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Old 11-10-2017, 06:28   #1
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Going PAPERLESS afloat?

Amazon has a waterproof kindle just out. Are we finally at the point where pretty much every piece of paper onboard can be eliminated? Books, charts, maintenance manuals, on and on. I'm thinking of taking a big plastic bin onboard and loading every piece of paper into it and sealing that container.

Should I pretty much (informally) ban paper onboard?

Has anyone done this? Any tips for going in this direction?

""Amazon on Wednesday announced a significant update to its Kindle Oasis e-reader. The new model, which ships on Oct. 31, includes a larger 7-inch screen, a water-resistant design, and support for Audible, the Amazon-owned audio book service. The $249.99 second-generation Oasis is also less expensive than its predecessor, which was priced at $289.99 when it launched last year.
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Old 11-10-2017, 06:58   #2
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

Too many books aren't even available in an ebook format. :-( For example the Heikell books cannot be bought as far as I know.

Only outdated and badly scanned pirated copies...

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Old 11-10-2017, 07:08   #3
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

We're going as paperless as we can. Our main reader for manuals, receipts, etc. is an iPad Pro with celluar for GPS.

The best app for PDF manuals is "GoodReader".

The best app for scanning manuals into PDF format that can't be downloaded as a PDF or for receipts etc. is the paid version of "Tiny Scanner". Many devices come with a small pamphlet or sheet of paper for a manual and Tiny Scanner can get it into a multi-page PDF.

The best app for books and magazines is the Kindle app on the iPad.

All of my magazines are electronic. Some are in Kindle and a few, like "The Economist" and the fantastic British magazine "Yachting Monthly" are in the "Newsstand".

I wouldn't want to use a Kindle for manuals and it would be virtually unusable for many books and magazines.

For PDF books, manuals, and magazines, I usually use my laptop to download, organize, and back them up. That way I can easily reload the iPad if it has to be replaced or upgraded.

Of course, unfortunately, some books are just not available electronically. For example, "Chapman's", "World Cruising Destinations", Spanish for Cruisers, and nearly all cruising guides.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:11   #4
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

So when you walk ashore on that palmed fringed beach with girls wearing grass skirts and pop into the customs office were they give you a chair and a refreshing ice cold tea, what are you going to do when he asks for 3 copies of the crew list?

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Old 11-10-2017, 07:17   #5
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

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So when you walk ashore on that palmed fringed beach with girls wearing grass skirts and pop into the customs office were they give you a chair and a refreshing ice cold tea, what are you going to do when he asks for 3 copies of the crew list?

Pete
Sounds like an important exception so I'll have the girls in the grass skirts handwrite their names onto my newly expanded crew list.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:20   #6
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

Pete, I just take my iPad and show it to him three times.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:22   #7
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

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We're going as paperless as we can. Our main reader for manuals, receipts, etc. is an iPad Pro with celluar for GPS.

The best app for PDF manuals is "GoodReader".

The best app for scanning manuals into PDF format that can't be downloaded as a PDF or for receipts etc. is the paid version of "Tiny Scanner". Many devices come with a small pamphlet or sheet of paper for a manual and Tiny Scanner can get it into a multi-page PDF.

The best app for books and magazines is the Kindle app on the iPad.

All of my magazines are electronic. Some are in Kindle and a few, like "The Economist" and the fantastic British magazine "Yachting Monthly" are in the "Newsstand".

I wouldn't want to use a Kindle for manuals and it would be virtually unusable for many books and magazines.

For PDF books, manuals, and magazines, I usually use my laptop to download, organize, and back them up. That way I can easily reload the iPad if it has to be replaced or upgraded.

Of course, unfortunately, some books are just not available electronically. For example, "Chapman's", "World Cruising Destinations", Spanish for Cruisers, and nearly all cruising guides.
Ok I'd go iPad over Kindle based on how much more you can do with an ipad. I do see Chapmans 67 edition available in kindle for $19.99 and I added that to my kindle app. However I share your frustration in that much of the "lost Sailing knowledge" seems to reside only in out of print books.

Thanks for the tips on Good Reader and Tiny Scanner.

I would also recommend testing the Size Up smart phone as tape measure app which I am trying out.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:25   #8
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

"Of course, unfortunately, some books are just not available electronically. For example, "Chapman's","
My copy of Chapman's, and other books, is in PDF format. A quick cheap trip to any local commercial printer, guillotine cutter takes the binding off, Fujitsu scanner makes fast work and a very clean PDF file out of it. Yes, that is libracide and that's illegal in some countries, but it works for me.

Pete-
If someone needs three paper copies and I've only got electronics? "OK, roll up your shirt, I'll get the tattoo gun out. One in front and two in back OK?"

Hey, it's an inkjet printer, right? Still more compact than one milk crate full of books.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:26   #9
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

We started going paperless as much as possible about two years prior to selling the land house and moving on board. That was four+ years ago now. We have iPads with waterproof cases. Works well.

We still have two shelves of paper books on board, mostly manuals and some essential reference tomes. It’s impossible to get everything in digital, but this is a far cry from the number of books we used to live with on land.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:38   #10
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete7 View Post
So when you walk ashore on that palmed fringed beach with girls wearing grass skirts and pop into the customs office were they give you a chair and a refreshing ice cold tea, what are you going to do when he asks for 3 copies of the crew list?



Pete


We started out paperless, but just recently bought the smallest affordable all in one printer we could, the computer revolution decades ago was supposed to have the world paperless, however as it generates paper so much more easily than a typewriter ever did, it has in my opinion added to the amount of paper generated.
Governments like paper, that won’t change in our life times. Without it they have nothing to stamp and file and require you to keel copies of.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:48   #11
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

I didn't know Chapman's was out in Kindle format yet. Cool!

Now if only all the cruising guides we like were available on Kindle. The Douglass "Exploring" Guides are indispensible in the PNW, but only available in paper.
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Old 11-10-2017, 07:50   #12
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

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We started out paperless, but just recently bought the smallest affordable all in one printer we could
What was the printer you settled on?
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Old 11-10-2017, 08:10   #13
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

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What was the printer you settled on?
I'd like to know as well. Was about to pull the trigger on a Canon PIXMA...

I've been a big fan of the JotNot app for my iPhone for quite a few years. Takes pictures of paper and corrects for edges, keystoning, contrast, converts to PDF or JPEG or doc/txt formats, can email, fax, text message etc. There may be better apps out there for this at this point, not sure. As a result, the scan/copy/fax functions of a hardware "all in one" machine are not really important to me. I'd rather have the smallest, most reliable printer I can get.

In general, I'm not trying actively to go paperless entirely, just minimize the amount of paper I carry. I only keep a few of paper manuals (the boat's, the engine's, the windlass, and instruments), which I have scanned copies of as well. I have a few reference books and some fiction and books I just have to have as a book, but also could not live without my Kindle. Prefer it for reading over an iPad, provided the book is converted well for electronic format. I agree that the iPad is a superior multifunction device, but for pure reading of longer material the Kindle (paper white screen) is superior, at least for my eyes.

Saving space is one thing, but avoiding the ravages of a humid environment on paper are another. It's just not happy on a boat.
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Old 11-10-2017, 08:36   #14
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

I am mostly paperless with a few manuals still in paper format. My experience is that when in an emergency (engine cuts out in a marina on a windless day), it feels safer and faster to reference a paper manual. On the other hand, the benefit of an electronic manual is that you can bookmark relevant pages easily and quickly flip to the right spot.

In terms of devices, I find a large screen phone easiest to work with (one hand for the phone, the other for the tool) but larger screen devices are good too. I suggest cheap/disposable phones and tablets, many can be had for less than $100, typically Windows or Android.
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Old 11-10-2017, 08:44   #15
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Re: Going PAPERLESS afloat?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SecondBase View Post
Amazon has a waterproof kindle just out. Are we finally at the point where pretty much every piece of paper onboard can be eliminated? Books, charts, maintenance manuals, on and on. I'm thinking of taking a big plastic bin onboard and loading every piece of paper into it and sealing that container.
Even though I can have every chart I want loaded on my laptop, iPhone, iPad, Kindle; I will never not have the paper charts until:

- I can grab the corners and strentch the Kindle etc. out to the size of a chart so that I can get the bigger picture and still be able to read it (have to put my reading glasses on now to read the regular size charts)

- I can be on one page, stick my finger in the book and flip to another so that I can look at both by just flipping back and forth

- for guides see the picture and charts and at the same time be able to read the text about it

This means I just spend around $300 the other day to get a couple of chartkits and guidebooks for areas I plan to go to after hurricane season
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