Preferred chart type?

[ontherocks83]

I'm ordering new charts from

Nautical Charts Online - NOAA Nautical Chart 13221, Narragansett Bay

and it gives you several different formats you can have it printed on. i.e. water resistant, tyvek, waterproof, trifold etc.

What do you all prefer/like for charts? The tri-fold or tyvek sounds nice for ease of storage but not sure if there are pros / cons to either one.

 

[PaulK]

Guessing, but tyvek is light and will blow around. It may not respond well to folding and end up tearing. If rolled, it will get crunched and then become difficult to read because of the creases. Trifold will definitely have creases - hopefully not in places you need to see. Water resistant is useful on a boat. It takes pencil marks well and holds up to erasing too. Though it will also get creased if rolled and crunched, you can fold it flat to avoid the spots you want to keep visible. By the time it wears out they’ll have come up with a screen big enough so that you won’t need to buy another printed one.

 

[capta]

It may well have to do with where you intend to sail. What charts give you the most useful information for that area? Also, if you have electronic charts on a chartplotter, tablet or computer how many paper charts are you really going to need?
Another thing to consider are cruising guides for the area(s) you sail. They give much more information than any chart and each guide is usually backed up by a website that gives updates and added information. If you have a mad passion to plot courses and things, a much more economical way to go is buy a couple of pads of maneuvering boards and do your plotting on them, using the cruising guides for any information you might wish to put on the maneuvering boards.
However, please remember that no matter what paper charts you buy, if US, they must be constantly updated from the notices to mariners.
Since my Garmin electronic charts have been spot on everywhere I've been (NE to Bermuda and through the islands to Trinidad) except the AICW, not to say they will be somewhere we haven't been, all we need aboard are a couple of IMRAY IOLAIRE charts of large areas of the eastern Caribbean and one chart, INT 100 (I believe) to get from the states to South America via Bermuda. That's three paper charts to cover from Newport, RI to Trinidad.

 

[JamesG161]

I find regular paper charts 24x36" to be fun when planning a cruise, etc.

Lay the charts on a table so all can see at same time.
but...
I have a HP Printer that prints them.
Jim...

PS: I roll them.

 

[dLj]

I've always purchased water resistant, they are the least expensive and work well. Have to say I disagree with the Tyvek description above, that sounds like it would be a really good material to be made from. Almost indestructible. But, I've never worked with one, so don't know first hand.

I don't think I'd like the trifold. But also never had one to use.

Waterproof is good also, but priced higher. I've worked with those.

dj

 

[jmce1587]

+1 on the 24 x 36 From Jim above except I don’t have print capabilities. I’ve downloaded pdf charts to a flash drive in the past and gone to Office Depot and had them print for $6 a drawing. Much cheaper.

 

[Calif. Ted]

I like the waterproof chartbook for the region, mostly used for entering unfamiliar harbors, pretty sure there's still a copy somewhere in the cabin, I'll have to look for it.
Maptech Waterproof Chartbook Narragansett Bay to Cuttyhunk, Block Island