You could buy the up-to-date charts for your cruise and then sell them when
you are done.

NOS/NOAA has free Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs)
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/cgi-bin.../enc/index.htm
that are approved for navigation, but you need software to read them.
Fugawi (www.fugawis.com) has a $200 package. Not all the charts have been
digitized in this format.

Now then, you still need the paper backup to keep your computer, Bill Gates,
or a simple power loss from doing you in. Color printing of the ENCs might
be more expensive than buying the charts. B/W printed copies might save
your bacon, but a Chart Kit might be a better alternative depending on where
you are headed.

Good luck,

Ken



"Stan Sroga" wrote in message
om...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan

You can also download a free viewer from Fugawi at http://www.fugawi.com.
Look for "Fugawi View ENC".

--


Keith
__
We put the "K" in "Kwality.
"Ken Coit" wrote in message
m...
You could buy the up-to-date charts for your cruise and then sell them
when
you are done.

NOS/NOAA has free Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs)

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/cgi-bin.../enc/index.htm
that are approved for navigation, but you need software to read them.
Fugawi (www.fugawis.com) has a $200 package. Not all the charts have been
digitized in this format.

Now then, you still need the paper backup to keep your computer, Bill
Gates,
or a simple power loss from doing you in. Color printing of the ENCs
might
be more expensive than buying the charts. B/W printed copies might save
your bacon, but a Chart Kit might be a better alternative depending on
where
you are headed.

Good luck,

Ken



"Stan Sroga" wrote in message
om...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan

x-no-archive:yes
(Stan Sroga) wrote:

Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Chart kits
Buying charts from another cruiser and noting changes on them
Trading charts with someone who's going the other direction

Some people have chart plotters - I don't know what they do or how
they work.

Computer charts aren't all that cheap.


grandma Rosalie

Posted with an Unregistered Version of NewsHunter - The Newsgroup Utility for OS X.
Get your copy today at: http://www.parkersoftware.com/products/newshunter/

Try a large public library. Chicago's will let you copycharts for a few dollars. I crewed for a friend whowas circumnavigating and loaded up with charts this way.B&W, 1:1 scale from original. Minimal distortion atthe edges. He bought original charts of areas he intendedto spend time in.

http://www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html for the free viewer. Here is a
list of other free viewers.

Free ENC Viewers

a.. Several ENC viewers are available for free and can be accessed at this
link: http://www.openecdis.org/freeware/index.html
b.. CARIS Easy-ENC http://www.caris.com/free/index.cfm
c.. Fugawi View ENC http://www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html
d.. ENC Data Handler for ArcView http://www.csc.noaa.gov/products/enc/
These all came from NOAA's ENC site at:
http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/resource.htm

--


Keith
__
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
"Ken Coit" wrote in message
m...
Keith,

If you have link to that free viewer, I 'd like to have it. All I find is
Fugawi Marine ENC at http://www.fugawi.com/docs/navframe.html which is the
$200 package I mentioned earlier.

Ken



"Keith" wrote in message
...
You can also download a free viewer from Fugawi at
http://www.fugawi.com.
Look for "Fugawi View ENC".

--


Keith
__
We put the "K" in "Kwality.
"Ken Coit" wrote in message
m...
You could buy the up-to-date charts for your cruise and then sell them
when
you are done.

NOS/NOAA has free Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs)



http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/cgi-bin.../enc/index.htm
that are approved for navigation, but you need software to read them.
Fugawi (www.fugawis.com) has a $200 package. Not all the charts have
been
digitized in this format.

Now then, you still need the paper backup to keep your computer, Bill
Gates,
or a simple power loss from doing you in. Color printing of the ENCs
might
be more expensive than buying the charts. B/W printed copies might
save
your bacon, but a Chart Kit might be a better alternative depending on
where
you are headed.

Good luck,

Ken



"Stan Sroga" wrote in message
om...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical
to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that
will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan

Make copies.

We own about 600 charts (some new, some old, some original, some
copies). I have in the past, and would again, make copies for people
for
1) actual cost, US$2-3 per chart, plus
2) postage expenses, plus
3) a separate check to a charity of my choice for US$1 per chart.

I would also be interested in trading copies -- need South America,
Northern Europe....


I should add that this isn't a business -- I won't make fewer than,
say, fifty copies, or at least $50 for the charity....


Jim Woodward
www.mvfintry.com

(Stan Sroga) wrote in message . com...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan

You didn't say where you were going, so I'm guessing it's not just
coastal cruising. If that's the case, once you leave the developed
world, "most current" is an illusion. On our circumnav we used a
chart that had been surveyed around 1780 by Captain Cook -- the latest
available survey. Except for the USA, Canada, Europe and some of
South America, there are few aids to navigation and the underlying
surveys will be 60-100 years old.

I know it's heresy, but for third world cruising, I would much rather
spend money on wider coverage and more harbor charts, than worrying
about having the latest edition of a particular chart.

I won't get into the question of whether you need paper charts to back
up electronic ones -- that's been overdone before -- my paper
collection speaks to my opinion on the subject.

I will note, however, that as far as I know, the electronic charts
available in the USA are mostly from US and British charts. For many
foreign places, this is a serious mistake, as, for example, the SHOAM
(French) charts of French Polynesia are much more recent and much more
comprehensive than the US or British ones. As you might expect, we
have a lot of British Admiralty, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand,
and French charts, with a few Danish, Dutch, and German thrown in, but
you might not expect Thailand, Turkey, Chile, and Fiji as sources that
are better than US but almost certainly don't show up on the
electronic versions. And, of course, Imray for the Caribbean and part
of Europe.....

Jim Woodward
www.mvfintry.com

(Stan Sroga) wrote in message om...
(Jim Woodward) wrote in message . com...
Make copies.

We own about 600 charts (some new, some old, some original, some
copies). I have in the past, and would again, make copies for people
for
1) actual cost, US$2-3 per chart, plus
2) postage expenses, plus
3) a separate check to a charity of my choice for US$1 per chart.

I would also be interested in trading copies -- need South America,
Northern Europe....


I should add that this isn't a business -- I won't make fewer than,
say, fifty copies, or at least $50 for the charity....


Jim Woodward

Thanks for the offer Jim, though I'd like to save money, my first
priority is to get the most curent electropnic charts available. I
just do not know where the best place to buy them is?

Stan Sroga
www.mvfintry.com

(Stan Sroga) wrote in message . com...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan

That all suggests it might make sense to buy paper charts (or copies) and
scan/calibrate them to make digital charts. I've done that with OziExplorer
and US/Canadian charts just because I hate to spend several hundred $$ for
the various chart CDs I'd need, but it sounds like with many 3rd world
charts, that'd be the only way to create electronic versions of the best
charts. As for scanning, I've even used a digital camera to photograph
charts laid out flat on the floor -- those calibrated with excellent
accuracy in OziExplorer (which is straightforward to verify by checking to
make sure that the Lat/Lng is correct along the grid lines).

Mark

Jim Woodward wrote:

You didn't say where you were going, so I'm guessing it's not just
coastal cruising. If that's the case, once you leave the developed
world, "most current" is an illusion. On our circumnav we used a
chart that had been surveyed around 1780 by Captain Cook -- the latest
available survey. Except for the USA, Canada, Europe and some of
South America, there are few aids to navigation and the underlying
surveys will be 60-100 years old.

I know it's heresy, but for third world cruising, I would much rather
spend money on wider coverage and more harbor charts, than worrying
about having the latest edition of a particular chart.

I won't get into the question of whether you need paper charts to back
up electronic ones -- that's been overdone before -- my paper
collection speaks to my opinion on the subject.

I will note, however, that as far as I know, the electronic charts
available in the USA are mostly from US and British charts. For many
foreign places, this is a serious mistake, as, for example, the SHOAM
(French) charts of French Polynesia are much more recent and much more
comprehensive than the US or British ones. As you might expect, we
have a lot of British Admiralty, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand,
and French charts, with a few Danish, Dutch, and German thrown in, but
you might not expect Thailand, Turkey, Chile, and Fiji as sources that
are better than US but almost certainly don't show up on the
electronic versions. And, of course, Imray for the Caribbean and part
of Europe.....

Jim Woodward
www.mvfintry.com

(Stan Sroga) wrote in message
om...
(Jim Woodward) wrote in message
. com...
Make copies.

We own about 600 charts (some new, some old, some original, some
copies). I have in the past, and would again, make copies for
people
for
1) actual cost, US$2-3 per chart, plus
2) postage expenses, plus
3) a separate check to a charity of my choice for US$1 per chart.

I would also be interested in trading copies -- need South America,
Northern Europe....


I should add that this isn't a business -- I won't make fewer than,
say, fifty copies, or at least $50 for the charity....


Jim Woodward

Thanks for the offer Jim, though I'd like to save money, my first
priority is to get the most curent electropnic charts available. I
just do not know where the best place to buy them is?

Stan Sroga
www.mvfintry.com

(Stan Sroga) wrote in message
. com...
Although all of the computer software chart companies (CAPN,
Nobeltec,,)claim that their products are supplements, not
replacements, for paper charts it seems like it would be practical
to
print out sections of the charts and carefully tape them together?

We are planning a long trip to places that we will not return to
for
years and it is hard to spend the money on a stack of charts that
will
be used only once.

Is a there a practical alternative to buying new paper charts?

Stan