This article was written by Rusty Lewis of the Archimedes and originally appeared on his blog.
I don’t know about your boat, but we have collected a drawer full of manuals and documentation for the various electronics and gizmos on Archimedes. While we occasionally reference one from time to time, they mostly just take up space. Our solution is an iPad and an app called Good Reader ($4.99).
All the manuals we need are available in electronic pdf format. An iPad is the perfect medium for storing and viewing these documents. There are other tablets and other document reader apps. This is just the combination we are using.
Good Reader allows us to download the manuals, organize them, and view them as needed. We also keep electronic copies of important papers like registration, insurance, radio license, and EPIRB registration on the iPad. It never hurts to have back up copies of the important stuff. Good Reader does much more than we use it for. It can connect to iCloud, Dropbox, and a number of other services to retrieve pdf’s. Follow the link above to see what else it can do.
Good Reader is a fine way to read the latest copy of Northwest Yachting too!
Rusty,
Great tip on Good Reader app. I have been using the Adobe Reader app for my iPad which I have found interesting, certainly better than Apple’s iBooks, but perhaps still lacking in features compared to Good Reader, though it is free. In looking around, I also came across PDF Max Pro. Same price. I would be interested to know how they compare.
I don’t know anything about the Adobe reader app. One of the things I like about Good Reader (and there may be better choices, this is just the one I am familiar with) is the ability to download a variety of content from different sources. Good Reader is not limited to PDF files and can sync with Dropbox, iCloud, Skydrive, Google Drive, and a number of other sources.