I think conceptually you would be attempting to replicate what "professional" organizations and vendors have been doing. What is it that makes "your" charts so special? Is it because no one else has them anywhere? If that's it, why not quit while you're ahead and make the charts available for people online, if you haven't already done so on your website (I haven't checked) and let them play around with them as they see fit.
The "extra" effort to make them work with a GPS plotter may be something other folks have already done. If not, ask yourself: Why? If it's because they are of obscure areas, or that no one really "needs" a GPS to pilot in those places, then paper charts would continue to suffice.
When I first read your thread I just couldn't understand what "value added" you would be providing. Maybe I still don't.
I echo the liability issues concerned. For that reason alone, it isn't worth it.
Finally, with the advent of Facebook, for instance, I've heard on some other boards: "Why don't we start a Facebook page for our XYZ boats?"
Point is there are already too many boating websites that the information distribution of, for instance, good information about charting, electric systems, electronics, is already so diluted that it's a handful of individuals on each message board that eventually become "trusted" on those boards and contribute.
Hanging out here for some years, I've come to know the guys I really trust and listen to their advice. I've recently gone to a few others and keep coming back here, because it's straightforward and the questions and answers make sense. Some others? I was nudged over to one and find I can't handle the complete lack of even basic understanding of any of the basic boating subjects. The site oughta be called "newbie in everything." But it's not, and the better guys keep having to repeat themselves. There's little organization and the use of the search engine is never suggested. It's like there's no institutional memory and little community, but rather three guys telling everyone else what to do. I rarely visit anymore.
There are other specific websites that also work well. We've kept our C34 one design website up to date with good contributions from many of our skippers, and for some reason it has tended to become more technically oriented than most others. While we have a section for "cutesy" boat pictures and cruises, most of our activity is technically oriented. I guess we feel that if folks can get their boats there and back safely, they can take all the pictures of their boats they want! The C25 and C36 'sites are also great with a very helpful "community," just like here.
Organizations like BoatUS also have their "areas" but I just don't go there, so have no idea how competent the discussion answers may be. Another area of dilution.
Gee, may we should make everyone come here! :naughty:
And while I'm at it: ha!: I love this site because it doesn't have separate "categories" like electronics, electrical, mast and rigging, etc. I like the idea that any topic can be about any subject and they just come up chronologically. I've learned more about things I would not have investigated on my own had I not simply read a question and learned from the answers. I just hate having to click through multiple categories to read "the dailies."
Sorry for the editorial, but sometimes "there's just too much of a good thing" is where I was going with that thought.
