Whatever happened to the Chart Table?

[Wunja]

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Luckily the DS course also has some proper paper charts too as I prefer them and they fit on the chart table in the boat.

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Don't they have "Not to be used for navigation" printed all around the borders?

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The latest DS charts are of a completely mythical land and would be no use for any sort of real navigation.

 

[snowleopard]

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I wouldn't buy a boat without a forward facing chart table.

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Why? Is it because of the motion, angle of heel or inability to mentally adjust to the orientation?

It doesn't bother me which way they face but perhaps monohulls are different.

 

[Slow_boat]

My MAB has no chart table and I took out the cabin table because it was in the way. Nor dor I have a chart plotter or GPS. I wouldn't mind one if I could afford it or had any interest in gadgets but the idea of relying solely on electronics is alien to me.

Because I am used to 'proper navigation' I use paper charts on a board but would love to have room for a chart table.

However, most of my sailing is coastal hops in sight of land and bouyage so is more properly pilotage rather than navigation.

 

[Skents]

I'd be lost without a chart table. Ours provides a snug nav station with instruments, SSB and VHF all within reach. It's also our "office". It's where I'm sitting right now using the computer and where I spend most of my working life too.

The thought of cluttering up saloon table and having to move everything whenever a meal is served would be real pain.

If you live in a house you can usually have separate rooms for different activities - on a boat the divisions are more psychological. Hence, on an average evening one of us might be using laptop at chart table, the other might be doing something at saloon table and our son could be practicing guitar in his cabin (thankfully he can plug headphones into his amp).

It's all down to personal choice at the end of the day - everyone's requirements for a house vary and the same goes for their wish list for a boat - mine would definitely include a chart table though.

 

[mormargh]

Since none of the boats described in the original post have a seaberth, prospective purchasers won't be doing any navigation as such, just a bit of pilotage - chart tables are therefore now designed to take a pilot book!

Note also the relative positions of the helmsman (backside hanging over the transom, behind a VOR replica wheel) and "navigator" (perched on end of sofa almost amidships, the other side of aft heads). Clearly designers do not envisage communication between the two.

What about laminating the chart and attaching it to the wheel, as a back-up to the plotter? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif