Paper charts

lakelandterrier · 08 March 2013, 23:14

Does anyone else like to carry paper charts of areas they navigate in this electronic age?

I have the electronic stuff on the chart plotter but I still like to plan routes and familiarise myself with areas on a " proper" chart, and carry them on board as back up as well as using them as a reference/ planning tool at home when I hven't access to the chartplotter.

Am I a luddite, or is there still value in "proper" charts?

LT

PeterM · 08 March 2013, 23:20

Huge value - especially for study & planning away from the boat. If you have space on your boat you'd be nuts not to carry them

I find them far easier than even a decent ( big) plotter to get a 'big' picture of distances and relative positioning of stuff.

landlord · 08 March 2013, 23:23

Can't beat a paper chart for getting a feeling for the area your in or planning on visiting. There's something satisfying about studying a paper chart on your dinning room table before visiting a new cruising area

m chappelow · 09 March 2013, 00:48

when i sold the fishing boat i kept the paper Admiralty charts of my local area ,
even though now i only have the small inflatable & only go a few miles up or down the coast i still carry a couple of paper charts cut down & folded just to the area i mess about in ,

i have drawn at a glance heavy pencil lines along with courses to steer & reciprocal courses from bouys/ lighthouse/jettys/ beacons/ headlands or any other known marks,
( ok i know the chart now resembles a spiders web)

but if it comes in foggy i can at least bouy hop home or back to the slip without starting to get out pencils& rulers ect just have to trust the compass,
often i get my young lad to get out the chart & give me a course to steer just for something to do .
mind bit more courses to plot amend this next few weeks as they have just planted an offshore windfarm .

Smithyyy · 09 March 2013, 06:04

I'm a fan of the Admiralty portfolios - those collections of charts for an area that come for 40-something quid and in a handy plastic sleeve so you can display the one you want as you go along and it's at least splashproof...

gotchiguy · 09 March 2013, 09:46

The admiralty tough charts are excellent for ribbing, pity they've stopped making them I think.

kasba · 09 March 2013, 10:15

You can't get better than a paper chart !

I had mine cut and laminated to make them waterproof about 4 years ago and they live on the rib and not one has been damaged :-)

lakelandterrier · 09 March 2013, 11:26

Well I'm not a total luddite then, carrying and looking a paper charts at home

I am though thinking of getting Garmin Homeport if / when I update my charts with an SD card.

How often do people update their chartplotters with new chartmaps?

LT

bliksem · 09 March 2013, 11:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakelandterrier

Well I'm not a total luddite then, carrying and looking a paper charts at home

I am though thinking of getting Garmin Homeport if / when I update my charts with an SD card.

How often do people update their chartplotters with new chartmaps?

LT

Depends on your knowledge of the region!! I update my paper charts but not to often my electronic ones. I like the papercharts for the big picture AND for the detail. On a rib (6.3) in ad weather well paper can be hard to handle. I make A4 copies sometimes and plastify them (if i do a crossing for the UK e.g).

tonto · 09 March 2013, 16:26

Always paper charts.

I have a plotter, and use it, but study the proper paper chart and can recall most of the major details, so if the plotter goes down, i can remember most of the paper chart, and can refer to it if necessary.

On my brand new all singing and all dancing large expesive ship, we have a full worlwide coverage or electronic charts on 30inch plotters, but i still prefer to use the paper charts for passage planning and navigation. They will never go wrong, or break down, give a much better bigger picture, and in some places better detail, and are re assuring to use!

Gary

tim griffin · 09 March 2013, 18:29

For those of you who like paper charts and like to cut them down and laminate then look at Free charts, tide tables and pilotage : from Visit My Harbour for£25.00 membership for life you can access all UKHO charts no more than a year old overlay with google earth .
Great for planning and correcting you charts and for printing off and laminating in matt so you can write on them .
Tim