# Downloadable PRINTABLE NOAA Charts



## bobwebster

I like to have some paper charts in case the GPS charts go away. At $20 a chart, that gets pretty expensive on a long trip. It seemed like there should be some standard format, printable copies of the NOAA Nautical Charts on the internet, but I couldn't find any. So I made some. Here are the NOAA charts in .png format, full resolution:

http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts


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## sailingdog

Very cool...thanks for doing that.


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## supergrade

That must have been a lot of work. Thanks.


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## TSOJOURNER

Thanks, much appreciated.


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## camaraderie

All I can say is WOW!! What a treasure trove....Thanks!!


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## Sapperwhite

Sticky this one for awhile perhaps?

Thanks Bob.


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## Trekka

*Corrupted chart*

*Bob,*

*Great effort! *

_Regret to inform that_: *

*12285_18 POTOMAC RIVER ST CLEMENTS BAY MD INSET 7.png*
*_
------is corrupted._

I have d/l 3 times using dif browsers & d/l pgms to dif drives, and all are corrupted. That is the only one out of 236 that I snagged that was messed up.


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## chucklesR

Gracias and kudo's. 
Bookmarked the site, someday I'll own a printer.


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## jrd22

Bob- thanks, really appreciate you sharing all your work.

John


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## camaraderie

Making it a STICKY! BUT MOVING TO "Cruising"


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## SimonV

Thank you very much, I will use this; but 18740 won't open and I would realy like this one.


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## bestfriend

SimonV said:


> Thank you very much, I will use this; but 18740 won't open and I would realy like this one.


Simon, I was able to download it. I will bring a copy and your mail on Friday or Saturday, depending on when the package is delivered. If its too late in the day, traffic will be abysmal. If it rains all weekend, like its supposed to, I have next Tuesday free to go for a sail. Lets head out the gate and explore. Your boat or mine.


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## sailingdog

BF—

Did I ever mention you suck...  So does Simon... we're bracing for more snow and below freezing temps...


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## bobwebster

Trekka said:


> *Bob,*
> 
> *Great effort! *
> 
> _Regret to inform that_: *
> 
> *12285_18 POTOMAC RIVER ST CLEMENTS BAY MD INSET 7.png*
> *_
> ------is corrupted._
> 
> Of course it's corrupt -- it's only 45 miles from Washington!
> 
> Actually, there is something strange about the original .bsb file. Maybe it's just a text table without any geographic data. I tried to read it with three programs and none would make any sense out of it. I'll post a message here if I get it working.


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## Trekka

It gets curiouser and curiouser...

I have the *NOAA Nautical Chart On-Line Viewer* open in another browser tab. _*Chart 12285*_ is listed as _*"FOLIO SMALL-CRAFT CHART Potomac River-; District of Columbia"*_ but when I click on it I get a page that says *"Chart 12285 is not available."* 

In another window using *Maptech Offshore Navigator Lite**,* which came in a book of charts for the northern Chesapeake, I opened _*12285_8 POTOMAC RIVER ST CLEMENTS BAY. *_
On my desk I also have the NOAA printed chart collection:
*FOLIO SMALL-CRAFT CHART 12285 Potomac River*.

Comparing the Maptech and printed NOAA Folio with the files you converted to graphics I think I see the problem, and it is not yours. 

The description for the "corrupted" file is:
_* "12285_18 POTOMAC RIVER ST CLEMENTS BAY MD INSET 7"*_

But inset 7 on the printed chart - _which is indeed ST CLEMENTS BAY_*, *is actually found both on the Maptech nav program file, and in your converted graphics as: 
_* "12285_8 POTOMAC RIVER ST CLEMENTS BAY MD INSET 7"*_

Notice there is one digit difference: _*12285_18*_ *(wrong)* vs _*12285_8*_ *(right)*

In the *Maptech Offshore Navigator Lite* program it appears that file *"18"* is a collection of notes that are on the map, and which appear in a pop up window when you put the cursor over a "See Note" flag. While that file is important for use of the BSB files _in an electronic chart viewer_ it is not relevant to viewing the charts as simple graphic files. Therefor I think you can delete #18 from your site.

When viewing as a graphic file, the notes that are on the charts can be found in the same location as on the actual paper charts, since your graphics are a straight copy. Now, *#18* seems to be a little additional help for _when the charts are viewed electronically_ so that you do not have to leave your location of interest in order to scroll around to find the relevant note.

I'm wriing this around 4AM so I hope it makes sense. Guess I'll find out when I get up. 

Steve


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## bobwebster

Thanks! I'll pull that one off the site.


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## KODAD

I can't seem to open any chart---all I get is a little square in on the upper left hand side of the screen with a red X in it --- I downloaded 'Photomud' but still no results-- any help would be appreciated


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## Herreshoff01

This is very good. Used to be a number of sites that did this, but most don't work anymore. Wonder if the cost to host this much data is an issue. I think NOAA does have these on-line - though it uses a difficult way to access.


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## wchevron

thanks, much appreciated.http://www.sailnet.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif


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## Stillraining

*Way cool Bob*

Thanks...Now I can quickly access places when you east coast guys are talking about going here or there ...I have had very little knolage before.. This will be fun Thanks for all that work... You computer literate types blow me away sometimes...


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## camaraderie

Still...there is even an easier way...with the online chart viewer. Opens any us chart right in your web browser and gives you one click access to any chart. 
On-Line Chart Viewer


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## Stillraining

*Thanks Cam*

Thanks Cam...I went to bookmark it and was told..."Page already exists in favorites want to overwrite it"...I guess you have to have a brain to remember what the brain has in it...

Thanks for reminding me of that...


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## wchevron

just printed out 3-4 charts i wanted for my area on my plotter. they come out really nice. thanks again.


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## Stu01

Thanks for the resource. Do you think I could take a file to Kinkos and have it printed there?
Thanks
Stu


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## TrueBlue

There's a firm policy at Kinkos preventing copyright data from being copied. But these are Print-On-Demand charts, so there shouldn't be a problem.

But, I would guess that a full size reproduction would exceed the 20.00 cost of buying the orignial chart as published and printed in DC., especially from Kinkos - which is very overpriced and not water resistant. There are DIY printers there, but the largest format I believe is 11 x 17, not big enough for nav purposes.


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## sailingdog

If you know anyone with an Epson 4000 series printer, you can print the charts 20x24 or so.  There are larger format printers, but they're usually industrial. I've got access, through my cousin, to an Epson that does 60" wide prints... but that'd be overkill.


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## bobwebster

KODAD said:


> I can't seem to open any chart---all I get is a little square in on the upper left hand side of the screen with a red X in it --- I downloaded 'Photomud' but still no results-- any help would be appreciated


First, press F5 to reload the page completely.

Maybe your browser doesn't support .png? If that's the case, you can right-click on the link, select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As...", then open the file from your hard drive.

Let me know if that doesn't work.


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## KODAD

Thanks Bob---That worked!!


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## bruceyp

I have successfully down loaded a chart to my pc and I can open it using the MS picture manager. But I can't print it. I get a message saying that there is not enough memory. I can't download any software (work PC), so I can't go that way. Is there any way to break up the Chart into printable sized pieces using Adobe or something like that?
BP


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## sailingdog

Bruce-

Copy the images to a thumbdrive and then get them to a computer that has Irfanview on it. Should be able to print it into bite-sized chunks with Irfanview IIRC.


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## wchevron

bruce,
i was having the same problem. i changed the charts to GIF'a and all printed fine. in picture manager, click save as, under type, select GIF and save. open up the GIF picture and print. i


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## SAILORDUDE01

Thanks for the hard work you did on this, Better than trying to go to west marine to find charts they don't have right,


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## okapi3

Thanks so much! But what's the best way to use these? I have a computer (obviously) and an ordinary printer. Could someone with computer skills tell me the best way to transform these files into something I can use on the boat (no computer on the boat)? Thanks.
-Paul


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## therapy23

camaraderie said:


> Still...there is even an easier way...with the online chart viewer. Opens any us chart right in your web browser and gives you one click access to any chart.
> On-Line Chart Viewer


How to print?
"Save as" does not offer .jpg or .gif choices.
Print preview shows the whole page including the header and footer with all the text and all.
??


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## sailingdog

I would highly recommend for anyone using Windows, getting Irfan-view, and using that to view and print the files in question. If you're on a Mac, you're home free out of the box...


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## bruceyp

This is really great. I finally found a plotter that I could print full size charts on. I have come across a few that I am interested in that give me this message: "The image "http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts/12326 APPROACHES TO NEW YORK FIRE ISLAND LIGHT TO SEA GIRT.png" cannot be displayed, because it contains errors."
Is that the end of the story? Or is there something I can do to access these charts?
At any rate thanks BobW. for the work you did.
BP


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## adewall

*Printable NOAA Booklet Charts*

My aplogies if this is duplicate information - NOAA also has an experimental "Booklet Chart" that is available for some areas online. I'm unable to post the link, but you can find the source by Googling "NOAA Booklet Chart"

The charts are formatted for printing on a home printer and staple together as a booklet. The scale is also reduced from the original chart.


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## camaraderie

Adewall...thanks for a great new resource! Here's the link for others to follow:

Office of Coast Survey


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## bobwebster

bruceyp said:


> "The image "http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts/12326%20APPROACHES%20TO%20NEW%20YORK%20FIRE%20ISLAND%20LIGHT%20TO%20SEA%20GIRT.png" cannot be displayed, because it contains errors."


I just tried that chart and it loaded OK using IE6 and Firefox. Which program are you using to display it? If you'd like, you can download Photo Mud and try it.

Bob


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## bobwebster

therapy23 said:


> How to print?
> "Save as" does not offer .jpg or .gif choices.
> Print preview shows the whole page including the header and footer with all the text and all.
> ??


Most programs that will print a .jpg or a .gif image will also print a .png file. You can probably save it as .png and then print it.


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## TSOJOURNER

bruceyp said:


> This is really great. I finally found a plotter that I could print full size charts on. I have come across a few that I am interested in that give me this message: "The image "http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts/12326%20APPROACHES%20TO%20NEW%20YORK%20FIRE%20ISLAND%20LIGHT%20TO%20SEA%20GIRT.png" cannot be displayed, because it contains errors."
> Is that the end of the story? Or is there something I can do to access these charts?
> At any rate thanks BobW. for the work you did.
> BP


i used this link with firefox and it worked fine...good luck

link


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## TSOJOURNER

This Is Awesome!!!! Thank You!!!


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## SAILORDUDE01

*charts*

I found this site a little while ago and I think it is great as you get the chart and a sat. view NOAA


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## Martinini

NOAA ------------nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/charts.htm
This is a nice link to have. Anyone use Sea Clear software?


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## camaraderie

Martinini...welcome...yup, lots here have it and it has been discussed in several threads...do a search and you'll come up with some.


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## TSOJOURNER

Are there any UK users on here? It's great for you guys to have free charts for the US. does anyone know of anything equivalent over here?


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## TSOJOURNER

*Wow!!! Super! Thanks a lot! Could you reaload*

12402 - New York Lower Bay map? 
Can't open it.
xpda.com/nauticalcharts/12402%20NEW%20YORK%20LOWER%20BAY%20NORTHERN%20PART.png


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## sbezsonoff

Thanks Bob. It was really a great job and must have been difficult and time consuming. I am sure it will be much appreciated by all sailors. 

Regards

Sergio


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## funjohnson

Thanks for all the hard work, but 14934 was not working either... Am I doing something wrong?


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## mccary

There is another rather neat chart place on the Internet. For now it is a free demop and there are mistakes and you can't print. But it make a GREAT planning site for any trips etc.
NOAA


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## bobwebster

funjohnson said:


> 14934 was not working either... Am I doing something wrong?


That loads OK for me. Some browsers don't seem to like large .png files. Try downloading it instead of opening it (right-click, Save Target As in IE, or right-click, Save Link As in Firefox), then open it with a photo program. If you don't have a photo program that reads .png files, you can download Photo Mud. Let me know if none of that works.

Bob


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## bobwebster

ParaSail said:


> 12402 - New York Lower Bay map? Can't open it.


That loads OK for me. Some browsers don't seem to like large .png files. Try downloading it instead of opening it (right-click, Save Target As in IE, or right-click, Save Link As in Firefox), then open it with a photo program. If you don't have a photo program that reads .png files, you can download Photo Mud. Let me know if none of that works.

(This is a duplicate answer -- is that considered bad form?)

Bob


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## sailingdog

If you're on a Wintel PC... and need a graphics viewing program, I'd highly recommend Irfan View... one of the best and most versatile...and free.

IrfanView - Official Homepage - one of the most popular viewers worldwide


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## justonemoreproject

*thanks*

Wow!! Thank-you for turning me on that site!


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## skipmac

Never tried but I thought you could print the charts downloaded from NOAA?


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## JimMcGee

Great Resource


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## Porthos1961

HI;
I assume you have a computer onboard so. I use "Seaclear 2", download Rsater charts (BSB) from NOAA or ACE (inland). Then just open the chart, follow the chart popup menus and click PRINT. Personally, I like using this with a USB-GPS receiver (under$50.00) and follow my progress from chart to chart onscreen. The interesting part is that this is a very small sized program, runs well on almost any windows based computer, and it's FREE.

Adios
G.


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## maoliosa

Excellent! Many, many, many thanks.


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## TSOJOURNER

*13"X19" charts*

NOAA makes official, up-to-date 13X19 "Pocket Charts" for all US waters available on waterproof paper for under $6 bucks each. Available thru chart agents at NOAA's website.
I happen to be one of those agents, but I'll let you go to the NOAA site and select your own source, rather than be a commercial opportunist here.
They are created and continually updated by NOAA, reduced from master plot files to fit 13X19. Some of the Florida Intracoastal PocketCharts are hard to read, as they are produced in panels across the page and waste a lot of white space, rather than one big graphic as are most charts. In the main, though, Pocket Charts are quite usable in that size format. 
Ya might haul a magnifier aboard.
FYI.


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## sailingdog

Keylime1-

since you're a chart agent, you really need to read the *full disclosure post*...


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## artbyjody

sailingdog said:


> Keylime1-
> 
> since you're a chart agent, you really need to read the *full disclosure post*...


 I think he admitted and disclosed..see prev posts..


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## denby

Dawg,

Don't see any problem with Keylime1's post. He did not mention his company and he is not trying to sell anything, just stating facts.


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## leland515

You sir, are my hero. 
Thank you so so much.


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## tv195

I also found free chart sections on the Snake River Boating Guide (http://snake.seareport.net/). Detailed google satellite pictures are also available, sometimes you can almost use the color of the water to estimate the water depth.


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## sailingdog

Yes, but Sailnet's policy requires that the disclosure be done as part of the user's signature, not just in the occasional post.


artbyjody said:


> I think he admitted and disclosed..see prev posts..


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## bobwebster

It's Spring! I've updated the http://chartscharts here: http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts

A few people have asked me how to convert .bsb (and .kap) to .png, .jpg, etc. I wrote and uploaded a free program to do that here. (No guarantees...)


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## Lookin4Freedom

Awesome work Bob. Many thanks, especially on the program


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## rgscpat

*British Columbia printable charts*

One thing I've not found anywhere would be free downloadable printable charts for British Columbia (Georgia Strait, Johnstone, etc.) I don't even know if such a thing would be possible. I think the University of Washington has some Canadian charts and maybe some of the Washington state yacht club libraries have informal collections, but otherwise anyone needing paper charts is going to be out a lot of money.


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## mitiempo

rgscpat
Canada unfortunately doesn't think that since we have already paid the taxes for the production of charts that we should get them on the web like the US does. I know of no source for Canadian charts online. 
And by the way everyone needs paper charts of their cruising area by law I believe. That may change but I don't think it has yet.


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## rgscpat

Brian, thanks. I wonder what would satisfy the paper chart requirement ... 80000 to 1 series? b&w or color copies? old British Admiralty charts? In the US, some chartbooks print disclaimers that they are "not for navigation", so I wonder if they would or wouldn't meet requirements in Canada. 

Possibly this is one of those sorts of things that gets enforced if a sailor has to be rescued after getting lost or is investigated after an accident. 

It's not quite obvious that the Shuswap Lake tragedy would have been avoided if the runabout skipper with 27 empty beer and cooler cans on board would only have taken the time to unfold his chart and update his Dead Reckoning position before lethally impaling his boat into a houseboat. 

But I do understand the electronics can fail and BC boaters have lots of places to get lost or in trouble. 

I could maybe see some great value in joining a not otherwise dreadfully pricey or exclusive BC or WA yacht or sailing club if they had a chart library available for members. Maybe that's an idea for someone.


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## mitiempo

I'm not sure what scale would be required. Back in 1970 a friend and I went from Vancouver to Bella Bella and back over a 3 month period with only charts 3001 and 3002 (which cover the whole coast  ) and the pilot books. We didn't hit anything and found our way without a problem, but I certainly wouldn't now. It was a budget kind of trip in an 18' sailboat with a British Seagull ob and a Coleman stove for cooking. Fantastic time though.

As you say it probably wouldn't come up unless there was an accident or investigation.

In the Shuswap lake accident was he drinking? It is the first thing I thought of but I didn't see anything in the press about it. It has to be hard to miss a houseboat that had to have some lights on it with 13 aboard.


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## CapTim

You, sir, are my hero.


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## mitiempo

Why?


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## CapTim

Heh.. I was referring to Bobwebster, the OP.. that guy is a stud.


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## rgscpat

Kamloops Daily News in Canada, quoting National Post | Canadian News, Financial News and Opinion, as of several days ago: 
"Police found 27 empty beer and cooler cans in a ski boat that crashed into a houseboat on Shuswap Lake last month, killing the houseboat's driver....Mr. Reinbrecht replied that he drank one beer after the crash -- while he was trapped inside the ski boat inside the houseboat because, he claimed, he was thirsty. Mr. Reinbrecht has not been charged with a criminal offence."

It is possible, but only speculation, that the skipper of the ski boat was not using the proper charts and that this may have impeded his navigation. Of course, there might have been some other factors, but it appears that those will be for the investigators and courts to determine.


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## mitiempo

He didn't need charts - he needed to open his eyes - if sober. Charts don't show other traffic.
Of course, we don't know what his lawyer told him to say!


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## captbillc

bobwebster---thanks for the link. i have been looking for something like this.


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## rgscpat

*Charts and lookouts*

Brian,

Surely you wouldn't mean to suggest that a responsible motorboat skipper and his crew would have neglected to resolve the targets on their AIS screen or lacked any diligence in performing their horizon scan and observing good seamanship.

Isn't the punishment for that sort of criminal negligence being appointed as a deputy sheriff in Lake Co., California?


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## mitiempo

If the driver of the speedboat is personally responsible for many of the empty beer cans on his boat I doubt he could focus on an AIS screen.


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## rgscpat

*Shuswap*

But wasn't the skipper of the powerboat was briefed on the special hazards of consuming alcohol on the water before he was allowed to receive his Pleasure Craft Operator Card?

I noticed that Shuswap is big enough to have a chart. Surely the boater in question was responsible enough to have the required paper charts.

Seriously, I do feel terribly sorry for the family and friends of the folks on the houseboat and the awful and needless tragic death. They have my condolences and best wishes and determination to do my share to try to eliminate the causes of needless loss of life on the water.


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## mitiempo

We all know the operators card is mostly a tax grab. After all the test is the same for an owner in Vancouver with a 50' boat as it is for the fisherman in Moosejaw with a cartopper with a 9.9 on the back. And remember all those idiots on the road have licenses too. Licenses and charts can't protect people from idiots.

I feel sorry for then as well, lucky only one dead as there was 13 on board.


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## rgscpat

*Operator Card and Charts for BC*

In my home state, the Boating Safety Basics class is offered as a one-day class by the State Parks department and this class is FREE -- they even give out a few goodies and a two-for-one camping coupon.

The class is indoor-only and has very little material specific to sailing, but at least it does teach people their legal and common-sense responsibilities and some ways of staying out of trouble. And, even though the course book and test are written for about a twelve-year-old's reading level, it's still tough enough that some adults and many youth can't pass it in the first class. And even experienced and scholarly sailors usually miss a few of the 60 questions.

The course is a lot better than nothing. And, the people who take the time to take the course are pretty surely not the ones who cause the big problems.

They may even be obeying the rule to carry paper charts, grin, which goes back to the original discussion. I wonder what sort of legal language is printed on the charts in regard to copying. In the USA, there doesn't seem to be much practical barrier to copying the NOAA charts. Sure, there is a danger of people winding up with out-of-date charts, but these are still far better than nothing (or 150-year-old Admiralty charts!), especially if the GPS dies. Is there much of a bother for copying Canadian charts?

If we have a flotilla of several boats visiting BC next summer, it seems like we'd be spending a fortune to equip ourselves with a full suite of shiny new store-bought charts. It would seem more sensible for each of us to buy a chartbook for the area and supplement that with some copies of large-scale charts.


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## mitiempo

I doubt you would get in trouble for copying Canadian charts. I wonder though if any other countries charts of Canadian waters are downloadable, possibly British. I know the US charts are only of US and possessions (such as Puerto Rico) waters. 

In Canada the operators card is now madatory but education is not. A quick read online is all a newbie really needs to get the card. But you pay for it - that's the tax grab part.


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## relmason

Wonderful job! You've done a great service to many of us who are long on desire and short on cash.


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## Bosunmoon

That is awesome! Thanks!


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## serenity440

Thanks for the effort on these, although they were done on a one time basis and they will not provide most recent information.

Alternatively, NOAA provides a download for a simple reprojector program (windows only unfortunately) that can be used to convert any of their raster chart to TIFF format suitable for printing. This way you can download on demand and convert and print as needed.

Please make note that printing your own charts should only be done on a personal level and will not be accepted if your situation requires you to carry paper charts to be legal.

Here is an article about the process:

Reproject NOAA BSB Raster Navigation Charts And Export Them In TIFF Format

Here is the link to the NOAA download:

Coastal Remote Sensing (CRS) Program - Digital NOAA Nautical Chart Reprojector

Cheers


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## bobwebster

CapTim said:


> Heh.. I was referring to Bobwebster, the OP.. that guy is a stud.


Thanks -- I've got to show this post to my wife!!!


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## bobwebster

serenity440 said:


> ...they were done on a one time basis and they will not provide most recent information.
> ...
> printing your own charts should only be done on a personal level and will not be accepted if your situation requires you to carry paper charts to be legal.


Good points. If you print your own charts, they're not valid for commercial marine requirements.

I've been updating these about once a year, so some are out of date already. The web site also has links for NOAA's site if you want the latest in BSB format.

In case you want to convert your own BSB files to PNG or JPG, I posted the application and source code for BSB Reader here. Last time I checked, it worked better than the one on NOAA's site.


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## L124C

You can download "print on demand" NOAA Charts here:
Nautical Charts & Pubs
as well as copys of the Coast Pilot.
I find the book charts very useful.


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## SayGudday

Much appreciated!


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## PopeyeGordon

*Official NOAA Booklet Charts free online link*

I looked through this thread but did not see mention of the NOAA link to their charts that have been formatted for easy printing into a book form. Can be done doublesided. Boat/US published a story about this a while back. Main page lets you select chart lists by region and includes print help. They describe this service as 'experimental'.

Office of Coast Survey

I have not actually used it yet since I don't need the charts until later this year. Suppose it's not as convenient as large charts but the price is right. If it works for you please let me know.


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## Capslock118

So, I'm guessing you took the raster images from NOAA and converted them to PNG via a converter you found?

I'm curious what you printed these images on. An 8.5x11 wouldn't produce any usable map since the image is so large, so you would need to send to a printer which - how much does that cost relative to buying a waterproof map at a store?

I'm really just asking if you have found this to be cost effective; no dis-respect.


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## PopeyeGordon

*Reply to question about chart books*

As stated in my last post, I have not tried printing yet. I think the idea of this NOAA experiment is that you simply hit the print button and get an 8x11 format complete with front cover and page numbers.

Obviously it is not as convenient as a sigle sheet chart, but would be a lot better than nothing. Would be current. One could use water resistant paper if you know where to find it.

I'm thinking if you are motoring up the ICW, for example, and you had this chart book convenient it might be a way to doublecheck the accuracy of your chart plotter data or to use as a backup during power or equipment failure without buying the charts.

There is a lot of highly technical software technology vernacular being thrown about in this thread. In spite of my 30 years of working in the electronics field(mostly PCB mfg and repair) I find all this talk about format and conversions over my head. Many of us computer users have no interest in or patience with the software world as hobby and leave it to the software geeks. I'd rather learn more about sailing and cruising than software manipulations. No disrespect intented, just explaining my approach to chart data.


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## L124C

*Believe me, it's great!*



PopeyeGordon said:


> I looked through this thread but did not see mention of the NOAA link to their charts that have been formatted for easy printing into a book form. Can be done doublesided. Boat/US published a story about this a while back. Main page lets you select chart lists by region and includes print help. They describe this service as 'experimental'.


The "experimental" booklet is exactly what I used to print chart #18649 (Entrance to SF Bay). Printed it in color off my laptop at Kinkos (I don't have a color printer). It prints on single sided 8.5 X 11 pages with numbers that relate to a "Approximate page index" which shows a reduced version of the entire chart. I'm not exactly a "Techie" so it's not difficult. I bought a plastic binder at Kinkos which stores the chart pages in clear enclosure pages. I put the chart pages back to back in the clear enclosure pages, according to ascending index number. I put the "index page" in the front of the book (this is key to the system). I've used it several times, and it is extremely handy. I find the area I want to look at on the index (cover page of the binder). Find the page number, and go to it. The page tells me everything I need to know about a fairly large (Approximately 36 square nautical mile) area. The binder keeps the pages dry, and I don't have a big chart unrolled in the cockpit, or on the table . Would I use it for long range navigation? No. However, in the bay or along the Coast, I find it invaluable! Including the binder, the whole thing cost less than $15 (and I assume most people have a color printer by now!). So, as far as I'm concerned NOAA, the experiment worked!


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## bobwebster

Capslock118 said:


> So, I'm guessing you took the raster images from NOAA and converted them to PNG via a converter you found?
> 
> I'm curious what you printed these images on. An 8.5x11 wouldn't produce any usable map since the image is so large, so you would need to send to a printer which - how much does that cost relative to buying a waterproof map at a store?
> 
> I'm really just asking if you have found this to be cost effective; no dis-respect.


I wrote the program to convert the .bsb files to .png. You're absolutely right -- 8.5x11 is too small to read a chart. I have a 13x19 printer that will print charts that are barely big enough to read. For me, it's a useful backup to electronic charts when I'm going a long way and probably won't need the charts.

Alternatively, several applications will print large charts "tiled", or in pieces, on small printers. It's more convenient to use a larger chart if you have access to a large printer, and like you say, it may be better to buy one if you're going to be using it very much.


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## bobwebster

PopeyeGordon said:


> Office of Coast Survey
> 
> I have not actually used it yet since I don't need the charts until later this year. Suppose it's not as convenient as large charts but the price is right. If it works for you please let me know.


I took a look at this, and it looks really good. You only get the charts in 8.5x11 size, but it's in a handy format with enough overlap to be usable. And if that's the only printer size you have access to, it's perfect.

They are in standard .pdf files, so you can print them on just about any computer, or save them on your computer and view them when you're offline.


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## allene222

I found some open source software for converting the full size NOAA charts that are online and wrote up an article on how to download, convert, edit, charts. The cool thing is that you can make a chart for just the area you sail in. For example, my boat is at the border of two NOAA charts. Now I can print a chart of my area that overlaps these two charts and leaves off the parts of the charts I never visit.
Charts

While there, check out the weather tab if you have not done so already. Also, lots of engine manuals and other stuff in the reference tab.

Allen


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## bobwebster

allene222 said:


> I found some open source software for converting the full size NOAA charts


I had a little trouble with bsb2png on some of the charts, so I wrote this one.


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## Skipper Jer

To the OP, thanks a million. If we ever cross wakes, the beers are on me.
I have, well work has, a HP DesignJet 450C inkjet plotter that uses rolls of paper 24 inches wide. When I print some charts the text on the legend, compass rose and notes are impossible to read. I don't know if resolution is lost during the conversion from bsb to png to plotter lingo of HPGL. Any ideas?

Jer


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## allene222

Captainmeme said:


> To the OP, thanks a million. If we ever cross wakes, the beers are on me.
> I have, well work has, a HP DesignJet 450C inkjet plotter that uses rolls of paper 24 inches wide. When I print some charts the text on the legend, compass rose and notes are impossible to read. I don't know if resolution is lost during the conversion from bsb to png to plotter lingo of HPGL. Any ideas?
> 
> Jer


BSB is a compressed raster format as is png but png is lossless so you are unlikely to have any problem there unless you change resolutions. HPGL is a vector language so you are dependent on the translation there. My suggestion is that you edit (crop) the png file so that you can print just the compass rose on a raster printer (inkjet or laser) so you know if that file is OK. If it is, they you would need to find another way to do the conversion to HPGL. If it isn't, then look the other way.

Allen


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## allene222

bobwebster said:


> I had a little trouble with bsb2png on some of the charts, so I wrote this one.


Very nice program!!!

BTW, I used both this program and bsb2png and got identical images. The compass rose was high in detail as well.

I updated Charts to reflect this excellent program.

Allen


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## RandallHutchinson

Does anyone have any charts like theses for Eastern Nova Scotia ???


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## Thestar

Wow fantastic stuff so many charts thanks


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## 24seven365

good to know


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## MobiusALilBitTwisted

i have used 3 sets of ink to print the area i live in and this is just the cockpit charts i still have full sized NOAA chats to plot my trip on.


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## ninaschumann

*Duplicate Thank You!*

I am leaving 9/7/11 from NH to sail my Catalina 350 to the Gulf Coast of Florida, so I am grateful to you for sharing these charts. I will have electronic, paper, and a couple of cruising guides but it is good to know there is another back-up!!


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## febail

These will come in handy... Your a good guy! Thanks.


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## Umeds?

Awesome. thanks.


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## sailingonu

Thanks for sharing will put to good use


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## mdi

allene222 said:


> Very nice program!!!
> 
> BTW, I used both this program and bsb2png and got identical images. The compass rose was high in detail as well.
> 
> I updated Charts to reflect this excellent program.
> 
> Allen




Thanks!


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## SSTurnbuckle

*Pnw*

Glad the PNW was included. Thanks much.


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## reed1v

*charts*

yup. a big thanks for your efforts. btw. how did you do that?


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## CorvetteGuy

Thats just awsome, what a savings thanks


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## Night_Sailor

Can you zip them up into one compressed file?


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## ShoalFinder

Having trouble opening many of them for the Gulf Coast of Florida. I did get one of them, and like everyone else I certainly appreciate the work that went into this.

Can anyone else open 11408, or any of the related Tampa area charts? I cannot, but maybe it's my browser.


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## ShoalFinder

Belay that. I figured it out.

Once again, thank you for a stellar effort in converting these to .png files.


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## picomar

Add Content


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## chuckg5

has anyone tried printing these charts to use? I have a 13 X 19 cannon printer that prints the charts out but they are very lite in color and can not be read very well at all. I've changed the setting and type of paper options all over the place but it's still to lite colored to read. Bllue marine charts of ft. lauderdale will do the same for 30 bucks a chart but sailing up the whole coast from fla. to maine would cost a bunch. yes, i have 2 electronic chartplotters on the boat but i'm the old guy that feels good having an using real charts.


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## Fau

Very generous of you.


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## wannabsailor

I agree... thanks for all the hard work!


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## low waterline

Thanks,that is very nice of you.


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## autoteachersonny

Thank you! Very nice to have these as back up.


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## SayGudday

Excellent resource for boaters. I linked my own library of marina and slip maps to it so hopefully you will see some incoming traffic from TheMarinersGuide.com


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## Razcar

chucklesR said:


> Gracias and kudo's.
> Bookmarked the site, someday I'll own a printer.


Or burn the file on CD, take to Kinkos (or similar) and print large format. They charge by the linear foot or square foot. I recall it wasn't that much when I printed full size templates for oak frames for my ski boat.


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## tominny

I did not read all comments, but I think what everyone wants are the free NOAA booklet charts that allow you to print any NOAA chart on your home printer:
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/BookletChart.html

And if you want a waterproof chart you add these self adhesive transparent sheets:

http://m.staples.com/Fellowes-Letter-Size-Self-Adhesive-Laminating-Sheets-3-mil-10-pack/product_719627


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## Advocate777

"my motha thanks you, my fatha thanks you, and I thank you!"
-James Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandy"


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## bobwebster

The nautical charts are updated as of March 2014 (unless I missed any). This is the first update since 2011. I was slacking. Or sailing. Or something.

NOAA Nautical Charts in .png Format


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## Magnolia

Thank you for the updated files bobwebster!!!


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## nwsaildude

NOAA is now providing free PDF downloads for almost all of their charts: PDF Nautical Charts

NOAA also has PDF downloads to print Booklet charts (Letter size 8.8 x 11 inches) - they can be printed double sided and then bound into a booklet: BookletChart?

Also special thanks to Bob for the png files - I have used several of your files for teaching and making small sections of charts for PowerPoint presentations over the last few years


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## Arkman

Awesome! thanks.


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## Aeolus

Hello, I didn't see anything for the East Coast or New England? Did I miss it?

Thanks, Mark


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## Donna_F

Aeolus said:


> Hello, I didn't see anything for the East Coast or New England? Did I miss it?
> 
> Thanks, Mark


NOAA BookletCharts(TM)


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## jgragrg

I think NOAA does have these on-line - though it uses a difficult way to access.
case sam
casesam


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## Donna_F

jgragrg said:


> I think NOAA does have these on-line - though it uses a difficult way to access.


BookletChart?


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## jgragrg

Thanks, much appreciated.


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## Regors

mitiempo said:


> rgscpat
> Canada unfortunately doesn't think that since we have already paid the taxes for the production of charts that we should get them on the web like the US does. I know of no source for Canadian charts online.
> And by the way everyone needs paper charts of their cruising area by law I believe. That may change but I don't think it has yet.


Bob's Link shows charts for the coast of BC, just gotta look for them.


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## mitiempo

Regors said:


> Bob's Link shows charts for the coast of BC, just gotta look for them.


If you mean this link: NOAA Nautical Charts in .png Format
you are mistaken. NOAA has never produced any charts of Canada - they only are produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service, an arm of the government in Canada.

Canada does not give charts away, unfortunately.


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## Regors

I was referring to ( http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts/18400 strait of georgia and strait of juan de fuca.png ) This is a link from Bob's List. Just one of a couple that show the West Coast of British Columbia & Gulf Islands.


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## mitiempo

Regors said:


> I was referring to ( http://xpda.com/nauticalcharts/18400 strait of georgia and strait of juan de fuca.png ) This is a link from Bob's List. Just one of a couple that show the West Coast of British Columbia & Gulf Islands.


One chart shows a bit of the BC coast near Ketchikan and one (the one in your link) shows the area near Victoria as far as Vancouver. Both small scale and not enough detail to enter either without a larger scale chart of the area. The rest of our coast is not on the NOAA website. Canada (and other Commonwealth countries) are very tight with their charts unfortunately.


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## PhilCarlson

You are a gentlemen and a scholar Sir!


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## Skipper Jer

Thank you original poster for this. Perhaps some one would be so kind as to inform me on how to download and have working on a laptop the graphical chart selector that NOAA has at Interactive Catalog ? The laptop will not be connected to the Internet when I need to look up a chart. I tried saving the interactive catalog while in Firefox, File => Save Page As but what happens when I invoke the saved htm file is a message comes up "Sorry for the inconvenience but the database is temporarily offline, please try back in a couple hours. Thanks."
Not only is a file named " Interactive Catalog.htm" downloaded but a sub directory containing many java script files was included. I think the problem is the location of the java scripts is not where the file "Interactive Catalog.htm" points to. Sorry this is more of a programming question but maybe some one has ran in this problem and solved it. Thanks for any help.


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## cb32863

Captainmeme said:


> Thank you original poster for this. Perhaps some one would be so kind as to inform me on how to download and have working on a laptop the graphical chart selector that NOAA has at Interactive Catalog ? The laptop will not be connected to the Internet when I need to look up a chart. I tried saving the interactive catalog while in Firefox, File => Save Page As but what happens when I invoke the saved htm file is a message comes up "Sorry for the inconvenience but the database is temporarily offline, please try back in a couple hours. Thanks."
> Not only is a file named " Interactive Catalog.htm" downloaded but a sub directory containing many java script files was included. I think the problem is the location of the java scripts is not where the file "Interactive Catalog.htm" points to. Sorry this is more of a programming question but maybe some one has ran in this problem and solved it. Thanks for any help.


This web page won't work "offline". There are links embedded in the source code and you would need to be connected to the net in order for it to work.


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## Skipper Jer

cb32863 said:


> This web page won't work "offline". There are links embedded in the source code and you would need to be connected to the net in order for it to work.


Is there anyway to download all of the files the links point towards so it will work off line?


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## cb32863

Captainmeme said:


> Is there anyway to download all of the files the links point towards so it will work off line?


Highly unlikely as you would need to download the entire parent/child web page hierarchy in addition to all the ancillary files and the charts.

Its not designed to be utilized offline from what I can tell,


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## Donna_F

Captainmeme said:


> Is there anyway to download all of the files the links point towards so it will work off line?


If all you want to do is look at the charts and not print, why not use OpenCPN?


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## Skipper Jer

DRFerron said:


> If all you want to do is look at the charts and not print, why not use OpenCPN?


For some reason or another the resolution and response time of OpenCPN on this laptop was just awful. It would get stuck on a chart view and not respond, resolution reminded me of pong on a black and white TV set. I think what I can do is to download the text file index, NOAA Charts PDF Format then search for the area in question.


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## cb32863

Captainmeme said:


> For some reason or another the resolution and response time of OpenCPN on this laptop was just awful. It would get stuck on a chart view and not respond, resolution reminded me of pong on a black and white TV set. I think what I can do is to download the text file index, NOAA Charts PDF Format then search for the area in question.


You still will not be able to access the PDF's while offline unless you download each one to your computer.


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## miatapaul

Captainmeme said:


> For some reason or another the resolution and response time of OpenCPN on this laptop was just awful. It would get stuck on a chart view and not respond, resolution reminded me of pong on a black and white TV set. I think what I can do is to download the text file index, NOAA Charts PDF Format then search for the area in question.


I think there may be an issue with your install of OpenCPN then, because I have it running on a $65 windows tablet running Windows 10(WinBook) and it is fine. Not rocket fast but quite usable. I have a USB GPS sensor that I use with it. I have heard of folks using it on very old Netbooks. Now if I could read the display in sunlight!

They have a support forum over at Crusers forum and I think one on opencpn.org. I also have it running on my android phone as well.


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## jackdaw

As others have said, if you just want to view them interactively its best to use a free or low-cost app that will stitch the RNC or ENC files together for seamless (or mostly seamless) viewing.

As for printing, I've never found a local place that will print one full size (and on waterproof paper to boot) for anywhere near the price that you can get them from the NOAA certified suppliers. And what civilian owns a printer that size? Not me.


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## Skipper Jer

I just reloaded NOAA RNC charts and re-installed openCPN. Works much better, looks like it will be usable. Guess there was an issue with the original install. All I need now is a USB GPS device and I'll have a backup chart plotter.


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## miatapaul

Captainmeme said:


> I just reloaded NOAA RNC charts and re-installed openCPN. Works much better, looks like it will be usable. Guess there was an issue with the original install. All I need now is a USB GPS device and I'll have a backup chart plotter.


I have this one, it was discovered by my windows 10 by default:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008200LHW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

But if I were to do it over again I would go Bluetooth if your laptop has it as it can be placed in one spot and not dragged around on a cord. The Bluetooth ones were really expensive when I got mine three years ago.


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## SV Dayenu

WOW! Just found your thread!
Can't imagine how long it took you to create this incredible resource!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D
Richard
PS: Bookmarked and started saving what we'll need for Florida and will then see about getting large prints at our local print shop. Then look into waterproofing them (I know the ink orn their machines is waterproof.

Again, Thank you!

Richard


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## skipper27

That's great! Thanks so much for sharing


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## Neilnt

Very cool, thanks so much


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## Blewtooth

bobwebster said:


> I like to have some paper charts in case the GPS charts go away. At $20 a chart, that gets pretty expensive on a long trip. It seemed like there should be some standard format, printable copies of the NOAA Nautical Charts on the internet, but I couldn't find any. So I made some. Here are the NOAA charts in .png format, full resolution:
> 
> NOAA Nautical Charts in .png Format


I just downloaded and printed one. It works great! Thank you!


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## alpinekid

I just downloaded charts from https://charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml They have the full chart in a really big pdf and the charts all busted up into 8-1/2 by 11 pages.


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