Who still uses paper charts as their primary navigation tool?

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Deleted User YDKXO

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Given that the helm stations on most new boats are not equipped with a position to place a paper chart, I was wondering how people use paper charts these days. Until a few years ago, when I was planning a trip, I used to plot the route first on a paper chart and then transfer the waypoints to my electronic chartplotter. In effect, the paper chart was my primary navigation tool and the chartplotter my back up. Now I do it the other way round. I study the paper chart but I only plot the route on the chartplotter, using the paper chart whilst following the route as a double check on the plotter information. Effectively, the chartplotter is now my primary navigation tool and the paper chart my back up.
How do other people use their paper charts these days? Anyone not have any paper charts at all on board and rely completely on electronic navigation?
 
I plot on chart first then transfer to plotter and keep chart to hand. Always have charts on board. I enjoy the paper work to be honest.
L
 
For anywhere new/unfamiliar I use paper charts to establish waypoints and mark up the route, but for familiar waters I use the chartplotter as primary tool, though I always have the appropriate paper chart open on the chart 'table'.
 
MapisM said:
Guilty as charged, your honour. Life's too short.
Click to expand...
+2 With big colour screens the paper charts are mostly redundant. I have a stack of paper charts on board covering all my cruisng grounds but they rarely come out of the packet

Also, in 10+ years of boating with big colour screen plotters, I have never entered a route into a chart plotter and have only rarely stored a waypoint. I just put finger/cursor where I want to go and hit goto, leg by leg.
 
Anywhere between say, Penzance and the solent, I would use hardly anything, except I had to put a few dots on the plotter, to get the auto pilot to work propper.

But I would always glance at a chart first, to make sure I had not missed anything.

I had an old chart plotter, so if going to the CI's, or Solent. I had to put the Lat/long in from the paper charts, for the last bit.

Going from Plymouth to Wales, was mostly paper, but I did have the little Garmin there, on the fly bridge to tell me if I made a cock up.:eek:

So, yes, paper charts on board for any places we were likely to get to.

Touring round Anglsey, nothing much and auto pilot just on manual. But the little Garmin there as back up.

So as the big Rathion got older and was a bit limited on charts ie. around Plymouth, it's work was mostly about running the auto pilot. So if going to say Dublin, I would tell it where Dublin Harbour was, and just steer in from there.
 
also guilty,

and not even a proper chartplotter on board... Using my trusty sony vaio p series with OpenCPN to be connected to the A/P one of these days (got all the h/w need some time).

Oddly I do have a nice chart table and most of Greece, Adriatic and Turkey coast in paper charts (must be over 20 of them in the chart pocket). I've only ever unfolded one to show it to the kids :rolleyes:

Since I'm mainly going to be travelling within the bay/isles 70nm around Volos, I was thinking of actually putting the chart permanently on the chart table and adding a thick piece of glass over it so that nothing spils on it and it remains nice, clean and flat. So in effect have it as a functiornamental helm element :D

V.
 
We do not have a chart plotter - maybe one day...... but in the meantime I am very happy to work with paper charts and a Garmin 76 GPS on our sailing boat.
If I was traveling at 20 knots rather than 5 knots then a chart plotter would become much more desirable! :D

Many commercial cargo vessels still do not have chart plotters (this comment is as a result of visiting cargo vessels here on survey jobs) - and they are very assiduous about keeping the plot on the chart up to date.
All of the cruise ship bridges that I have been on have chart plotters now, usually ECDIS (http://www.ecdis.com/home.aspx ) - but they all still keep a plot on a paper chart as well.
 
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I swore I'd never have a plotter in the cockpit, yet there it sits now for the 3rd season.. BUT I still have the paper charts out and use them, unless its just a local trip which I've done many times before..
 
Deleted User said:
Given that the helm stations on most new boats are not equipped with a position to place a paper chart, I was wondering how people use paper charts these days. Until a few years ago, when I was planning a trip, I used to plot the route first on a paper chart and then transfer the waypoints to my electronic chartplotter. In effect, the paper chart was my primary navigation tool and the chartplotter my back up. Now I do it the other way round. I study the paper chart but I only plot the route on the chartplotter, using the paper chart whilst following the route as a double check on the plotter information. Effectively, the chartplotter is now my primary navigation tool and the paper chart my back up.
How do other people use their paper charts these days? Anyone not have any paper charts at all on board and rely completely on electronic navigation?
Click to expand...

Paper situational overview reference if unfamiliar area.
Then plotter first, plotting only regular fixes on paper ie no route in advance and nothing on paper for short trips. And I do have a chart table at the helm on my sealine which is brilliant.
But.......
At least 10 times a year I go out with the plotter covered and navigate on paper only. Take 3 point fixes the whole lot, not even a GPS fix. Stops rust in the brain cells.
 
If in home waters around the Solent I use the plotter but rarely put any way points in, further afield or unfamiliar waters I use charts then transfer way points to plotter, on a recent trip on a bareback charter boat in the carabbien the plotter was broken so had to rely totally on the chart and compass, it was a well needed reminder of how to do things without the electronics there to help you out.
 
I have paper charts on board, but not for use in familiar waters.
I like having a bigger picture than the screen shows in unfamiliar places, and I like eyeing over them ,usually at home for passage planing , again if it is somewhere I have never been.
So, I actually like having them, but it might partly be a hangover from when the plotter screen did actually fail.
 
I always pre-plot on the PC at home and transfer routes to chartplotter on board on a CF card. I also take a printout of the route on board (which I believe we are required to do, but I would do anyway); have an Almanac & cruising charts out on the cockpit when on a trip but only occasionally used - when it's faster to find places on paper without scrolling round charts. Plus have a cheap Garmin handheld handy

A few years ago, thinking about it it was actually ten, I had a complete failure of my Simrad chartplotter when on passage in the Thames estuary shipping lanes. Fortunately had the route planned as above and with paper and handheld GPS got safely to Ramsgate. Turned out they were testing the European GPS system and the satellites put a signal out that caused every recent Simrad chartplotter (as they had built in capability of tracking the EU GPS) that was switched on to crash!

Whatever happened to our EU funded GPS?

I use the latest version of NavPlanner as it allows you to "play" with the tidal streams easily, you can set time & date of trip and then alter times hour plus/minus to ensure best tidal streams, avoid wind against tide and ensure sufficient depth etc. Being retired I perhaps have that bit more time.....
 
Cost.

Just bought new paper chart for proposed trip £18.00.Was also going to update NT+ chart about 5 years out of date,at £78.00 probably will not bother.
 
jfm said:
I have never entered a route into a chart plotter and have only rarely stored a waypoint. I just put finger/cursor where I want to go and hit goto, leg by leg.
Click to expand...


I'm gladd to hear that I'm not the only one,


@Deleted User,
be warned though,
we all know that the electronic charts are not alway's up to date and not 100% accurate,

ones on a trip in Croatia there was a marina, but NO mention on the plotter,
(don't remember exactly, Sibenic area IIRC)

on another trip our track was over land , at least on the display,
(over island to be correct)
 
Deleted User said:
Given that the helm stations on most new boats are not equipped with a position to place a paper chart, I was wondering how people use paper charts these days. Until a few years ago, when I was planning a trip, I used to plot the route first on a paper chart and then transfer the waypoints to my electronic chartplotter. In effect, the paper chart was my primary navigation tool and the chartplotter my back up. Now I do it the other way round. I study the paper chart but I only plot the route on the chartplotter, using the paper chart whilst following the route as a double check on the plotter information. Effectively, the chartplotter is now my primary navigation tool and the paper chart my back up.
How do other people use their paper charts these days? Anyone not have any paper charts at all on board and rely completely on electronic navigation?
Click to expand...

I still insist that we have paper charts for the entire passage. In practice now, and due to practicalities, we do not carry detailed charts of all the potential harbours on route - therefore the plotter can be invaluable when passage planning into an unfamiliar harbour.

I personally use paper charts to make the passage plan, then input waypoints into the plotter.

The last delivery (a power boat from SW UK to Holland) we had the on board Raymarine plotter, two of the crew had Ipads running Navionics, the other crew had a portable plotter and I had my Netbook with gps and C Map tucked away in my bag just in case!!!

I still prefer paper though...

Pete
 
Paper charts left untouched under the mattress, in the last 10 years the only time they have come out is to advice Raggies on inshore routes/passages to miss out races etc

I passage plan by take my plotter home or in a comfy sofa on board, plug into cigarette socket and add waypoints . I zoom in and follow the track to check for obstructions and then fix it back onto the boat to be used as rolling road, at the side I have chart on constant display , I have 4 x plotters on board in case one fails, two upstairs two downstairs.

when a long way from home ..........

Every 1/2 hour I record manually

distance to next waypoint
bearing
Log
speed over the ground
lat/long

If the gps signal fails I would have to plot on the paper charts.
 
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