Charts...
a
buyer's guide
Charts come from many publishers, in many different forms, styles, coverage, and
prices. To help you make your choice, here is a brief run-down on the ones most in demand
at Pilothouse patrons.
Prices shown are typical rather than exhaustive, and of course are subject
to change. We will gladly provide catalogs and answer your questions. Please
tell us what waters you intend to visit, in what sort of vessel.
Government Issued Charts
Large, clear, and authoritative, these are the charts of choice for commercial and
naval vessels, and are the only charts that meet regulatory carriage requirements. Because
Notices to Mariners are keyed directly to them, regular maintenance is
simplified
NOS -- National Ocean Service
Published by NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, these are the official
government charts of U.S. Coastal waters. Most are large flat charts, but if labeled
"PF" (pocket fold) are folded like road maps, if labeled "SC" (small
craft) are accordion-folded in a portfolio.
With every NOS chart, Pilothouse provides, as an added value, a free ANMS (Automated
Notice to Mariners System) computer printout listing all deepwater changes reported since
the chart was issued. These printouts greatly ease the task of chart correction.
Most NOS charts are priced at $20.75 each. Please ask for a copy of the free NOS chart
catalog for your waters: Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast,
Alaska, Great
Lakes.
POD -- Print-on-Demand
from Oceangrafix/NOAA
Government charts produced by a licensed private contractor. POD charts
carry the NOAA logo and have all the features of NOS charts, but are
printed when the agent submits an order, from electronic files kept
up-to-date on a weekly basis. Hence they need no correction at the time of
purchase. Prices are $20.75 for the Water Resistant grade. Use the NOS
catalogs, and order by NOS number.
Click Here for More
Information about POD Charts
DMA -- National Imagery and Mapping Agency, formerly Defense Mapping Agency.
US government charts of foreign waters,
other than Canada and Great Britain. Pilothouse provides ANMS printouts free of charge.
Most coastal, approach, and harbor charts are priced at
$20.75. Wide-area general and
international charts are $12.00. Please ask for a copy of the free catalog:
for your waters of interest.
CHS -- Canadian Hydrographic
Service.
Candian Hydrographic Service coverage of all
Canadian waters.
We do not stock, but prefer to special-order directly from Ottawa, thus getting charts
that are freshly updated with the latest corrections. Lead time is one or two weeks.
Prices are generally $20.25 per chart. There are four free catalogs: 1 Atlantic Coast,
2 Pacific Coast, 3 Great Lakes, 4 Arctic.
BA -- British Admiralty.
Published by the UK Hydrographic Office, Admiralty charts provide world-wide coverage.
Pilothouse special-orders from a number of agents who provide charts corrected to the
latest Notices. Lead time is one or two business days. Typical prices are
$49.50 per
chart.
To help you find a chart number:
www.ukho.gov.uk or
BA Online
Charts
ENG -- Army Corps of Engineers
Charts of the Western Rivers (Mississippi-Missouri system), the Tenn-Tom, and the
Apalachicola. Prices, quality, currency, and lead times vary widely, with each Engineers
district doing things its own way. We urge mariners contemplating these waters to start
with Quimby's cruising guide, at $39.00 T2871
French,
Norwegian, Swedish or Icelandic charts. We can supply these on
a special-order basis. This takes time, and it helps if you can be as
specific as possible in your order.
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Chart Maintenance
Charts begin to go out of date the day they
are printed, and. it is up to the navigator to keep up with changes. Here
are some tools to make the job easier.
Chart Correction Kit rub-off symbols.
For details, see our Plotting Tool bulletin.
ANMS, Automated Notice to Mariners
System. With every NOS or DMA chart we provide free printouts listing
changes reported since the edition date.
NoticesPLUS CD information service. Every
week we send our subscribers a CD containing all ten District Local Notices
to Mariners (LNM), the national Notice to Mariners (NTM), the Canadian
Notices (monthly), and other information downloaded from official sites.
For details, please see our NoticesPLUS information bulletin.
Private Sector Charts
More convenient and economical than government issued charts, these charts are
widely used aboard fishermen and pleasure boats. They are copied from
government charts, sometimes full scale, sometimes reduced, and in a few cases enlarged.
In many cases you will find added information, such as course lines, waypoints,
small-craft facilities, fishing and diving hot spots, photographs, and Coast Pilot notes.
ISS -- International Sailing Supply
Waterproof, tear proof reproductions of NOS
charts, printed on plastic, both sides, covering many popular U.S. boating
waters.
Prices are $26.95.
ChartKit.
Regional chart atlases
formerly from Better Boating Association, now from Maptech. Spiral-bound,
22 x 17, with CD. A good buy if they match your cruising area.
Maptech Waterproof
Chartbooks
Handy 12 x 17 books, spiral-bound ,
waterproof, with CD. Contain GPS waypoints, pre-plotted courses, and marine
facilities including marinas, shore side restaurants, fuel docks, boat
ramps.
Most are $49.95 each.
Maptech Compact
Chartkits.
A newer line of books gradually replacing
the Waterproof Chartbooks.
Williams and Heintz
Handy and well-organized chart book of the
Potomac River, Upper
Chesapeake and most of
Delmarva, Guide for Cruising Maryland Waters 17 X 22 chart book in clear heavy
Velcro-closed plastic envelope. New editions every even year. $27.95
T16560
ADC -- Alexandria Drafting Company.
Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, Delmarva Coast, and Carolina Sounds, reasonably priced.
EMB -- Embassy
charts from Maptech
Waterproof, handily folded charts of New York, New England, and Florida waters.
They are sometimes reduced in scale, but the printing is bright and clear. Embassy has been taken
over by Maptech, so the newer charts carry the new name. Ask for Maptech catalog.
I-I -- Imray-Iolaire
Waterproof yachting charts of the Eastern
Caribbean, edited by Donald Street. Most are 25 x 35 , $45.00 each.
IMR -- Imray
Waterproof, folded charts of the
Mediterranean and the Atlantic Islands
TRO -- Tropic Isle
Black & white sketch charts on heavy 17 x 11 stock, of the Bahamas,
Turks & Caicos, and Virgin Islands. $3.00 each.
RCH -- Richardsons
Chartbooks/cruising guides for the Great Lakes
and Eastern Seaboard. Copies of NOS and CHS charts, photos, facilities
listings, etc. 18 x 12 spiral bound. $39.95 to $84.95.
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HPC -- Home Port Charts
Small laminated charts covering offshore and inshore fishing areas from
Montauk to Cape Hatteras. Most are $19.95.
Click Here to See
Home Port Charts Website
SEG -- Captain Seagull's
Laminated charts, 18" X 24", of inshore and offshore waters from New
England to Cape Hatteras. $18.25 each.
FHS -- Fishing Hot Spots
Folded,waterproof plastic charts for the small-craft fisherman. Most are
of inland lakes and rivers, but a new Saltwater Directions series cover
inshore waters on the Chesapeake, Delmarva, and (soon) New Jersey coasts.
$9.95 to $14.95
|
Keep those valuable charts clean, dry and unwrinkled.
| Chartpak
Tubes |
| Lightweight polyethylene parts screw together
securely for tight, water-resistant, ultraviolet-proof protection. |
 |
| Chartpak 3 X 38 Black
Tube |
$12.90 T9809 |
| Chartpak 4 X 38 Black Tube |
$14.90 T9811 |
| Chartpak 3 X 38 Grey Tube |
$12.90 T9810 |
| Chartpak 4 X 38 Black Tube |
$14.90 T9812 |
|
| |
Cruising Destinations
Click here to
go to the Main Destinations Page
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