oceanfroggie
Well-Known Member
Simple poll to get a sense of how or if leisure boat skippers are still using paper charts, or if just carrying them on board as a safety backup, and what backup skippers are using.
POLL - Paper Chart Usage
- Thread starter oceanfroggie
- Start date
gjgm
Well-Known Member
Do you have DAKA's permission to run a poll on here ?
DAKA
Well-Known Member
Permission granted
I think the question about 'used a chart in the last three years' should have been more specific ........
I used them in April for keeping the carpets clean during lift out
Sandyman
Well-Known Member
Have paper charts as backup but have never had to use them
If you've not used them to plot your position then how are they any good as a backup ?
If you've not used them to plot your position then how are they any good as a backup ?
RAI
Well-Known Member
By recording previous GPS coordinates and headings in your log book. When the lights go out (hopefully you have a torch) plot the last position and heading and start dead reckoning.
oceanfroggie
Well-Known Member
prv
Well-Known Member
Currently use charts (with a Yeoman to make the plotting easier) as the main navigational tool. Realistically that'll probably change this winter when I move the plotter into the cockpit (previous owner hid it down below...). But I'm sure I will still have the chart on the table when on passage, and use it for overview.
I don't necessarily have a specific "backup plotter", but one way or another I have a lot of GPS receivers and plotters kicking around:
Raymarine C70 radar / plotter
Lowrance 4M mini plotter
Garmin 128 GPS for the Yeoman
BR355 GPS for the radio (radio displays lat/long)
Old handheld GPS (not a plotter) plus batteries
Cheapo keyring-sized GPS in the grab bag
iPhone (also does GLONASS), has Navionics installed
iPad (does GLONASS, has Navionics, not always on board).
Pete
I don't necessarily have a specific "backup plotter", but one way or another I have a lot of GPS receivers and plotters kicking around:
Raymarine C70 radar / plotter
Lowrance 4M mini plotter
Garmin 128 GPS for the Yeoman
BR355 GPS for the radio (radio displays lat/long)
Old handheld GPS (not a plotter) plus batteries
Cheapo keyring-sized GPS in the grab bag
iPhone (also does GLONASS), has Navionics installed
iPad (does GLONASS, has Navionics, not always on board).
Pete
Greg2
Well-Known Member
We have two plotters on the current boat as well as a handheld GPS and iPad/iPhone which I guess we could use if necessary. Don't use the chart to plot a course but always have one on the chart table at the helm and will sometimes refer to it to confirm something with a plotter. The paper chart was very useful when plotting this years cruise to the Thames as the constant zooming in and out on the plotter meant that my initial course was through the wrong 'deep' in the Thames estuary. Schoolboy error but it was cross regpferencing with the chart that helped identify my mistake at the planning stage. Electronics ultimately got us there safely.
RAI
Well-Known Member
Really! An iPad has a Russian satellite receiver?
NoviceRod
Well-Known Member
I have them primarily as backup for GPS plotter, but find them very useful when passage plannning and getting good preview of estuary for 1st time passage.
I pencil on the passage for longer trips, and SWMBO likes to keep track, which would help if the GPS goes down.
I pencil on the passage for longer trips, and SWMBO likes to keep track, which would help if the GPS goes down.
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
Seems that paper charts are not dead after all, OF!
RAI
Well-Known Member
Or are they being carried for legal reasons?Seems that paper charts are not dead after all, OF!
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
If 68.57% of respondents to the poll say they have paper charts on board and have used them in the last 3yrs, then they are being carried for more than just legal reasons. Anyway, what are those legal reasons?
RAI
Well-Known Member
I was looking at the other result, it seems so far, that no one has no charts aboard. In Belgium, and I believe also in the Netherlands, it is a legal requirement to carry an up-to-date chart of their waters when in their waters. SOLAS might also have something to say about carriage of charts too.
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
Interesting, I did not realise that was the case for Belgium and the Netherlands. To be honest, I don't know if there is any legal requirement in the UK
RAI
Well-Known Member
I think we are supposed to make passage plans these days. Maybe a chart is necessary for that, but does it have to be a paper one?
Ah! Found something. Seems electronic charts are adequate but a back up is needed, which could also be electronic.
http://www.chartworld.com/web/products/chartfaq
Ah! Found something. Seems electronic charts are adequate but a back up is needed, which could also be electronic.
http://www.chartworld.com/web/products/chartfaq
Last edited:
oceanfroggie
Well-Known Member
Seems that paper charts are not dead after all, OF!
Indeed not, 2/3rd have used them in past three years 1/3rd not
Strictly speaking I have used them recently in the sense I have shown them to visitors, but not for proper nav. Since the advent of iPad I do my 'big picture' viewing and planning on the tablet.
scotts_mist
Active Member
Having bought our first boat a year ago, we did our first significant (2 week) trip in September. We had paper charts on board and also have a tablet running navionics.
Planning wise, I found it easier to plot on the paper charts each morning and then transfer to the tablet.
For the first half of the trip, we seemed to spend a lot of time zoomed in on the tablet worrying about every deviation from course. But by the end, I found it much more enjoyable to just pass time soaking in the big picture, dead-reckon our progress on paper, and take an occasional fix from the landmarks around us. I just referred to the GPS when I knew there were hazards nearby that I wanted to be certain we didn't hit.
I confess I run a software company, so maybe I just enjoyed leaving the technology alone for a while and going old-school with paper and pencil.
One thing I can say though, several months on, looking at the pencil marks left on the paper charts evokes a much greater sense of having achieved something than looking at the archived track on navionics - it just seems more tangible.
Planning wise, I found it easier to plot on the paper charts each morning and then transfer to the tablet.
For the first half of the trip, we seemed to spend a lot of time zoomed in on the tablet worrying about every deviation from course. But by the end, I found it much more enjoyable to just pass time soaking in the big picture, dead-reckon our progress on paper, and take an occasional fix from the landmarks around us. I just referred to the GPS when I knew there were hazards nearby that I wanted to be certain we didn't hit.
I confess I run a software company, so maybe I just enjoyed leaving the technology alone for a while and going old-school with paper and pencil.
One thing I can say though, several months on, looking at the pencil marks left on the paper charts evokes a much greater sense of having achieved something than looking at the archived track on navionics - it just seems more tangible.
[70521]
Well-Known Member
There is no I have a hand held GPS as back up (and no mention of a sextant).
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
Not sure the Ipad be described as the 'big picture'? IMHO one of the problems with electronic charting is the screen size in that if you pan out to get the big picture, you need a magnifying glass to see any detail. The 'screen size' of a paper chart is many times bigger than an Ipad and that's one of the reasons that I use paper charts as well as electronic charts