Canadian BSB Charts

[Cal 43]

Anyone know if Canadian BSB charts are available individually for free (or not!) download like NOAA's? I've found CDs of groups of charts for a fee but I only need a few of the Barclay Sound/Victoria/Gulf Islands areas on Vancouver Island.

[DeepFrz]

No. Canadian charts are not free.

[hpeer]

Yup, it is a constant problem.

And they had some kind of rukus over the copyrights a couple of years ago that made matters worse for a while. Hopefully they will relent as they are quite expensive.

[DeepFrz]

Well, its not really a problem. Its just the way it is. And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the Canadian Government to make charts free.

[jackdale]

The worst of it is that you need two separate CDs to cover the areas in which you are interested.

[Livia]

Crazy, huh?

We found it cheaper to buy the CMAP MAX Pro MegaWide chart from Alaska through Mexico which includes all of BC (?$299) than to buy the BC Cds.

[rdempsey]

Originally Posted by Livia

Crazy, huh?

We found it cheaper to buy the CMAP MAX Pro MegaWide chart from Alaska through Mexico which includes all of BC (?$299) than to buy the BC Cds.

Haha. Thats exactly what I did!

[Cal 43]

Thanks for the feedback. Don't blame the Canadian government for wanting to recover their costs - but it is odd that they don't offer the individual BSB charts for a fee. We've already purhased the latest paper charts and we're not planning to circumnavigate Vancouver Island this year. So - oh well. Guess we'll do it the old-fashioned way!

[jimbim]

Pirating is against the law, but DVDs with about 1.5gb of BSB charts for the Canadian west coast are floating around. They once came with a cracked version of NobleTech (not sure of spelling). The ones I have seen are about 10 years old. They work fine with openCPN. Ask around if you are of a criminal bent

Cal43, the Canadian government does not pay for making the charts. The taxpayer does. Then the taxpayer is asked to pay again for something they already paid for. It's double billing and should be treated with the same contempt as piracy.

But it is a safety issue, not a financial one. If the Canadian government cared about safety it would give charts away (free if electronic, or for the cost of the paper used) and ensure there was the most up-to-date and detailed charts on every boat... that's if it gave a wit about safety, something the US govt seems to have come around to.

[clearsea]

Originally Posted by Cal 43

Anyone know if Canadian BSB charts are available individually for free (or not!) download like NOAA's? I've found CDs of groups of charts for a fee but I only need a few ...

That's the way it is. Welcome to the club.

[brak]

If only every Canadian user that is unhappy with the chart situation took the time to write to the appropriate authorities. Or, perhaps, they joined together, created sailors/navigators user group and worked towards reaching the (very reasonable) goal of getting access to vital safety information for which the taxpayers already paid.

[DeepFrz]

If only every Canadian user that is unhappy with the chart situation took the time to write to the appropriate authorities. Or, perhaps, they joined together, created sailors/navigators user group and worked towards reaching the (very reasonable) goal of getting access to vital safety information for which the taxpayers already paid.

Yeah, good luck.

There may be one way to get things changed; find an organization like the NRA to organize and sponsor you.