After joining Jax Boat Club, you'll want to get the right boating apps for navigation on the water. All you need is a smartphone and you can use the best apps to help with navigation.

With the right boating apps, you can use your phone or tablet as a chartplotter. Even if your phone isn't your main way to navigate on the water, it can become a very helpful backup. If you're looking for the best apps to help boaters navigate the waters, here are five top choices.

SeaPilot

A comprehensive boating app, SeaPilot offers plenty of advanced features and upgrades. The app is designed to use Facebook integration to allow you to connect with friends. They will show up on the app like AIS targets, which makes it easier to meet up on the water. 

The SeaPilot app also offers the ability to use polar diagrams for more than 300 boats. It can help you figure out the right path for steering a sailboat with current forecasts and winds taken into account. 

SeaPilot is free with a three-day-trial and does have a subscription fee. The fee varies, depending on the level you choose.

C-Map Embark

An app from a company that has been creating digital charts for a very long time, the C-Map Embark app offers a great choice. It's a nex-gen nav app with plenty of helpful tools for boaters.

The app is more simplistic than others and doesn't take long to learn. It will help you get from point A to point B pretty easily. 

C-Map Embark is a free app with in-app purchases that can make it even more powerful.

Boat Beacon

With the Boat Beacon app, you gain valuable location information via AIS for the boats around you. It works for iOS and Android. The app will basically make your phone a small AIS receiver and if you have cell service, you will be able to see the boats around you, along with the type of ship, the destination, and the speed. 

Boat Beacon is not free. It's $9.99 for Android and $12.00 for IOS.

iNavX

A very popular app, iNavX offers a chartplotter app for Android and iOS. It comes with NOAA raster charts you can download and works with vector charts, too. 

This incredible navigation app provides everything you need out on the water. The app, iNavX is not free, however. The cost is $4.99 to download and there is an additional fee for more charts and weather data.

MX Mariner

For Android users only, MX Mariner offers an easy to use app. It's easy to learn and provides access to the Active Captain interactive guidebook. You can create, edit, input, and view waypoints, along with a few other features. 

The app is $4.99 and you will need access to cell or Wi-Fi service to use it.

These five apps offer great choices for navigating the water. When you want to hit the water for some fun, take these boating apps with you as a backup or for better navigation.