Best Place to Buy Paper Charts?

[Joe Mullee]

I'd like to buy a few paper charts of the east coast of the U.S. and a few more of the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, etc. West Marine sells them for $17/18 at the store. Can they be purchased elsewhere for less? What about reproductions? Thanks. JM

 

[Bill Schaare]

nearby

they have charts at Fawcett in annapolis MDthey're realgood about staying current. Don't expect the price to improve any.

 

[Suzanne Pilolla]

Maryland Nautical Sales

located in south Baltimore sells to the merchant mariners and has every chart in the world. They are located at 1400 E. Clement St. Phone is 410.752.4268. Website is www.mdnautical.com. They also do reproductions as well as repair compasses.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Excellent Copy Service for Sailors

Joe, you might want to visit Bellingham Chart Printers' site and request a free sample of their work (tidesend.com). They not only specialize in chart reproductions (NOAA, NIMA, other non-copyright protected charts) but in offering charts in 2/3 or full size format and also offering these in portfolios by area, at which point a 2/3 sized chart (usually fits small boat nav stations better) costs about $5-6. They also offer a complete line of guides, ref books and a complete stock of 'real' charts.Chart copies may/may not be done on a good machine, using high quality paper, and using the latest chart edition - all issues to consider when copying a chart. So not all chart copy services are the same. Whether it makes sense to use chart copies is a whole different subject but, if you want a variety of smaller scale charts for handy reference, they are an excellent-value choice. And the Bellingham folks are just great to work with.Jackjack_patricia@yahoo.com

 

[Paul]

Black and White

The Bellingham copies are Black and White. They are up front about this, but they sort of mention it in passing. It's the sort of thing that someone might overlook.My Chartplotter is done in greyscale and it doesn't bother me in the least, so I suppose greyscale on paper would work fine, assuming that their copier is good at rendering colors as shades of grey. Good tip.Paul sv Escape Artist

 

[Jack Tyler]

Follow-up on B&W chart copies...

Chart copies are always in B&W; a large-format copy machine running color copies just isn't cost effective when the reason the chart is being copied in the first place is to make it significantly more affordable.Users of B&W chart copies routinely use felt tip markers to mark noteworthy areas (we all review our intended route on the respective chart ahead of time, right?) and the extra attention to marking key areas (blue=shoreline; red=nav aids; yellow=shoals; whatever works for your crew) is one of the prices you pay for working with a cheaper B&W chart. It's also important to use a soft-lead pencil and soft/effective eraser as no copy paper will hold up to erasures like a good NOAA/NIMA product.Jack

 

[Marc]

What about chart books

There are several Chart books available, I find that you get more bang for the buck. I got from Galveston, TX to Key West and on to Miami for about $200. I did buy waterproof charts for the "landfall areas".