Are paper charts as a backup still necessary?

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by saghost

If you're worried about lightning or EMP killing electronic charts, why not keep a tablet or smartphone in a Faraday bag?

They're fairly cheap these days, and more reliable than putting it in the oven. Of course, if your electronics are that thoroughly dead, you might have trouble charging the tablet. (Portable solar panel charger in a Faraday bag?)

Thats basically what I had for serious passages.
A military metal box, watertight, floating and lined with foam similar to a Pelican case but made of metal. Kept my smartphone with Navionics charts, the satphone, a solar USB charger and a USB powered torch in there (most modern LED torches would be dead after lightning, too).
That box lived in the oven. Belt and suspenders

[Ken Z]

I wouldn t go anywhere with out paper charts and my tools.

[noelex 77]

I started this thread in 2012 on the same subject. It is interesting how views have altered in the six years since:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ary-84844.html

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

I wouldn t go anywhere with out paper charts and my tools.

Do you carry sextant and tables? If not why?

[seal1963]

I also have Raymarine plotter, iPads, iPhones and stil i have papier charts. Why? Elektronics can and will fail, maybe not all, but stil, why take the risk??

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by seal1963

I also have Raymarine plotter, iPads, iPhones and stil i have papier charts. Why? Elektronics can and will fail, maybe not all, but stil, why take the risk??

I ask you as well, do you carry sextant and paper tables? Because if electronics fail you would not have a GPS as well.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by meirriba

I ask you as well, do you carry sextant and paper tables? Because if electronics fail you would not have a GPS as well.

The idea is you keep your position on updated on paper.. every 12hrs will work well enough to start DR..
My charts give info on seasonal wind, currents speed and drift and there are various old ways to get average boat speed..
In my case the TP was wired direct to a free standing battery in a cockpit locker charged by a 20W solar panell.so. that was not affected but radio, GPS which was stored next to the radio.. thats all the equipment I had apart from the compass, speed and depth.
Not sure I could repeat it today.. the last 18yrs have corrupted me..

[seal1963]

At the moment I do not carry sextant and papier tables yet. I intend to do in the near future.

[salfarina]

You may recall Kimberley and Jeff - they are the couple who embarked, on their Bristol 29.9 from New England to Florida (and Carib.) via the outside to Cape May and then inside to the ICW marker 1. They are writing very informative and interesting blogs of their voyage. They are now in the Delaware Bay undergoing repairs. Unfortunately, they grounded hard on an underwater dyke that extended 3 miles out from where they intended to anchor. This obstruction did not appear as such on their electronic chart plotter chart, but was clearly indicated on the paper chart.


Here is a link to their story. https://adventuresontheclub.com/2018...ouple-of-days/


Kim and Jeff - if you're reading this - best of luck!!

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by salfarina

You may recall Kimberley and Jeff - they are the couple who embarked, on their Bristol 29.9 from New England to Florida (and Carib.) via the outside to Cape May and then inside to the ICW marker 1. They are writing very informative and interesting blogs of their voyage. They are now in the Delaware Bay undergoing repairs. Unfortunately, they grounded hard on an underwater dyke that extended 3 miles out from where they intended to anchor. This obstruction did not appear as such on their electronic chart plotter chart, but was clearly indicated on the paper chart.


Here is a link to their story. https://adventuresontheclub.com/2018...ouple-of-days/


Kim and Jeff - if you're reading this - best of luck!!

That's not much of a story to support paper chart use. There are so many poor decisions made by this crew prior to the incident, like towing a dinghy offshore, that I don't see any reason to believe that they would go around some lines on a paper chart when they ignored the lines on a chartplotter. This is just an example of rookie mistakes. Expensive learning, but no one got hurt and they sound like they'll be continuing on - humbled but smarter.

[Kita]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I also only use paper charts these days to show guests where we're going. They're really old.

My up-to-date charts are all electronic on two chartplotters, one laptop, four Ipads (most bought on Ebay for little money - don't get a wifi one or you won't have GPS), and two phones.

The ipads get unplugged and some put in the oven in a thunderstorm - although I've never heard of an Ipad being knocked out by lightening on a boat in the real world. Has anyone had this happen to them? I feel sorta silly putting the Ipad's in the oven. I know it's a theoretical risk but so is being hit by a meteor.

I also have a spare solar controller in a box so I could get the solar panels going if that was knocked out by lightening to be able to charge the Ipads.

An advantage of electronic charts is that you can have multiple charts from different providers some of which incorporate crowd sourced or non-government data. Much safer than depending just on the government charts.

Are you telling me that all WI FI I pads have no GPS? I have a WI FI android Samsung tablet that does but have plans to get an iPad, so now I would like to confirm that! Because I use a hot spot with my phone for wifi but could go either way

[BobFord]

I could not sail without paper charts. Just this year , during a 7000nm around Australia , there were 3 times when electronic error was dangerous and two shoals that turned up as ' Surprise Rock '. The sheer mass of paper is a nuisance but avoiding one incident makes it worth while.

[Kita]

Originally Posted by Kita

Are you telling me that all WI FI I pads have no GPS? I have a WI FI android Samsung tablet that does but have plans to get an iPad, so now I would like to confirm that! Because I use a hot spot with my phone for wifi but could go either way

I checked that & it is correct, thank you for the information!

[laika]

I dont see anything inherently better about paper charts, but I haven't seen a Foreflight-like equivalent emerge in the sailing world. A few on the ipad were pretty good as of last check about a year ago, but weren't quite there yet IMHO.

Like most sailors it seems, I'm not great about the early adoption of technology.

Plus nautical charts are cool.

[roland stockham]

You have 2 choices = backup full paper or EDICS - that means not just duel chart readers but full duel system from charger to devices. In the event of a lightening strike you may still have no charting. For me the questions is not paper charts or not but how many. And I do have a fully independent second nav device using a solar powered tablet.