Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

[Mark42]

I have some Waterproof brand charts for the areas I boat in (Eastern Long Island NY, Hudson River NY, Barnegat Bay NJ) and I always carry them with me in the boat. Sometimes I will use the NOAA's Online Chart Viewer to print off sections of charts that I want to write notes on or plot my course. Its handy and disposable and I can print blow up sections that are easy to read while bouncing around in chop.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/OnLineViewer.html

 

[Thad]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I could have sworn I just looked at this and there was no poll?!?!

Anyhoo, I use a chart or map for unfamiliar lakes my first ime out. I also will use them on the Mississippi when the water level is low.
I also have a marine GPS on board.

When I need to look at a chart or map, I usually stop the boat or let someone else take the wheel. Or I have them read and gtive me direction.
I guess the later two would not work if you were by yourself

 

[marine4003]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Raymarine A65..Paper back up.

 

[skargo]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Raymarine A65..Paper back up.

Same here!

I have a chartplotter and I have a book of waterproof charts for the Chesapeake bay onboard.

How do you navigate without?

 

[mphy98]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Up in Canada I use the gps and Navonics chip with a paper chart to find the best fishing locations. The combo works great as the chip has some of the hot spots on it, but the current paper map has more detail as to where the fish are.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Yep sure do!! I have two for the two lakes where I boat at, even though a canal connects the two they are two differant lakes. I always look at the mile markers and stay within the bouy's, The charts are a huge help, the ones here that don't use them on our lakes are the ones who get severely hurt, Now if they would only mark were the rocks are that are under an inch or two of water, would have saved me from getting myself in trouble

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I have them aboard all the time but only use them when I get into unfamiliar waters or it is a very low tide.

Would like to add a chartplotter for the convenience of it someday, but not as a replacment for the paper charts.

 

[oshkoshboating]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I have them aboard all the time but only use them when I get into unfamiliar waters or it is a very low tide.

Would like to add a chartplotter for the convenience of it someday, but not as a replacment for the paper charts.

Ditto for me.

 

[dmccaffrey]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I rarely use a chart. For the area I primarily fish (SE Louisiana salt marsh), the charts are worthless. They are always out-of-date and don't show enough detail to be useful. For example, thanks to Katrina, Rita, Gustov and Ike there are parts of the marsh that were eroded back 100m in only 2 years. Whole islands have been wiped off the map. No chart can keep up with changes that rapidily. Even if they did, the charts don't show the small bayous and ponds that I like to fish when I'm chasing redfish.

I do, however, carry a set of aerial photos covering my normal fishing grounds. They are accurate, show the fine detail I need to navigate the marsh and can even identify the deep channels through the shallow ponds.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Garmin 4208 chart plotter, paper back up

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Always have charts of the water I'm not familiar with if they're available.
Unfortunately, I have some places I'd like to try where I can't seem to find any info....and rocks are VERY unforgiving

 

[Thad]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

....and rocks are VERY unforgiving

And spitefull, mean, and for some reason, hold a grudge against all boats.

 

[KurtG]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I usually just print a few pieces from the NOAA online charts of places I want to try fishing (humps, holes, hard bottom, etc). The water is deep here, we have a small boat and we don't wander far so we don't need them for navigational purposes.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

Electronic-Lowrance XOG with Navionics Lakemaster charts.
Paper-Printed out NOAA charts for Lake Michigan & Fishing Hotspots maps for the Lake Winnebago system.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I've been boating in the bay all my life, so I pretty much know it like the back of my hand. There are shallow spots, but nowhere near where I boat at. There's one spot between two islands that is a sandbar on low tide, and we have seen more than one newbee flying through there (to get out of the no-wake zone sooner) and come to a screeching halt. If I go to uncharted waters, I will typically idle or cruise, and if the water is less than 10 feet deep, I look very cautiously for anything that may be lurking underneath. The only time I have hit anything was when they were dredging sand from the middle of an island (I have no idea why) and didn't have their 60" pipe marked with any buoys or anything. Surprisingly, I still had an outdrive after that, but you could hear the ringing from hitting that thing.

 

[highN'dry]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

They are on my combo plotter, Navionics charts.

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

i actually use a chartplotter GPS. which has charts from cape may to maine on the memory chip

 

[surfga]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

I have them aboard all the time but only use them when I get into unfamiliar waters or it is a very low tide.

Would like to add a chartplotter for the convenience of it someday, but not as a replacment for the paper charts.

Same here.

 

[Shadow66]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

i actually use a chartplotter GPS. which has charts from cape may to maine on the memory chip

Me too, except mine are NJ to Florida on the chip (I also have all US inland lakes)...Garmin 440S. Paper backups.

 

[skargo]

Re: Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

My Navionics chip covers the eastern US and the great lakes.