Frequently Asked Questions
Chart presentation
I purchased a chart subscription – why does no chart appear in my Seapilot-app?
Any chart purchased and registered in your Seapilot user account, will be available for download in any Seapilot-app “signed in” to same user account.
In a newly installed Seapilot-app is included only a rough world map for general orientation – not intended for navigation. You need to actively install the purchased chart from inside the app settings ->products:Charts ->[country]
If still no real chart visible after chart installation, close and restart the Seapilot-app whereafter the chart should appear as expected.
Reason for us not to auto-install a chart in your Seapilot app, is to give you a chance to choose suitable opportunity, via WiFi, for downloading a chart of several hundreds Megabyte. Otherwise we would risk draining your costly dataplan via cellular connection.
Many users also have a number of purchased chart-registrations for different countries in their account, and with several Seapilot-apps in separate devices not always interested in same chart-setup in all of them – e.g. due to storage limitations.
How do I add charts to my Seapilot-app?
Charts are purchased per country as annual subscriptions inside the app (“in-app purchase”). Once you’ve purchased a chart subscription, the subscription period is registered to your user account and the corresponding chart will be available for download from the app’s Settings ->Charts.
Installed charts are stored locally inside your Seapilot-app, thus making you independent on internet for navigation.
How to keep the charts updated/corrected in Seapilot?
Upon purchasing a one year chart subscription, you will receive official chart corrections when available during same period. Corrections, which are distributed throughout the year, appears in the app’s Settings ->Charts with red background for the chart that is subject to update. The subscription shall be renewed annually.
Which charts are available in Seapilot?
Canada and the US divided into areas on the East Coast, West Coast and the Great Lakes. There are also charts covering most of northern Europe.
Negotiations with providers of national S57 chart data from other countries is an ongoing process, why the number of available countries will keep growing.
What is the difference between Head Up and North Up?
When set to North Up, the chart will always be displayed with north “up” regardless of the boat’s/your heading.
When set to Head up, your vessel’s direction (heading) will always show upwards, while chart will turn in relation to your heading.
Please note that the Head up feature requires a certain minimum speed (SOG) to be active.
What is the difference between True Motion and Relative Motion?
True Motion:
Seapilot uses True Motion unless “Follow lock” is activated.
True Motion displays icon for your own vessel, moving across the (static chart view). Eventually your “own position” icon will disappear over the edge of screen, until you click “Follow” or pan/zoom the chart to find yourself in chart again.
Relative Motion:
With “Follow lock” set, mode switches to “Relative Motion” whereby icon for your own position will remain within chosen part of screen, while the chart moves in relation to your vessel’s speed and heading.
Pan the chart and a thin orange rectangle appears, which you may move to the part of screen where you wish your own position to remain – preferably to where a majority of visible chart will remain in fron, not behind, your vessel.
Why are sometimes seams visible between different chart areas in Seapilot?
Seapilot presents charts as supplied in the S-57 format. If an error is identified in the chart, please report this to Seapilot, which will advise the chart suppliers (national maritime administrations).
Some seams between e.g. different country charts are inevitable when the respective chart data differ from each other.
Why are some chart objects sometimes different in Seapilot compared to my paper chart?
Seapilot uses only charts produced and presented according to certain international IHO standards.
S-57 is a standard stipulating how chart data shall be transferred and stored.
S-52 is a standard stipulating how same data shall be presented.
Those are the same standards as for ECDIS-systems used by professional shipping internationally, and there are certain differences in chart symbols when comparing with traditional paper chart products – adhearing to a somewhat different standard.
Seapilot never makes any own changes or corrections in the chart data provided on license from hydrographic authorities in different countries..
