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hellosailor · 18-07-2006, 14:47

""* Buying a full set of paper charts AND a full set of electronic charts. Very Expensive!"
Sure, but the NOAA electronic charts that used to cost a fortune from Maptech, are online FREE now. From both NOAA and Maptech. So they're no longer expensive, they're free.

"* Buying a full set of electronic charts and printing them all out. Time consuming and still not cheap, and without a big and expensive printer, you end up with marginal paper copies."
If you only print what you need, you can spread the expense. Still, you'd need an 11x17 inch printer at the minimum and what you print won't be as water-resistant as the real thing. But depending on where you sail, chart books or used chart books might be enough for the "backup" version, with a printout of the electronic one when or as needed.

"* Buying a full set of paper charts and scanning them in to the computer. Time consuming and cheap(er)." If you're outside the US and need more than the NOAA charts, sure. Pain in the but if you cross over into Canada up by Vancouver and need all their charts too.<G>

"I have had good success "scanning" charts with my high-end digital camera. Am I missing something an alternative?" Bad idea. You are almost guaranteed to get keystone distortions, which a scanner wouldn't have.

Used, new, free...all depends on what you need and where and why you need it. For some trips, a AAA map really *is* good enough. Not many...but some.<G> And sometimes they show the YC's by name, which the marine charts don't.

18-07-2006, 14:47	#2
hellosailor Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,997	""* Buying a full set of paper charts AND a full set of electronic charts. Very Expensive!" Sure, but the NOAA electronic charts that used to cost a fortune from Maptech, are online FREE now. From both NOAA and Maptech. So they're no longer expensive, they're free. "* Buying a full set of electronic charts and printing them all out. Time consuming and still not cheap, and without a big and expensive printer, you end up with marginal paper copies." If you only print what you need, you can spread the expense. Still, you'd need an 11x17 inch printer at the minimum and what you print won't be as water-resistant as the real thing. But depending on where you sail, chart books or used chart books might be enough for the "backup" version, with a printout of the electronic one when or as needed. "* Buying a full set of paper charts and scanning them in to the computer. Time consuming and cheap(er)." If you're outside the US and need more than the NOAA charts, sure. Pain in the but if you cross over into Canada up by Vancouver and need all their charts too.<G> "I have had good success "scanning" charts with my high-end digital camera. Am I missing something an alternative?" Bad idea. You are almost guaranteed to get keystone distortions, which a scanner wouldn't have. Used, new, free...all depends on what you need and where and why you need it. For some trips, a AAA map really is good enough. Not many...but some.<G> And sometimes they show the YC's by name, which the marine charts don't.