These programs also required an external GPS signal since no laptops at the time had built-in GPS. By then, laptops were starting to have USB ports, allowing us to use a portable USB-GPS device or a USB-RS232 adapter to connect to NMEA data from the boat’s electronics.

Using a laptop with charting programs was a navigation aid but not the primary tool. It allowed for more convenient chart study, travel planning, route selection, and anchoring decisions. However, navigation itself was still carried out using the onboard electronics and, in some cases, the classic plotter with its own cartography. The laptop remained on the chart table for constant consultation, which often meant that during navigation, we had to keep going up and down from the cockpit to the chart table to check our course.

First iPads and Android Tablets

With the arrival of the first iPads featuring built-in GPS, we began to simplify the use of cartography by having an “all-in-one” solution, installing the first version of Navionics for iOS. It was at this point that traditional onboard plotters started to lose the importance they once held, to the extent that many stopped being used or were simply removed when they began to malfunction or required repairs.

The use of these tablets marked a major shift in navigation control. Everything was now consolidated in one device: charts, weather data, official boat documents, manuals, and more. All that was needed was to protect the tablet from impacts, find a good mount, and provide power to the helm station via a 12V outlet.

However, as we “adapted” these tablets, we encountered problems that were difficult to solve:

  • Protecting equipment from impacts. We need robust protection because, on a boat, nothing is safe from falling or being struck during a maneuver.
  • Shielding it from water and splashes. If water reaches the tablet, it might stop working at that very moment.
  • Short battery life. Battery consumption with navigation applications requiring GPS is extremely high, making it impossible to complete a long journey without constant charging. In some cases, particularly with Android tablets, the consumption exceeds the charging capacity, leaving us without a plotter at any moment—potentially when we need it most.
  • Inability to use touch controls with wet hands or a wet screen. Unprepared tablets cannot be operated if our hands or the screen are damp or wet.
  • Visibility issues in bright sunlight or when wearing polarized glasses. It’s truly inconvenient to strain your eyes to see the charts or remove your sunglasses whenever you need to check something.

SailProof Tablets Designed for Navigation

With the arrival of SailProof tablets, all the previously mentioned issues are effectively resolved. These tablets are designed exclusively for navigation, created by experienced sailors, and are used and recommended by professional sailors, including those in the current America’s Cup.
Since 2020, SailProof has been manufacturing tablets specifically for nautical environments, addressing the challenges of conventional tablets:

  • Impact resistance
  • IP67 waterproof
  • Long-lasting removable battery (Li-ion 9800 mAh). It can last more than a day, even with loaded charts and continuous GPS positioning. Since it is removable, you can have a fully charged spare battery for a very long passage.
  • Touchscreen usability with wet hands or gloves, featuring a screen designed for wet and water-heavy conditions.
  • Perfect visibility under any sunlight conditions or when wearing polarized glasses.

In addition to solving these problems, it has technical specifications that make it a truly multifunctional device:

  • Android 13 operating system, upgradable, allowing you to install all the applications you need: email, document files, browser, weather apps, entertainment, and more.
  • 10-inch screen, 800*1280 pixels – Gorilla Glass 3rd generation
  • Wi-Fi 6, 5G, and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.
  • Exact precision with a chip that combines GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite networks.
  • G-sensor, gyroscope, geomagnetic field sensor (compass), distance sensor, light sensor, air pressure sensor.
  • Powerful processor and high storage capacity (6GB RAM and 128GB ROM).
  • 20 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera.
  • Micro SD card slot.
  • SIM card slot.
  • USB-C connectors (OTG + charging), USB-A, POGO Pin, DC connector.
  • Headphones: 3.5 mm connector.
  • HDMI port for viewing on a second external screen.

Robust and adaptable support

Sailproof’s own store offers a range of accessories and mounts to install the tablet in various locations and positions. The ROKK mounting bracket is adaptable to many surfaces and ensures the tablet is securely fixed, and resistant to tilting and impacts.

The best instrument I have ever had on board

This past summer, I had the opportunity to sail for a month around the Balearic Islands, accompanied by the Sailproof SPX10 model. It’s a high-quality device, very well-built, with many details that show it was designed by sailors.

I used it continuously as the only navigation instrument on board, besides the AIS and wind equipment. Nothing else. With the Navionics app loaded, I used it as a plotter, with all the necessary charts and an accuracy that is hard to beat. I stored all the official documentation of the boat: seaworthiness certificate, insurance, registration, licenses, and even the crew members’ IDs. When arriving at ports, I showed the documentation from the Sailproof tablet and immediately sent whatever was required thanks to its 5G connectivity. I installed all the necessary weather apps, and from the same device, I consulted all the weather information, without needing to use a phone or any other equipment.

All the information is available on “sailproof.shop,” where we can find, in addition to this SP10X model, other models with 8-inch screens or simpler ones, but with the same robustness and protection as the 10-inch model. The price of the SP10X model is €1,295.

It is, without a doubt, the best technological instrument I’ve had on board in a long time, and I recommend all sailors who experience the issues mentioned with other tablets to make the switch to SailProof.

José María Serra Cabrera

The author is a technology consultant, computer engineer, CEO, and founder of the company DEINFO.
He is a sailor, yacht captain, and an expert in new technologies applied to navigation.

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