How Old is Too Old for Paper Charts

[rebel heart]

Offshore I wouldn't sweat them, internationally lighting and navaids don't match up with your charts anyway. Lights are often out, new uncharted ones installed, etc.

For entering a big bay (San Pedro, San Francisco, San Diego) I'd make sure I was using current stuff. But for coastal, offshore, or the Channel Islands no worries. On the Channel Islands the only real thing to know is that there's a new shipping lane right next to San Miguel.

[Capt Phil]

+1, bobconnie... the notations we made on those old paper charts are helpful but also bring back great memories! Cheers, Phil

[barnakiel]

As soon as there is a new hard uncharted object out there that you can hit, the map is too old.

Now the charts we used in Australia East were drawn by a Cook. The Cook. This makes them pretty out of date I think.

I am alive.

If you cannot get up to date charts, use what you have, and proceed with caution.

Expect unexpected when in shallow waters.

b.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by zeehag

use em. i think last official update was something like 1865 or such, as far as i can recollect--cant remember farther back, sorry..
i am using older than y0urs--is ok---there are still same things there unless they were made gone..... if you have a gps, they will make a good addition, even being old.

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by montenido

Hi all,

I have quite a few paper charts of the west coast, including two bound collections from the early '80s. They even have instructions on how to clean abalone .

Should I relegate these to the history channel, or are they usable for navigating today?

BTW, I do have gps and radar, etc.

Thanks, Bill

Don't toss em - sell, maybe, but don't toss. {Other folk already mentioned ways to update them, ways to replace them, and and and...} If they're from the 1780's or even the 1880's they could be keepers.

Oh, and by the way: "west coast" of where? Wales? Vancouver Island?

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