WinniGas.com NauticalCharts!
 

Hi all,

I'd like to ask for your help again, this time to help with some tests and also in asking for your valued opinions.

I've been slowly working on improving the WinniGas.com service, and I do see that people are starting to report recent gas prices on the lake (thanks).

My latest 'new' feature is a new map, showing the locations of all the gas docks on the lake. I had a simple map before, but my 'new' feature is to give you the option of seeing a marine 'NauticalChart' of the lake, instead of the very simple 'Google' map view.

If you don't mind me asking for help, I'd like to ask you all to take a look at the following link, and report back here in this thread to tell me how it works for you, please mention the type of phone, tablet, and if using a PC/Mac which browser you are using:

WinniGas.com/gasmap


After looking at it, can you also try the various map options and then answer the following questions:

1) Is having the "NauticalCharts" option useful, or is it simply too cluttered and not very useful for locating a gas dock?

2) Is the "SonarCharts" Option useful at all? This seems to show much more detailed bottom contours. I thought it may help show shallow areas in the areas of some Gas Docks (e.g.: Zoom in on Melvin Village Marina to see the shallow channel there), so I included it.

3) Do you prefer the more 'bare' Google "Map" option? This is uncluttered and may load faster on some phones.

4) Do you find the "Satellite" view useful? Should it be kept?

Note that you can zoom in closer when using the "Map" or "Satellite" views, this is due to a limitation in the "NauticalCharts" and "SonarCharts" features, and isn't anything I can change at this point.

I appreciate any and all comments on this. My goal is to make WinniGas.com easy to use and useful to you, the active boaters on our wonderful lake!

Don't forget to start reporting prices at the various gas docks around the lake, even if you're not purchasing gas at the time, if you happen to see the price on the pump, enter it on WinniGas.com! We currently have nine gas docks that haven't yet had their price updated this year.

As always, thanks for your help!

Edit: I incorporated this new map into the main menu now, so I updated the 'test' link to point to the live page now.

Thanks
 

Rich,
I'm sorry I don't have property or a boat at this time but I appreciate your effort in this project.

Did not like the Nautical or Sonar. Using Apple MacBook Pro....took forever to load. Way too much detail. I like the simple "Map" option. Even satellite is overkill. Most boaters can find what they want with the simple map option in my opinion.

Thanks for the info, all your efforts, and a great site, but just keep it simple in my opinion !!!!! Cannot help with gas prices as of yet since boat is still under shrink wrap..UGH!

Samsung Note 8
 

The depth map options take a long time to load and are very cluttered. The regular map works fine. The satellite view loads quickly and could help locate where on a doc that the pump is located. For instance on the plaim map Trexlers gas location appears offshore. Switching to satellite shows where on the complex dock the pumps are.

Where-O-Where? ⛽️
 

When station symbols overlap, separate them, or let one point up from below. 🐻

I see a few comments like this, perhaps I should make the clear 'Map' the default choice to allow it to load quickly?

Thanks for the input! You can report a gas price if you happen to be at the marina and see a pump price, sorry you're boat is still under wraps, mine was only launched last Saturday myself, so I know the feeling.

Knowing this, and if it's the same for most of us, I could make the Satellite the default map, and then people can choose the others if needed?

I would think that seasoned boaters don't even need the map at all and would only look at the prices. Other's may glance at the map every so often, only if they were wondering where a particular gas dock was located. I know before I started this project, I found the gas map useful to show me the locations of each dock as I didn't know where each was located myself, especially those on the 'other side of the lake'.

The dilemma then would be the choice of the default map, plain or satellite?

Of course, if someone wanted, they could glance at the Navigation chart if needed, but most people familiar with the lake won't need this at all.

Yes, this is because each pump's location is input in Lat/Long in the database so without the satellite view, the pump may appear to be 'off shore', as some gas docks are further from shore than others.

FYI, I can't control the locations of the station markers, they are placed by Lat/Long on the map, and can overlap at some zoom levels.

Feel free to zoom in (double tap on your screen, double click with your mouse, use your scroll wheel along with the CTRL button, or press the [+] button on the map) for more details and to separate the stations on areas where there are stations close together.

When in Satellite or Map view, you can zoom in quite close!

I changed the starting map to be the plain Map so it should load the fastest. This way a user can see the location of all the gas docks the quickest, and then choose other map types as needed.

Unfortunately, I can't control the loading speed as this is dependent on your service type, cell signal, or if you are on WiFi.

Please keep the reviews coming, if there is no issues after a day or so, I'll bring this online via the menus.

Thanks!

Looks great thank you for all your hard work.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Diesel: I had a report of $3.37 from MVYC, but it'[s from a truck and they want to sell 2501 gallons, so there needs to be coordination between boat owners for a delivery time/date. The only other known (to me) alternative is Y landing. Haven't checked their price for 2018, but it's convenient to just drive up and buy what you need regardless of price. Don't know how to report these variables.

All maps looked fine and loaded quickly on my home wifi and using an Android phone, but I agree that the simplest map is the preferred view.

Sent from my [device_name] using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Simple Map
 

All the maps loaded fast (on an iPhone 6s) but the simple map is still the best. By the time I magnified the view to see a specific spot on the nautical map I lost context of where I was. This is a great site and you are doing some very good work but sometimes the simplest function is best. Remember the KISS method (Keep It Simple)

Using an iMac on home Wi-Fi network. Maps loaded quickly. I like the option to switch to NauticalCharts and Satellite in order to get the different perspective. If you could make it so the mouse can be used to zoom in/out, it would be nice. Overall, excellent map. Thank you for putting this together.

Side comment, interesting to see that gas prices are $.70 more per gallon than last Fall. Oil companies are gouging again...

Great Job!
 

Great job Rich!

My preference is the nautical chart, after all this is for boating isn't it!:D I had no problems loading any of the maps.

Love that you put the detail on each gas dock such as phone number! Makes it easier to confirm a place is actually open!

Thanks again!

Dan

Since there is little Diesel on the lake, I thought about how to best incorporate this.

I know from a friend with a diesel boat that MVYC only wants to sell diesel to boats that berth there. Since this leaves only Y-Landing for diesel, there is little value in adding a listing for diesel fuel. I suppose I could add a separate Y-Landing Diesel entry to the listings if there was more demand for this.

I did make a mention about the availability of Diesel in the about/help page:

http://winnigas.com/about

You can zoom in and out with your mouse. I'm not sure of the details on an iMac, but on a PC, you can double click (or CTRL Click) to zoom in, and double right click to zoom out, hold the CTRL key down and use your mouse scroll wheel. Or just click the [+] or [-] buttons on the lower right side of the map.


You can also zoom in closer on the Satellite or Map view than you can with the NauticalCharts or SonarCharts views. I have no control over these zoom limits.

Thanks! My original thought was that boaters would love the Nautical charts, but with more detail, comes longer load times!

I would think that the maps are only useful to newer boaters on the lake. Seasoned boaters know where their gas docks are located.

My long term goal is to also add a photo of what each gas dock looks like from a boat to the detail page.

I also hope to visit each gas dock and interview the owners to confirm all the details such as hours of operation, etc.

Right now this is a one man operation, so I'll slowly work on these things as I have time.

Since the new charts seem to be working for most of you, I made them live, so now you can use the menu to find them!

Since I don't own an iPhone or Mac, your testing helped me a lot. I'm not sure if someone with a windows phone has tried this yet, but it should work as I don't have any platform specific code in these pages.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Url in the first post is incorrect. Should be http://winnigas.com/gasmap

Link in first post works for me

Was edited 6 mins prior :)

It had said /maps instead of/gasmaps.

Yes, I changed the link in the first post as now I incorporated this change into the menu system.

So now the NauticalCharts are available via the normal 'gasmap' as well as the menu system.

Feel free to continue to test this and let me know of any problems.


In the mean time, report the prices! Poor Y-Landing hasn't had a price reported since July of 2016!

As of this moment, here are the docks that haven't had their prices updated yet this year:

$3.45 07/11/16 Y-Landing Marina
$2.94 05/21/17 Roberts Cove
$2.99 07/22/17 Thurstons Marine
$3.07 08/17/17 Irwin Marine
$3.25 08/27/17 East Coast FlightCraft - Winnipesaukee Gas Company
$3.69 09/08/17 Dockside Gas

If you happen to walk (or ride) past one of these gas docks, perhaps you can post an updated price, thanks!

I like it Rich. I did not know there were that many spots for gas on the lake. Knowing the price is not a biggie for me (I don't have a 'go fast' boat :)) but just knowing where they are is a help. Listing hours would be a help also.

In my experience those hours vary so much that posting them might be misleading. On rainy days a gas dock may close early, while on busy days they stay open later. This time of year many are closed by 5, while during July they're open late.

A few day ago I happened to be viewing the Youtube live stream from the Flightcraft gas dock. At 5 they came out, took down the Open and American flags, cleaned off the dock and appeared to close down. About 15 minutes later I noticed a boat (not a rental return) approaching the dock and figured he'd be out of luck. To my surprise someone came running out and filled him up. Pretty good service!

This is why I list both their scheduled 'hours of operation' AND their phone number on the station detail pages. Just click on the name of any gas dock on WinniGas.com to see the detailed information which should include a phone number. I also made the phone number 'clickable' from your phone to make it easier to dial from your phone when you are on a boat.

If you're running late, or really need gas, you may want to call and be sure someone will be there.

I've been on a friends boat that was running on fumes (one engine already quit) and we called the nearest gas dock to let them know we were coming in. It would have been a big problem if we got there and they had closed 2 minutes before we arrived, as we may have had to float/glide into their dock! Luckily they waited for us.

Thanks!

Just click on the name of any gas dock, you'll find their listed hours of operation as well as a clickable phone number to make it easier for you to call them to be sure they are open (some times the hours of operation are a bit variable).

Has anyone been to Y-Landing or Irwin Marine this year? If yes, would you please enter a price report.

Other than Robert's Cove which is not serving gas yet, these docks haven't their prices reported yet this year.

As of today, Y-Landing Marina fuel price is $3.979/ gal. (93 octane only)

Tank pump out is not available........wasn't sure how to change that info on the Winnigas website.

Thanks for the price entry for Y-Landing. I'll update the pump out info. Normally, just use the 'contact us' feature of WinniGas.com to report needed changes or errors.

Thanks again!


Now we just need a report for Irwin Marine and we'll have the lake pretty much covered for the month of May.

Not to be a wise guy, but you could always call them and ask. :confused:

Dock Hours
 

Not sure if it has been considered but was thinking it may be nice to have a tab that enables the ability to note hours of operation of the Gas Docks.

FYI, you can see the hours of operation, click on the name of any gas dock to bring up the details, the hours are listed. Unless you're suggesting a separate tab that shows the hours of operation for all Gas Docks on one page?

Keep in mind that some docks have variable hours depending on the time of year, so if you need gas and you may be close to closing time, I'd suggest to call to be sure they are open or check to see if they will wait for you.

A clickable phone number is also on listed to help make it easier for you to make a call while on the boat. This way there is no need to try to remember or dial numbers while on a moving boat.

By the looks of some of the recent price reports, it seems the price per gallon is starting to increase about 20 cents a gallon or more. So you may save some money to fill up now, vs waiting until you need it.

Looks great on Macbook with Chrome
 

Sorry for replying late in the thread, but I just checked it out on Macbook with Chrome and it looks great. I personally like all 4 of the views, but would be OK with Satellite as the default. All of the views looked great & loaded quickly, but I have slightly faster internet at home.

Thanks for all your hard work on this!

Dave
http://www.nosnivelling.com

This is a great feature! I would suggest adding a separate page for the nautical chart so users can easily find it. We have a paper chart but when reading a thread about a location it's nice to be able to find it online without having to pull out paper map. You could probably get some additional traffic if you made it searchable for things like the witches, the graveyard, etc. so that users find the map when searching for features. Boat launches and food options might be other points of interest that would be helpful on a map.

Thanks for the suggestions. It gives me an idea, and I could do it easily.

By the way, I drove around and visited every gas dock on the lake to get updated information, house of operation, etc.

We have some great people on the lake! Everyone was very helpful and seems to genuinely care about boaters on the lake!

This is great. THANK YOU!
 

davescheppell wrote:"I personally like all 4 of the views, but would be OK with Satellite as the default. All of the views looked great & loaded quickly..."

I agree with all of the above. I tried out the maps on both my MacBook Pro and iPhone6, with little difference between them. Also there was almost no "load time" on either device, as all maps popped up immediately. :)

From some testing I've done and while driving around the lake and visiting all the gas docks, on a WiFi or any Cell connection with a good signal, the maps all seem to load fairly quickly.

The problem is that on the lake, many parts of the lake have spotty or weak cell coverage. I found when visiting most of the gas docks on the 'westerly' side of the lake that the cell signal was so weak, that I could barely even bring up the text only pages to show the current prices. When I was on the less populated north or 'easterly' side of the lake, the cell signals were good enough for a 'snappy' experience.

Thanks for these reports! I appreciate it, and I'm trying to do my best to keep this useful and easy to use from a boat.

I received a lot of thanks from the gas docks also. I was surprised at how many thought it was useful. Of course, there were a few people that had never heard of WinniGas.com, but I think most of these still use a flip style cellphone or a landline phone! :laugh:

I think the app is great and appreciate your efforts. I have used it several times and have calculated a savings of close to $50 on fuel. Thank you for your efforts.


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I'm glad you find it useful! It makes it worthwhile to know that people appreciate it. I know I always did when I was a user, so when it was offered up I thought I'd take it over to keep it running!