Do you use Charts of the waters you boat on?

[saumon]

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

Same here. Garmin chartplotter with bluechart maps but paper backup in sealed bag always onboard.

 

[jcupo6]

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

Garmin chartplotter, iPhone iNavX to back that up, paper charts to back both up!

 

[dan t.]

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

Standard Horizon CP170C chart plotter with Seamap cartridge,paper chart backup

 

[Yacht Dr.]

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

Hand held compass and charts..go anywere you want .

The real question would be if you do have charts..do you Know how to use them hehe...

Tip..the long and lats on a chart is what your base distant is on the legend..do you know which one it is .

Basically..when your charting sec/min/hours ( deg. ) where would you take it from..the top or the side ? ..

YD.

 

[H20Rat]

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

charts, what are charts?

I boat occassionally on 2 different inland lakes, one of which has literally NOTHING that could snag you up, and the other is well marked. 90% of my boating is on the missouri river though. Charts would be good for about a week before the sandbars moved. I rely on a combination of very careful reading of the water conditions combined with a jetboat for when I'm not quite careful enough!

 

[Chris-R]

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

Great book for those who want to know more but are in the GPS age: www.weekendnavigator.net

 

[Home Cookin']

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

one of the areas I frequent (eastern shore marshes) changes too much for charts, even for th echannel markers, but it is generally a forginving bottom, I'm in small boats, and am pretty good at (a) reading the water and (b) using a shovepole.

Around in the harbor/chesapeake bay, I have the GPS charts and paper charts and enjoy using them for on-shore information, exploring, etc. but I don't rely on them; I grew up on these waters, dead reckoning. I like the GPS at night to verify markers, especially the unlit ones out in open water, and I often mark temporary hazards like dredge equipment. It's real hard to see with all the shore lights. And I have a real compass for back-up.

 

[PiratePast40]

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

GPS and depth finder here. Charts don't exist for the moutain lakes and reservoirs. Pictures and maps point out the landmarks and points of interest. Winter pictures when the reservoirs are drawn down are interesting. Tried to find charts for the Willamette by where I live but they just don't exist. The state puts out maps on their web sites that show ramps, parks, and restrooms but that's all the information you're going to get for this area.

 

[rbh]

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

Our lake is wide and deep for the most part, just have to remember that were the rivers enter there are alot of mud/sand bars.

 

[j_k_bisson]

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

I use them everytime I'm out there fishing. Even before I leave the dock I check them. I try to plan my day of fishing by them and the wind direction. I use them for finding structure that hold the fish. I'm in Lake Erie and the ports are very simplistic. So don't really need charts for them. But I do have the charts always on my dash for a quick looksee.

 

[BayouRunner]

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

I feel ya DM....I'm also in southeast La., Napoleonville..but fish freshwater. I look at a map before a trip, and take a printed, paper version with me...but very rarely have to use it. Saltwater has changed, and changes so much every year it seems, I don't think there is a company out there that could keep up with the changes...ESPECIALLY down here.

 

[Guest]

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

I just found out at my CPS meeting on Monday night that it is the law that you must have paper charts of the waters you are boating because if you were to go aground you COULD be charged for not having them! You must have them weather or not you have them electronicly because if you have a power failure how else are you supposed to get back to land safely (according to the Coast Guard) Guess we had better get some

 

[Morkel]

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

I used charts previously but now I'm addicted to smartphone, marine apps (Flytomap & Navionics)

 

[cgd7777777]

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

Mainly in the river hard to get lost for me!

 

[LIVE WIRE]

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

I always use paper charts to plan out my route to unfamiliar water and use them as reference and for the big picture, And my chartplotter to verify my exact position at any time .

 

[PGFISHER]

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

I've been boating for over 50 years and know the lake as well as my back yard. Chart plotter might be nice. but we didn't have them years ago, and I'm computer illiterate. Been relying on charts all my life and now that I'm 65 and can't remember every current and cove; I'm back to charts to be sure and safe.

 

[Expidia]

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

Even on my small rig I personally would never leave the dock without a combo GPS. I'm only on fresh waters, if I were on a larger boat on salt water I would always have paper charts as a back up.

Paper charts at 25 mph in my open boat would be a little tough to read anyway and I would need yet a "third" hand to hold my beer

These combo units have really dropped big time in price. I just Googled for a combo GPS and saw a new Humminbird for $239. Add a cheap, few year old used Navionics chip off Ebay or Craigslist and it's a lot cheaper than having to replace a lower unit

That white puck on my bow is the external antenna, the 2nd unit I bought for my other rig has an internal antenna. The internals work just as good as long as you don't have a roof over the unit (and they might be cheaper too).

I also use my smart phone to track any oncoming bad weather in my area along with checking the VHF weather band on my radio.

 

[partskenn]

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

Makes a difference where you boat. On a small inland lake, probably not. Most of my boating is on Lake Michigan however, and I wouldn't consider going out without charts. Run into some fog, and it's real handy to be able to match your depth against the chart to figure out where you are.

 

[Dolfan0925]

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

Chart, fishfinder GPS, and cell gps+Navionics app on my Android.