Small craft.
Big water.
Full picture.
A free paddler-friendly navigation app with NOAA tide windows, live current vectors, wind forecast barbs, NEXRAD radar, and fog advisories. Launch with the current. Come back on it. Read the thunderstorm before it reads you.
Plan a paddle ← other watersRead the wind before you push off.
Forecast wind barbs over the chart at your launch, at the waypoint where the wind usually picks up, at the return. NDBC buoys report live wind, gust, and wave from actual water — not a guess.
A 15 kt afternoon breeze across your return leg is a different day than a 5 kt morning lull. ChartNav tells you which one you're getting. Match the paddle to the weather, not the other way around.
Leave with the ebb. Come home on the flood.
A paddle against 1.5 kt of current is a different trip than a paddle with it. NOAA CO-OPS predictions let you time your launch so the water carries you out and carries you back.
Current arrows render at stations across your planned route. Slack water times show plainly. Plan the round trip that works — not the one that costs you three hours against the tide.
The storm, before the thunder.
NEXRAD Level-2 radar, live lightning, NWS warnings, fog advisories — painted on the chart you're already running. Turn around before the cell catches you. Stay in when the harbor gets socked in.
AIS renders nearby traffic so you see the ferry before it sees you. NDBC buoys report the real conditions at the mouth of the harbor. Sunrise and sunset ensure you're off the water before dusk.
Everything you check at the truck.
Wind barbs
Forecast wind speed and direction over the chart — see the afternoon sea breeze before it arrives.
Tide curves
Full 24-hour tide curve per station. Slack, flood, ebb — plain times, not cryptic tables.
Current vectors
Live set and drift at each station across your route. Match your paddle to the flow.
NEXRAD radar
Level-2 reflectivity. Pop-up thunderstorms show while they're forming, not after.
Fog advisories
NWS dense-fog zones paint as polygons — don't launch into a harbor you can't see.
Traffic awareness
Ferries, tugs, cruise ships, commercial traffic — live AIS on the chart, so you see them first.
Launch waypoints
Save every launch and takeout you know. Export as GPX to your phone or a partner's.
Sun times
Sunrise, sunset, civil twilight — off the water before dusk, on the water at golden hour.
Questions from the launch.
What paddlers want to know before they pack the truck.
Is ChartNav a good navigation app for sea kayakers?
Yes. It surfaces the information paddlers actually need — NOAA tide windows, live current vectors, forecast wind barbs, NEXRAD radar, NWS fog advisories, NDBC buoy wind and wave, and sunrise/sunset — all over NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts. Free and browser-based.
Can I see wind forecasts for my paddling launch?
Yes. Forecast wind barbs render at your launch and along your route. NDBC buoys give live in-situ wind, gust, and wave readings for the nearest station.
Does ChartNav show current for paddling with the tide?
Yes. NOAA CO-OPS current predictions render as vectors with slack, flood, and ebb clearly marked. Plan launches so the current carries you both ways.
Can I save my favorite launches and takeouts?
Yes. Drop waypoints at launches, takeouts, and check-in points. Export as GPX for your phone or handheld. The library lives privately on your device.
Does ChartNav warn me about thunderstorms while paddling?
Live NEXRAD Level-2, NWS warnings, and lightning strikes overlay the chart. Storms show as they form, and NWS small-craft advisories render as polygons over the water you're on.
Is ChartNav free for paddling instructors and clubs?
Yes — no account, no subscription, no commercial-use fee. NOAA data is public; ChartNav makes it useful.
Launch with the current. Come back on it.
Free. Browser-based. On your phone, at the launch, where the decision actually gets made.
Open ChartNav