ActiveCaptain® Reviews

I love that I can mirror the plotter to my phone and tablet. However, getting there took time with support. You must disable cellular data in order for Helm to show the video feed. You can still press buttons and the thumbnail will reflect that, but no video. There are in app settings and phone settings so it can be seamless.

ActiveCaptain helps when we are cozy down below and need to get some info about what’s going on up top and around us. While we are not using it to its full potential, the bells and whistles we have are pretty great.

3 stars due to the cellular issues and cannot pinch to zoom on Helm. A few other minor frustrations. Can’t wait until any tablet can be used as a full replacement for a plotter and all instrumentation is available wirelessly. Still, hands on analog data is still pretty hard to beat. If you wanna impress the hotties, ActiveCaptain will do it. If you wanna impress your fishing buddies, ActiveCaptain will do it. Be prepared for jeers from the fuddyduddy and boomer crowd.

I have used the this app app for all of my Garmin updates and had zero issues updating. I have heard of issues through social media but for my experience I have not. I am not tech savvy and at 55 years old I know us older guys that use it can do it. My favorite video is from Russellmarineproducts and josh explains how to use ActiveCaptain and that is how I learned how to use it. My advice is read! And watch video from Russellmarine! It also has other features on ActiveCaptain that you will find very helpful when fishing like way-points ect. Be sure to register your units. ActiveCaptain keeps track of your units and trolling motor that are registered and automatically checks for updates when the come out and you decide to update or not. Hope this review will give someone a little insight as to how helpful and convenient ActiveCaptain is. Have a great day.

We just spent 2 weeks at New Port Cove at Lake Worth Inlet and couldn’t be more pleased with the service, location, and personnel.
While waiting for a crossing window, we had some repairs done to our trawler and provisioned for a 3 month trip to the Abacos.
We were an easy walk to Boat Owner’s Warehouse, Publix, BBT bank, Walgreen’s, multiple sport fishing stores, and Auto Zone and a cheap Uber ride to Walmart. The surrounding neighborhoods have seen tough times but we were met on our dog walks through them with consistently friendly people, multiple home and property renovations, and a huge presence of Rybovich boat yard’s expansion.
GM Jim Nester is doing a great job updating the marina and getting (and keeping) enthusiastic and helpful staff.
This was our second stay, and we will definitely be back. With all that and a 15 minute trip to Lake Worth Inlet, what more could you want?

Hi, I noticed ActiveCaptain has a 1.8 rating so I just had to weigh in and give it 5 stars. Yesterday, I downloaded ActiveCaptain and synced it with my 7612xsv and everything worked flawlessly!! Connected to my home WiFi, walked through all the prompts added a 32gig card and everything worked perfectly. She updated the software, found the network, walked through every feature and just did exactly what was advertised!! I even had the 7612 and my iPhone talking so well that my mfd chart displayed on my iPhone and I could control the mfd from the phone!! It was pretty cool and will be useful when I don’t want to sit at the helm to program and create trips. The iPhone app has lots of accurate info and I’m positive I will use it frequently. So, great job Garmin, keep improving and thank you for keeping this free!! Safe boating all!!

Latest update - WHAT bug fixes? Publish real release notes!

Garmin, please pull HELM back out of Active Captain! Helm has been totally dysfunctional since being integrated into Active Captain. There seems to just be too much overhead with whatever else is going on in Active Captain, and connection, updating and reliability of Helm has deteriorated to the point that it simply can no longer be trusted.

I simply do not understand what you were thinking that it you thought it was a good idea to integrate it.

I LOVED Garmin Helm as a stand alone product.

Now:
Connection is now problematic.
The screen locks up.
It repeatedly disconnects from the chart plotter.
It has to be reconnected every time you want to use it.
The chart plotter shuts off WiFi and Bluetooth and has to be reconfigured to start the session again!

None of this is acceptable when you are on the bow trying to keep an eye on the depth to drop anchor, or navigate through shoals! It is dangerous. The last thing one needs to be doing is running back down to the pilothouse to reestablish a connection when what you need to be doing is paying attention to the work at hand!

You have managed to RUIN a great product.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pull it back out as a standalone product. There is no rational need for it to integrated with Active Captain. It adds no value by having them integrated, and doing so has ruined the utility of Helm.

GPS location on ActiveCaptain used to work and with all Location Services turned on, it shows me in Miami?? I’m in the Bahamas! I’ve contacted customer service and after multiple responses they told me Active Captain was not designed to be a chart plotter. I don’t need it to be...just want it to show my actual location. The only thing ActiveCaptain is good for is plotting a course and syncing it with your chart plotter...but only after you’ve found your actual location. Was looking into a Raymarine switch but found Garmin bought Navionics! Thought paying the extra $$ for Garmin would be worth it. You guys have proved me wrong. Garmin: get your stuff together. Oh, and your customer service is only available 5 days a week?! We cruise full time but isn’t 95% of boating activity done during the 2 days you’re closed? I’m afraid all of these acquisitions are showing consumers/users you’re more interested in profitability than quality. I’ll be seeking alternatives in the future.

I am professional captain I move vessels from the US Virgin Islands to Maine. The Active Captain helps me find places to stop and what’s available when I get there! It is a perfect planing tool for a captain.
Only one down side and the reason not 5 star. The new mobile app does not have the ability to record a track. The old Blue Chart Mobile could and has many tracks I laid down. I could always refer back to good water. Not all vessels use Garmin for their main navigation system. I’m never without a backup system. Garmin please add tracking on the mobile side of active tracking, or help me if I’m missing something.

Captain Fred

Do not even think of buying this product unless you’ve recently purchased a new Garmin chart plotter. If you have an older chart plotter like me they will not let you download your already purchased chart and will force you to buy a new one to use ActiveCaptain. And the new charts will cost you $200 plus. This is an outrageous sum for what is essentially just a backup tool to your chart plotter.

Additionally, as others have noted, this is a poor replacement for bluechart Mobil which is far superior to ActiveCaptain. Unfortunately, bluechart Mobil is no longer being supported by Garmin so you’re out of luck if you don’t already have. But if you already have blue chart Mobil, stick with it and don’t upgrade to this inferior overpriced product. And by the way, if you already purchased maps in bluechart Mobil recently they won’t honor that either if you try to transfer to ActiveCaptain.

Unless you live a life devoid of other commitments, don’t attempt to install this application! I have spent DAYS trying to divine what exactly the next step might be to get this thing up and running. Every time I turn a corner I slam into another wall. My current complaint (#8 or 9) is that the chart update and the active captain community update keep cancelling each other out. I’ll get 35% into the charts, then the Community update takes over and kills it. I get 47% into the Community update, then the charts take over and kill it. I watched it go through this cycle at least 10 times over the past HOUR. Now I’m trying to get in touch with Garmin. The “help desk” says they will return my call “between 1 hour 59 minutes and 2 hours 23 minutes” from now! 🤬🤬🤬. If your life is empty and you need a way to fill your days, this might be for you. If not, buy something else!!

We have been sailing in the Caribbean for ten years and Ram Marina is the best boatyard and marina we have encountered. Karen López, the manager, is friendly, efficient and keeps the work on track. Her English is excellent and she arranged Van rides to and from the airport and even made dinner reservations for us.
We had high quality work done on our boat and are extremely pleased with every result. The workers are friendly, skilled, show up on time and take pride in their work. They have a fantastic paint shed where a sailboat can go in without taking down the mast; the paint jobs we saw were all excellent. The prices are good value. We highly recommend Ram Marina
Maggie Salter and Al Hickey
S/V Sweet Dreams

Bought a Garmin GPS for my boat because I have them in the seven airplanes that I own. The Garmin GPS works fine but trying to interface it with active captain is completely not intuitive. What little manuals you can find about it are very poorly written and the videos go so fast that you can’t follow them. Takes forever to download and authenticate maps. I probably spent 10 to 12 hours and just now getting things to work. Seriously Garmin I know how well your aviation applications work you really need to have some of your top rate software engineers work on this product hard. You can eventually get this application to do what they say but not with out a lot of trial and error, and frustration.
.

All kinds of features that make life easier. I hooked all my Garmin equipment up and it registered everything through active captain for me. Great for sending and receiving data from my iPad. Allows me to use my iPad as a portable MFD. Biggest downfall I have found is sometimes you have to close helm and then start helm again if the iPad isn't used for awhile. That said it only takes a second to do so not a big deal. Went
Fishing yesterday and it was so nice to have my iPad right next to me watching what was going on wether on the bow of boat or in the cockpit. Great app in my opinion!

When I launch ActiveCaptain and attempt to log in, a screen with two check boxes (asking me to agree that using charts is dangerous, and to agree to their lack of privacy policy) appears. I tick both check boxes, and the login screen appears. I enter my login info and seconds later that first screen with the check boxes appears. Over and over again, that screen refreshes, and nothing I do will get out of that cycle. After a few cycles it logs me out. I’ve had the same experience with an old Garmin account and with a brand new one I created with a different email address. No response from support when I emailed. Trash fire app. Sure would like to update my chat plotter’s firmware and pay for some charts. Extremely frustrating. Huge failure, Garmin.

My wife and I feel fortunate that we had a good friend introduce us to Stock Island Marina Village this marina is truly a hidden treasure well-maintained slips easily accessible management and staff are outstanding The amenities are all meticulously maintained showers, laundry, captains lounge, office/store, also in conjunction with the on site Perry Hotel there are two restaurants, swimming pool, and a shuttle that leaves on the hour to Key West proper. The shuttle will drop you off for shopping (Publix) and pick you up for the return. You can enjoy everything there is in Key West but stay out of the congestion and noise. PS great fuel prices and discounts over 100 gal. Ray and Dianne Mackey

I actually kind of like ActiveCaptain and see where they were trying to go with it. Maybe I just got lucky with my setup, an iPad Pro, Garmin 942xs, and BlueChart g2 Vision HD. It’s nice that the high definition details now show up on my iPad. The wireless software/map updates and User Data Sync are also pretty nice features. Yes ActiveCaptain needs some work but it looks like they had put a lot of effort into it, so I applaud their efforts. I hope Garmin looks at the feedback from their users and takes is seriously. There is a lot of competition in this space and an app like this could be a big differentiator if done correctly.

I have a Garmin 7608xvs unit that I purchased in 2016 and updated the Active Captain app this year on my iPad & iPhone. I absolutely love the presentation on the iPad which I use on every trip we take on our boat. Extremely useful, easy, and helpful. I feel it keeps me safer on the water. Also, the Garmin guys are awesome. I could not figure out why my charts were coming up fine on my iPhone but not on my iPad. Called Garmin support and the tech spent an hour on the phone with me getting the appropriate charts downloaded to my iPad.

Overall this is a great app to use in conjunction with Garmins compatible chart plotters. Great to be able to plan entire trip, add waypoints and routes directly into my IPad and then easily transferring via wifi to my 7612 . I have no idea what others are complaining about. I have been a Garmin fan for many years and ActiveCaptain works perfectly fine including Helm control and the ability to download previously purchased maps from several years back. Keep up with the good improvements and updates.

It’s absolutely amazing don’t know how I’ve went all these years without it I cannot wait to upgrade to a newer bigger unit it has made my fishing experience a completely different world unbelievably amazing I would absolutely recommend this to absolutely anyone whether it be for fishing navigating or just for general information for Lakes rivers and streams that you would like to check out If you do not have a Garmin an active captain you are missing out on a world of new opportunities!!!!

So far so good!! Once I connected through the Wi-Fi, to my cell phone then my chart plotter’s walked me through the process of hooking up ActiveCaptain (blue tooth), So far I really enjoy getting notifications through and to my different devices and looking at all the different maps people have built and placed in the Community!! One piece of advice make sure to get a marine sharing network cable to connect your devices!! Good job Garmin don’t stop R/D And improving your products and staying ahead of the competition!! Thanks

I expected a LOT more. With all the gps technology Garmin has, I expected ActiveCaptain to give me a similar experience to the actual chartplotter. Instead it feels like a predecessor to MapQuest at best and that is being VERY generous.

I should be able to plan all my waypoint and bane them easily before my trip. Can’t happen.

I should be able to name my waypoints with real names. Can’t happen. Number of characters is very limited.

I should be able to see depth ranges, etc from ActiveCaptain . Can’t happen.

The QuickDraw helps but very difficult to navigate and download.

The overall user interface (UI) is very cumbersome.

For the cost of these chartplotter we should demand more from a user experience.

I HATE wasting valuable time on the water when I could have and should have been able to do it all beforehand.

A direct link to google maps or google earth would be awesome.

Garmin, if you need any advice, give me a shout. You can do so much better.

First, if you’re not pairing this with a Garmin chartplotter, don’t even bother downloading. I had Bluechart prior and that was a fantastic standalone program. That program was the reason I bought a new Garmin chartplotter in the first place. I still keep it on my iPad for reference. This is designed for use with a Garmin compatible chartplotter.
The main issue/problem with this is how slow it renders the maps when you open the program. They claim the map has more detail but it still shouldn’t take almost a minute to fully load. I’m running this on an iPad Pro and reloaded the program in an attempt to correct. Still slow. Cut down map detail and size of downloaded charts, still slow.
When using Active Captain from ActiveCaptain , you can only read 10 reviews of a location, some outdated. To see all the reviews of a location/anchorage, you have to go to the Active Captain WEB site. A problem on the water without internet connectivity and even if you had WiFi, you’re switching between programs.
ActiveCaptain has a lot of great features when paired to the chartplotter, like updating maps and software, controlling chartplotter from iPad, however until they fix the painfully slow map loading speed, it only gets 3 stars.
Let’s hope they keep updating ActiveCaptain and improving.

I appreciate the seamless updates foe all my Garmin marine products. I also like the ability to manage my waypoints. TheActive Captain Community is a good reference to visiting new places. Just took a trip to Marsh Harbor and got great ideas for anchorages and snorkeling. Blu Chart Mobile is a very good product. I wish I had the ability to share waypoints by text or emails though. Also would be nice to be able to better auto plan routes using my G2 chart like Navionics does.

We are snowbirds that always stop at SYC regardless of the direction we’re heading. In July of this year, I posted a review raving about the boatyard. Today, I’m going to do the same for the two lovely ladies, Ashley and Kelsey, who are in charge of the marina. We needed to see a physician and had no car. Kelsey drove us to the clinic, picked us up after our visit, drove us to the drugstore, waited until our prescriptions were ready and then drove us back to the marina. She is the best!