Waterproof pen and paper

sarabande

sarabande

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I have some special paper for the laser printer which can print portions of charts or aerial photos. The paper is UV resistant and tearproof, so ideal for making mini-charts for an approach.

I am looking for a notebook or paperpad which has waterproof paper, and can be written on by a waterproof biro or felt tip.


Any suggestions for sources, please ?
 
sarabande said:
I have some special paper for the laser printer which can print portions of charts or aerial photos. The paper is UV resistant and tearproof, so ideal for making mini-charts for an approach.

I am looking for a notebook or paperpad which has waterproof paper, and can be written on by a waterproof biro or felt tip.


Any suggestions for sources, please ?
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I had a look a few weeks ago on eBay lots of options. Make sure you're comparing like with like on size as its not obvious on some listings and most are quite small A6 (1/4 the size of A4) which might be ok for you but I wanted something bigger and the cost started to become quite high.
 
For a deck log and critical information we used chinagraph - but I don't recall what we wrote on, some white board or other - then transcribed. Cheap and adequate
 
Neeves said:
For a deck log and critical information we used chinagraph - but I don't recall what we wrote on, some white board or other - then transcribed. Cheap and adequate
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I use an off-cut of white Melamine-faced hardboard and write with whatever is handy, usually dry markers as used with Whiteboards. Eventually, my 'boards' are re-cycled when I glue canvas onto the shiny side and use them for smallish paintings (up to around A3) as they provide a firm surface for my brushes.
 
I've laminated a few A4 and A5 sheets which I can draw on with Chinagraphs. They can then be wiped clean for re-use.
 
Neeves said:
For a deck log and critical information we used chinagraph - but I don't recall what we wrote on, some white board or other - then transcribed. Cheap and adequate
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I have a vivid memory from the late 70's or very early 80's of an Occifer coming back from an RCDS type course during which one of the interesting questions apparently "what's the most important thing to the Army/Navy/RM/RAF that we don't actually think of as important". He was telling a random group of assembled oiks, NCO's and Officers about this when someone said "Chinagraph pencils" and he stopped dead and said "Bugger, wish I'd thought of that". RAF and the RN at least ran on Chinagraph during most of the Cold War.

I used to wear a flying suit when sailing back in those days (pre-GPS and plotters) and had the course notes, waypoints, etc. on my thing, just as I would if I was flying - it worked just as well. I never understood why you couldn't get laminated charts that you could mark up with Chinagraph or map tape as we used to on the ICAO half mil air charts.
 
First mate got me some small (pocket sized) waterproof notepads from eBay a couple of years ago (I asked her for a link but sadly she can't remember). They're excellent and since starting to use them they are now placed firmly in the "essential nav equipment" category. Passage notes and pilotage notes and diagrams get written in pencil. Small is beautiful in this case as the notes then live in my pocket to be pulled out when I need to refer to them. Not really sure why people would want bigger. If it doesn't fit into your packet you might as well be keeping it in the dry on the chart table.
 
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A neighbour gave me a "Rite in the Rain" All Weather Field Book No 350 last year. It is 190 x 120 mm and hardback which keeps it flat when writing on pages with soft pencil as recommended on the first page. Don't know where neighbour got it but back page gives website www.RiteintheRain.com.
 
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Neeves said:
For a deck log and critical information we used chinagraph - but I don't recall what we wrote on, some white board or other
Click to expand...

PuffTheMagicDragon said:
I use an off-cut of white Melamine-faced hardboard and write with whatever is handy
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I used to write key passage info (lighthouse characteristics, etc.) on the boat itself - straight on the grp gelcoat of the cockpit forward bulkhead, next to the compass. As far as I can remember I just used ordinary pencil.

Not that that answers Sarabande's question. I got a waterproof pad last year from, er, Santa!
 
MartynG said:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...in+the+rain&rh=n:318949011,k:rite+in+the+rain
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+1 for ‘Rite in the Rain’ pads. I’ve found the leaves of the waterproof pads chandlers sell stick together once they get wet, losing both their utility and encrusting in cardboard the info you’ve already recorded in them. These don’t. Just write with a pencil, although a marker pen is fine if you want. I always have one on the go, serving as a cockpit log, on-passage planning sketchbook and to-do and shopping lists. I use this one:
Rite in the Rain Universal Pocket Top Spiral Notebook - White/Yellow, 4 x 6 Inch https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000YIGKO8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_QrPqAb1PHHP37

For tasks requiring printing or re-use, I use a small laminating machine and matt (critically not gloss) laminating pouches. Prepare whatever you want with a laser printer or even a pilotage plan with coloured markers. Once it’s laminated you can write on it in pencil and erase your markings. By comparison, Chinagraph is imprecise (clumsy thick pencil) and messy (doesn’t erase nearly as well). Might work well for your printed charts.
 
No doubt things have moved on from the early 70s, but in those days, pencil was about the only thing that worked reliably in the wet! I have fond memories of making geological field notes while trying to keep a pad dry enough for the paper not to rip under the point of a pencil. In fact, it was hard enough to work in wet weather that I tended no to try!
 
Reading the thread it does appear as though there are different quality/grades of waterproof notepads available. I’ve used these things for about 30 years as a diver/instructor so I’d recommend those available from the BSAC web shop. I’ve only ever used pencil and I clean the pages when required with Ciff. I also use them on the boat for pilotage notes.
 
When i used to do a lot of outdoor fieldwork with A level students we used to use pieces of A4 Foamex (http://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/blog/uncategorized/what-is-foamex/ )board when it rained instead of clipboards with paper worksheets. We could write on these with ordinary 2B pencils in the rain....from memory the writing was pretty durable as I remember having to scrub them clean for re-use! we had some with data tables pre-drawn in permanent marker for collecting regular datasets.

Also....there are these...from Aquascribe http://www.aquascribe.co.uk/
 
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