Do any brats use marine charts?

[Lollygaggin]

I'm old fashioned. I still use paper charts, practice DR navigation, plot courses and tracs, and take bearings to determine position. And even with all these precautions I have occasionally been caught off guard and calculated a fix that was quite a few meters off my DR position. Sure beats running aground because of electronic chart error. I guess it just serves to keep me on my toes.

[Miafun1]

I think I’m going to stop. Getting tired of carrying them around without using them. My chart plotter has to be way more up date than my years old charts.

[RobLL]

From back packing days and road trips I came to the conclusion that all maps are liars. That is, the map maker had the intention of providing certain information, and succeeded more or less. Users often want moderately different information and use maps more or less successfully. The world and nomenclature change and maps, charts, and even chart plotters get out of date or have errors.

There are fully legal charts, cruising guides with charts up to date but not fully legal, chart plotters, your smart phone, and even a road atlas. They all can be useful for certain things. I always have the first 4 with me, and sometimes wish I had the 5th. Sometimes we are out of cell phone range.

You can lose your electronics and have a fog bank roll in. If you know where you are, have a compass and some sort of map you can steer a course that will lead to safety. I remember fishing with my dad in the 40s. No electronics, no map, and no compass. The fog rolled in. Try to steer a straight course in that! A road map of the Kitsap Penninsula and a boy scout compass would have done just fine.

[thataway]

We cruised most of the coast of then Yugoslavia--charts were hard to get in the 1980's of those waters. We used a European Road map to ID the harbors, and a guide book which had some of the chartlets. We kept well offshore--We did have a Sat Nav, which gave fairly accurate fixes every 6 to 8 hours...but DR, and visual aids did the trick.

[gulfcoast john]

We carry paper charts, but have never referred to them in the past 15 years.
On our lower St John's river adventure, the 2013 Garmin Vison SD card (bought on Amazon, prob counterfeit) sometimes showed us on land and depths were universially deeper than on the card. However, there was a major flood event there 6-12 months ago with water levels visible on the tree trunks a good 6-8 feet above current levels, and that could have done a good bit of scouring and changes to the river bed and even course.
Keeping a good lookout and situational awareness is more important than gluing your eyes to the MFD, regardless of brand. That's what we plan on doing when cruising the 30,000 islands in Ontario this summer (and what the Cruising Guides also advise).
In our area (mostly soft sand and mud, you have to search to find a rock) current Garmin E-charts, radar, and Nav info on one 12 inch screen, and engine data and CHIRP sonar on another 12 inch screen at our 30MPH (max) cruise speed makes us very comfortable and feeling safe.
I really don't think it would be humanly possible to be as safe with paper charts and dividers and Dead Reckoning and a sextant and a lead line for depth at the same 30 MPH. Do you?
If an enemy EMP nuke takes out all the GPS satellites, we'll just stop right there the minute they go offline. That would be just the most minor of all our future issues. Same for if my Garmin system goes in Total Failure Mode, which it never has done before.
Yes, I'm an outlier here, and proud of it. So there.
There is a reason almost all Buggy-Whip manufacturers went out of business. Now they sell paper charts (papyrus? that's new! About 4,000 years ago.)
John

[colbysmith]

John, your 2013 chip is probably just as accurate as my 2016 data update straight from Garmin! And if I were to believe the perfect accuracy of those digital charts, my boat does just find cruising on land without a trailer under it! Good to see you again at Hontoon! Colby

[DrewbirdII]

Yes, I like the big picture of a folded chart on my table with my preplanned trip with possible safe hides & anchorages. I use the chart plotter for following the course and depth. Local waters I don't use the charts much, mostly on exploring new areas. I love planning a trip on large 3x4' charts and marking the course in pencil with places to stay or avoid in highlighters, then plot a trail of waypoints on the chart plotter to follow. Jim

[thataway]

There are still a number of chart books, and the "Fishing Charts" available for many lakes, and coastal areas. I donated a number for the auction at Hontoon. These are smaller than the large NOAA charts, and convenient to stow. I already have the Tennessee River book (Corp of Engineers) thanks to another C Brat and have ordered the Cumberland River ($15plus shipping). These are on quality paper and spiral bound.

You can also print any chart on demand at home, from the NOAA or Corp of engineers. I use a laser printer, and either seal in a laminate pouch, or protective vinyl sleeve--put them in a notebook. Not quite as convenient as the large charts, but stow well. When we did AK in the 1990's we have over 200 charts on the Cal 46, but that was a boat which had specific storage for a full sized chart folded in half. The same are was covered in a chart book for the C Dory on our trip in the 2008 era.

[NewMoon]

We carried more than 100 charts on our CD22 for our first SE AK cruise. Most were photocopies, so less bulky and heavy than regular charts. Carried them also for many years on our 26-footer, but have not for the last two years on the Nordic Tug, despite having a lot more room.

We have 2 fixed chartplotters, one handheld with chips, Coastal Explorer on a laptop, and two apps with charts on a phone. So as long as the GPS signal is there, we feel pretty safe. Detailed familiarity with most of our cruising area, plus a compass and RADAR, help us feel safe as well.

[tsturm]

[Gary Palsgrove]

I carry paper charts and my GPS.
All of my longer trips are planned on the kitchen table long before shoving off.
I also have a safe harbor, and route there, planed for various spots along my proposed route in anticipation of a change in weather, etc.

Gary Palsgrove
C-Song

[ghone]

I Always have the paper chart open while traveling. It’s law in Canada that they’re aboard. GPS is not infallible, neither is your equipment. I’ve found rocks on paper that plotters don’t show. Go to Arctic waters sometime. Yikes.
So yes for me. I don’t do bearing fixes or course plots currently but the eyes go from paper to screen constantly if it all matches that’s good. If not I stop.
Squitty Bay on the south end of Lasquiti Island comes to mind. You want paper, screens, eyeballs and cajones to get it there
George

[localboy]

I have sets of Puget Sound, B.C. etc. on board. Navigate via Garmin unit (740S) and just got a new 10.5" i-Pad w/ GPS as a secondary unit.

I have an old Gamin unit that I'm pulling out. It was our original unit when we bought the boat in '09. It's basically obsolete now. I'd be surprised if I could give it away.

The paper charts have a use. I like the ability to see the "big picture". We will frequently open them up on the dinette table as we travel. Plus, paper never die or run out of power.

[starcrafttom]

We have the " Fishin Map" charts and a chart book. The fishing map charts are really good. We use them and the chart book for planning and for Susan to learn the islands and keep track of were we are when I am driving. If something happens she has a idea of our location. The GPS and Radio have a better idea but are only good if the boat is floating. If we have to go in the water and use the hand helds I want her to be able to call and report with some accuracy.

I think the chart plotters are far more accurate then any one is with a map even under the best of conditions. Range is the worse thing to quess at. I have people on the boat tell me we are 2 miles off shore and we are only 300 yards off shore. Distance is just hard to guess is you do not do it a lot.

If you get caught in the fog there is no way to navigate really on paper. You have to know where you were to start and everything else is based on that . I think if someone was really good with paper charts they might be within a 1/2 mile of were they really are, which is great in the ocean but not so good in the San Juans.

many of the new plotters can redraw the depth on to your chart as you are traveling. The more you travel a area the better your charts will be.

If I was going north in to remote areas in a bigger boat I would op for the forward looking sonars. Charts are only a representation of reality. I have ran rivers and lake with out a chart plotter or even a depth finder for many years. Head up and eyes open and learn to read water.

[journey on]

We've been around, over and through the United States and parts of Canada. So we use "Chart Books". These are published by various sources: Maptech, Evergreen, New York Canal Authority etc. We couldn't carry the amount of paper charts one would need for some of the trips. But now, Chart Books proved a handy way of having paper charts on board for planning, seeing what's ahead or any other use one may have.

One may download the official NOAA and Core of Engineer charts for the USA in digital format or you can print them either as separate sheets or as a Chart Book.

We also use a Lowrance MFD as our instantaneous navigational device.

It's what is best suited to the task. Paper, various projections or electronic; each type is the best for a particular purpose.

Boris