Admiralty leisure charts to be discontinued

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Matador

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Are people aware that the admiralty is scrapping its leisure charts? I don't remember any consultation about this. As a taxpayer funded organisation surely they have some responsibility? They cite increasing production costs and falling sales due to everybody going out and buying electronic chart plotters apparently. A plotter with a 5" screen would cost me £400-£600, plus the cost of updates. A paper chart costs £15 0r so, in these days of modern printing they should be cheaper or free like in the USA. What is going on?!
Cheers, Chris W.
 
Matador said:
Are people aware that the admiralty is scrapping its leisure charts? I don't remember any consultation about this. As a taxpayer funded organisation surely they have some responsibility? They cite increasing production costs and falling sales due to everybody going out and buying electronic chart plotters apparently. A plotter with a 5" screen would cost me £400-£600, plus the cost of updates. A paper chart costs £15 0r so, in these days of modern printing they should be cheaper or free like in the USA. What is going on?!
Cheers, Chris W.
Click to expand...

Leisure Folios will not be discontinued; only individual Leisure charts. For most of us, the Folios represent considerably better value for money than individual charts.
 
Charts

I agree, but they haven't introduced folios for the whole of the UK coastline yet. They are also scrapping the folios of areas outside of the UK and the recently intrduced 'tough charts'
Cheers Chris W.
 
I think you will still be able to get the charts - but only in the "Full" version which costs about twice as much :(
 
bedouin said:
I think you will still be able to get the charts - but only in the "Full" version which costs about twice as much :(
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Most areas are covered by Imray so now no excuse for sneering at those of us who use their charts! I've always found the Dutch and French coastal charts superior to the Admiralty ones anyway. Shall miss the Thames Estuary one though!
 
I got involved in a bit of corespondance with the Admiralty earlier this year, when I filled in the questionere on their website.I did question why charts are so expensive,and also suggested that they sell the lesiure portfolio charts,on a 'pick and mix' basis,and so offer the end user more freedom of choice in making themselves,a chart folio more suited to their needs,rather than settle on the choice of charts that the Admiralty make available.This would avoid duplication,and also enable people to replace one sheet out of a portfolio that has got wet,got lost,been damaged,etc.I also suggested that they extend the available area of the lesiure folios.I basically got the 'Bums Rush'.I don't think it helped that I pointed out that they made £8m profit last year,and £7m/annum profit for the preceeding 2 years.All that profit for some chart areas that have not been resurveyed since the 18/19 th.centuary.And ,where originally done by some bloke with a sextant,wind up watch and a leadline,and,was paid for by the British taxpayer at that time.This could only happen in Britain(I refuse to use the word 'Great').We must be the only country in the world where the population will willingly pay twice for the same outdated information.(is this why we see so many repeats on the telly?)
Allthough I doubt if it will do any good,everybody should fill in the questinaire on the Admiralty website,making their views known,and informing them that we don't like being ripped off.(If ,indeed,you feel the same way)
Cheers
 
It takes time and money to create a new chart, even if it is based on old surveys. It could be that the profit is being made from the large commercial charts of Southampton and Dover that ships are required to carry and that the single leisure charts are making a loss.
If it costs nothing to create the charts why is there not a flood of cheap charts on the market?
 
Thats it,. where does all lthe money go? My friend is a deep sea pilot, every ship he goes on carries paper charts plus all the latest technology,light dues etc etc. I feel that something fundemental about navigating around our shores is going to be lost if we are not careful.If the sun throws a wobbly all that electronic gubbins would be gone.Sorry just back from sailing club bar! Cheers, Chris W.
 
mattw said:
If it costs nothing to create the charts why is there not a flood of cheap charts on the market?
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Well I bought the entire UK coastline in the form of Offshore Navigator for around a ton, but that's in electronic form. The reason cheap charts don't abound is that the data isn't in the public domain.

Boo2
 
The problem with the folios is that for some people one folio sheet will be used more than any other. When that sheet gets wet, gets chewed by the dog. Etc., the only current solution is to splash out on a new folio or the leisure edition.

I am not convinced about the paper that the standard charts are printed on. They seem to wear pretty quickly down the crease: faster than the leisure editions.

Given that UKHO are a branch of the government, I would have thought that any interaction with them is essentially pointless. As a government agency there is little point in them listening to the views of taxpayers or "customers". I suspect they'll just do whatever they want anyway.
 
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