Portland versus Douglas Plotters?

Douglas Protractor:

No moving parts
Cheaper than competitors
Small size - stows and carries easily
Available with cut-out triangle, circle, square for neater plotting of symbols
Grid facilitates certain complex plotting tasks
Good size for single-cup coaster
Two sizes : 5-inch for small-scale charts and 10-inch for large-scale charts


Portland Plotter:

Faster in use
Facilitates Magº - Trueº conversion 'mechanically'
Encouraged in RYA Shorebased courses
Grid facilitates alignment with chart
Suitable for single-cup AND sandwich
Has big Red or Green arrow to remind self where self is going TO

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I think it is very much a matter of personal preference and being proficient with the tool. Being RN trained I was a rolling parralell rule man till I did my first RYA course where the Douglas was advocated so I tried it and found it reasonably easy, don't see the reason to change now.

IF you are intereted in changing borrow one and try using it for a bit then make your own mind up.
 
I know it's blasphemy but Sailing Today handed out freebie cockpit plotters (baby Bretons).....I prefer them to everything else available, mind you if I had a 50 footer and a full size chart table, I might reconsider......
 
Aaah the good old days when you got freebies with the mags.

Goodness knows how old this is but it's my tool of choice;


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[ QUOTE ]
I think it is very much a matter of personal preference

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree wholly and entirely with Maxi77. Being RAF trained and not having a small squad of ratings at my beck and call, I tended to use whatever The Queen in her generosity issued to me - which was the small 5" Douglas Protractor. Those in larger aircraft fitted with chart rooms, like the Shackleton and Nimrod, got the larger 10" version - perhaps 'cos their navigators were so 'venerable' that they needed the bigger numbers and letters..../forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I remain appreciative of the freebies from PBO and Sailing Today, although I never did take to the 'rolling parallel rule'. That's really a task for The Navigator's Yeoman - and not an Seaman Officers' responsibility! - who has been to HMS Dryad and done the 3-week Plotting of Lines of Position and the long Sharpening of Navigating Officers' Pencils courses. Oh, and the 6-week BOST Coffee, Two Sugers and No Milk course at HMNB Devonport, of course.... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

These days I use whatever I find first in the chart-table...... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif




FWIW, I include a couple of piccies of the acetate and handout I would distribute on the RYA courses I used to teach to newbies who didn't have their own kit, so we could get on with the first couple of sessions. Please feel free to use them as you wish.....

MonktonProtractor.jpg


MonktonProtractorText.jpg



E&OE /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think it is very much a matter of personal preference

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree wholly and entirely with Maxi77. Being RAF trained and not having a small squad of ratings at my beck and call, I tended to use whatever The Queen in her generosity issued to me - which was the small 5" Douglas Protractor. Those in larger aircraft fitted with chart rooms, like the Shackleton and Nimrod, got the larger 10" version - perhaps 'cos their navigators were so 'venerable' that they needed the bigger numbers and letters..../forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I remain appreciative of the freebies from PBO and Sailing Today, although I never did take to the 'rolling parallel rule'. That's really a task for The Navigator's Yeoman - and not an Seaman Officers' responsibility! - who has been to HMS Dryad and done the 3-week Plotting of Lines of Position and the long Sharpening of Navigating Officers' Pencils courses. Oh, and the 6-week BOST Coffee, Two Sugers and No Milk course at HMNB Devonport, of course.... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

These days I use whatever I find first in the chart-table...... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif




FWIW, I include a couple of piccies of the acetate and handout I would distribute on the RYA courses I used to teach to newbies who didn't have their own kit, so we could get on with the first couple of sessions. Please feel free to use them as you wish.....

MonktonProtractor.jpg


MonktonProtractorText.jpg



E&OE /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't have BOST in my day, it was just called Work Up and run by that nice chap FOST. (My last job was in his staff) We also used what the Queen gave us and that was the rolling rule, and the only time I didn't plot my own fixes was when I was on watch on the brdge of a submarine. Th Navigators Yeoman kept the charts up to date and the supplies of 2B pencils at the chart table topped up, but the OOW did the plotting. I must admit I was tought how to plot visual fixes at 5 min intervals and still do all the other OOW tasks at the same time
 
[ QUOTE ]
Do you mean 6 minute or 3 minute intervals? It makes the maths very much easier....

[/ QUOTE ]Aah yes the Portland Thursday war, swept channels, air attack, 3 minute fixes, weaving courses, teh smell of cordite in the air and the Gunnery Officer yelling "Starboard Battery ENGAGE" to a bofors pop pop gun.

Memories! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
One of the Scandinavian countries. A gentleman was selling them at Excel/Southampton.
A smaller Portland.
 
yep, UNI-Plotter designed in Sweden. I have had mine for several years now and it is pretty easy to use.
It was designed for one handed use when steering courses between all those little islands they have in those waters.
Only took 5 days for someone to come up with that so I guess they haven't really caught on in the UK.
 
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