I am a pilot on the Mississippi river. I just subscribed to Coastal Explorer so I would be able to keep notes on the charts however, I cannot download any charts like buoys or light information or anything.
Coastal Explorer definitely has the inland river charts, and buoy and light info.
From the main screen, click on the “gear wheel” icon on the left side (last icon at the bottom). From the list of options that pops up, scroll down to “Charts and Add Ons” and click that option. From the next screen click on the BLUE item that says “Store” (right under the heading Charts and Add Ons.
Scroll down to the third option “US Army Corps of Engineers” - click on that, and you can then select the buoys/marks or the river charts you want - for example Upper Mississippi or Lower Mississippi.
You must have an internet connection to download those charts.
Once you have the river charts/buoys charts you want - Coastal Explorer will periodically check for new charts and offer to download new ones for you.
They’ve done a short video about this.
I am using it on an iPad Pro. Is there no way to download those charts onto an iPad. When I go to the charts and add-ons store it just tells me I am subscribed. It has no option to download any charts. I will attach a photo.
We do not yet have the USACE inland charts available for the mobile apps. This will probably change in the future.
Odd - I had no idea that the tablet app version had that limit.
In the meantime - take a look at AquaMap - this app is popular with long distance coastal cruisers and those who do the Great Loop - that route includes the Western Rivers.
AquaMap definitely includes the Corps of Engineers river charts, plus the very high quality Corps of Engineers depth surveys. Brilliant stuff.
The Corps of Engineers depth surveys are a separate add on “Master Subscription.” I don’t remember the price, but it is modest - say $25 or $30 per year and includes both the Army Corps of Engineers depth surveys plus very frequently updated USCG ATON data.
Rosepoint and AquaMap both do a first rate job of updating the chart data immediately after release from the government source.
AquaMap is avialable for ipad and for android.
If you are comfortable with Rosepoint products, AquaMap will be an easy tool to pick up.
I did about 1600 miles in the Western Rivers and Gulf ICW brining my boat home. I used AquaMap every mile along the route, to see the very detailed and very recent Corps of Engineers depth survety data.
I like Coastal Explorer a lot, and used it as well on that trip - especially since I prefer the way Coastal Explorer displays AIS data.
That’s unfortunate. Is there anyway I can get a refund for my subscription? I paid for the full year subscription. Without charts for the western rivers it is completely useless for my needs. My work computer uses rose point ecs. I was wanting to use this on my tablet to keep notes and annotations on.
Hi rcrice,
You’ll find that the description of the App in the AppStore points out that only NOAA charts are currently available:
When we do add the USACE charts, we will update the description to include that as a chart option.
I’m not the one hoping to use an ipad and wanting river charts. Not an issue for me, since underway I run Coastal Explorer on a windows tablet. And, I have better resources for the Western Rivers charts anyway, so that I can get the Corps of Engineers depth surveys, which are not available within Coastal Explorer.
But, I think Rosepoint would be better served by being very clear that the river charts for Western Rivers are NOT currently available. Don’t just say “noaa charts” – also say, “river charts are not available in the ipad and android version”
I recommend you periodically check the store, since we will be improving the App over time. We will update the App’s description to show the USACE IENC charts when we do support them.
Refunds are available through Apple’s AppStore; we cannot initiate a refund ourselves. Here are some instructions, though.
To get a refund for an app you purchased from Apple’s App Store, follow these steps:
- Go to reportaproblem.apple.com: Use the web browser on your computer or device to visit this site. You’ll need to sign in with your Apple ID and password, which is the same information you used to purchase the app.
- Where it asks, “What can we help you with?” choose “Request a refund.”
At this point, follow the natural course of Apple’s process.