The end of paper charts is near

Great info. Thank you.
I need to go back to school now.
 
Well crap...this may take some of the
fun out of our iPad vs chart plotter debates in the future. What next, obsolete the compass? :)
 
Last edited:
Stee6043 said:
Well crap...this may take some of the
fun out of our iPad vs chart plotter debates in the future. What next, obsolete the compass?
Click to expand...
Compass is basically window dressing now. It's all good until a solar flare kills a few GOS birds, or your electronics fail. I can still navigate using paper charts and tools and will continue to do so. On a river it may not be a big deal, but in the open Atlantic, a back up plan or two is a must.
 
I still plot my courses on paper charts, ensure there are no dangers on my intended path, calculate my headings. Then i use my plotter
 
We quit using paper in airplanes years ago. Since our plane only flies for 4.5 hours max, and our ipads last longer, we just make sure that we start the day fully charged. Our plane also has two independent flight management systems, and ADS-B tattling on us to ATC, so we are probably overly backed up.
 
Maggieiscrazy said:
Paper charts have been nothing but decoration on my garage wall.
Click to expand...
I was allowed to put up “one” in the house but only in the basement :)
This is the actual chart we used to navigate the North Channel from Gore Bay to Killarney and back ...and all kinds of anchorages in between. It was a bare boat trawler we chartered.... we didn’t have a plotter as they were just coming out back then. The chart is a good reminder of that vacation.

0629657D-21C4-4077-9475-CACBBECDC316.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I still have paper charts, but I find my waterproof chart book to be a much easier form factor, and is a nice tool for trip planning, and as a back up to the electronics. MAPTECH & Richardson's make nice ones for the areas we operate, Buzzards Bay and the Massachusetts islands. There's another one that covers Cape Cod Canal to Casco Bay in Maine. They are spiral bound waterproof versions of the NOAA charts. I also like the Maptech New England Cruising Guide for information about virtually every harbor from Connecticut to Maine. Of course much of that is available online from various sources if you have a good signal.
 
I loved the process of walking parallel rules and course plotting on paper charts. its not really necessary these days but the old school knowledge is invaluable. If I had to I could navigate around the world with paper charts and few tools.

Elon Tesla says we don’t need pilots anymore if fighter aircraft. I really dislike that arrogant ass.
 
EE385C32-D30C-4CD0-B711-F9E5102E4220.jpeg
Blueone said:
I was allowed to put up “one” in the house but only in the basement :)
This is the actual chart we used to navigate the North Channel from Gore Bay to Killarney and back ...and all kinds of anchorages in between. It was a bare boat trawler we chartered.... we didn’t have a plotter as they were just coming out back then. The chart is a good reminder of that vacation.

View attachment 80335
Click to expand...
No fancy frame. Just taped to the wall.
 
Why does the US Navy still trading all its deck officers on the sextant? I'm certain all naval vessels have the latest and best electronic navigation equipment money can buy. Because they are preparing for a time when those systems may fail them.
I line old fashion charts, be they paper or laminated chart books, because I can get a big picture view if an area in full detail. On my plotter I have to zoom out to get a wide view and then I loose detail, and I have a 12 inch display.
 
I wonder how many of us actually knowhow to NAVIGATE and how many only know how to PLOT a course on a chart plotter? There is a difference.
 
NIce to see others with framed paper charts. When we bought our cottage the PO was a boater. There were some old Georgian Bay charts from the 1970’s in a drawer. Marked up with a few of his main route lines with headings, and favourite angchorages. My wife had them framed with some nice “wormy” wood frames. I love them. One is a full Georgian Bay and I use it to orient guests to where we are on the Bay.
 
When I got my license 12 years ago, I bitched and moaned about having to do the plotting portion with paper charts. I was complaining the USCG is backwards since “nobody” does this anymore.
Well...I was wrong.
It forced me to understand specifics of reading charts, lat/long, set and drift, and other concepts my friends with fancy chartplotters do not understand. They just pick a spot and go.

I don’t know if the USCG still requires the plotting on paper portion for licensing exams, but I hope so.
 
DWABoat said:
When I got my license 12 years ago, I bitched and moaned about having to do the plotting portion with paper charts. I was complaining the USCG is backwards since “nobody” does this anymore.
Well...I was wrong.
It forced me to understand specifics of reading charts, lat/long, set and drift, and other concepts my friends with fancy chartplotters do not understand. They just pick a spot and go.

I don’t know if the USCG still requires the plotting on paper portion for licensing exams, but I hope so.
Click to expand...


They do!
 
DWABoat said:
I don’t know if the USCG still requires the plotting on paper portion for licensing exams, but I hope so.
Click to expand...

We still teach how to read charts, and how to plot courses in the public basic boating safety course through the USCG Auxiliary. (Boating Skills and Seamanship). It's an introduction for sure, but it seems to help build an understanding of what you should know. I think you are more effective using a modern chart plotter if you understand a little about what's going on behind the screen.

Funny, but it's kinda enjoyable for me over the winter to plot out some of our summer trip plans on the old fashioned charts. I guess us northerners have to dream for when the shrink wrap comes off :)
 
Dang. The next thing you know, they'll be doing away with roll up windows, and standard transmissions!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,116
Messages
1,426,403
Members
61,028
Latest member
ddbyrd329
Back
Top