Official CHS charts, waterproof and regular

[kayakwriter]

So with both the British Admiralty and the US NOAA having announced they're getting out of the business of printing charts (apparently you'll either buy the electronic files and find a printer or you'll hunt up some authorized local retailer to print "on demand" for you), it seems like only a matter of time 'til CHS in Canada does likewise.

At least for the moment, one of my local marine stores, Steveston's Marine, has a great inventory of hardcopy charts. The clerk in the store I spoke to didn't have all the details as he wasn't the buyer, but apparently they're getting them printed in Quebec somewhere. Their stock includes an offering that was new to me: official CHS charts on waterproof "plastic" paper. If I didn't already have a collection of charts for pretty much the whole BC coast, I'd be all over them: even when carrying charts in a "waterproof" chart bag, I've always treated my charts with waterproofing - otherwise they get damp from the air over long trips and turn into paper mache. Looks like the next generation of kayakers will have at least one thing easier, not needing to treat their charts.

 

[CPS]

I've got one of the waterproof charts (also from Stevenson) and it's awesome. Very tough material so I expect it will handle repeated folding a heck of a lot better than even treated paper charts.

 

[kayakwriter]

I've got one of the waterproof charts (also from Stevenson) and it's awesome. Very tough material so I expect it will handle repeated folding a heck of a lot better than even treated paper charts.

So have you trying writing/marking on it with something like a Sharpie? As the usual suspects on WCP will know, I'm fond of sprinkling magnetic North arrows all over my charts so I can navigate without adding or subtracting...

 

[Wild Realms]

I'd also like to know if anyone has tried marking these up with a pencil or pen without them smearing?
If they can stay legible and not get chewed up from repeated folding/dampness, these would be ideal!

 

[cougarmeat]

I don't know if it's still a thing but in the olden days, hikers would cover their maps with clear contact paper - the kind used to cover shelves. Then, to save weight, they'd trim the edges off the map borders where the lat/long (or UTM) information was. And "they'd" continue to do that, even when GPS's came out - until they realized that without the Lat/Long (or UTM) references on the side, the "you are here" GPS info was a bit useless.

 

[CPS]

So have you trying writing/marking on it with something like a Sharpie? As the usual suspects on WCP will know, I'm fond of sprinkling magnetic North arrows all over my charts so I can navigate without adding or subtracting...

I used a mechanical pencil with a pretty soft lead and it worked well enough. Rite In The Rain makes some thicker coloured pencils I wanted to try out.

 

[kayakwriter]

to save weight, they'd trim the edges off the map borders where the lat/long (or UTM) information was. And "they'd" continue to do that, even when GPS's came out - until they realized that without the Lat/Long (or UTM) references on the side, the "you are here" GPS info was a bit useless.

Hence the expression "He's lost the plot."?

 

[CPS]

Just did a test with a sharpie pen, the very fine point type. The mark stays put when wet, but stains the surrounding area a little. As if a small amount of ink didn't stick and was washed onto the adjacent area.

I'll personally stick to pencils. Coloured ones should be good too. Their "lead" is usually softer.

 

[kayakwriter]

Bumping this thread with an update on the waterproof charts. I had a chat with one of the head honchos at the Kits branch of Steveston's Marine this afternoon. Turns out the waterproof charts are not a permanent addition to CHS offerings. During COVID, CHS gave a private printer temporary dispensation to print CHS charts due to supply chain challenges. That printer took it on themselves to offer the plastic paper versions of the charts. But they no longer have the rights to print CHS charts. So grab any waterproof charts you see: there won't be any more.

On the plus side: I'd speculated upthread that since "both the British Admiralty and the US NOAA having announced they're getting out of the business of printing charts (apparently you'll either buy the electronic files and find a printer or you'll hunt up some authorized local retailer to print "on demand" for you), it seems like only a matter of time 'til CHS in Canada does likewise." I'm happy to learn I was wrong about this. CHS will continue to print and sell hardcopy CHS charts (as well as E-charts). They're doing so to finance ongoing marine surveys. (The States and UK consider the surveys of their waters to be more-or-less a finished project - that's why they're giving away the files for free or cheap and not printing charts any longer. But stay tuned to see if global warming changes things!)

The idea that there's still a lot of marine surveying to be done in Canadian waters jives with my experience: as recently as the early 90s I kayaked with a group of friends around the outside of Price Island. The only "chart" of the area at the time was a purple mimeographed page thick with dire notations such as "rock reported here, exact position unknown" "depths uncertain" and "here be dragons" (OK, that last one was a slight exaggeration...) And on that same trip, we actually got to go onboard a CHS survey ship that was anchored in the area!

 

[AM]

Yep, and as ice cover changes in the arctic, there will be lots of work for the surveyors!

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[kayakwriter]

Yep, and as ice cover changes in the arctic, there will be lots of work for the surveyors!

Cheers,
Andrew

For sure. The English and Spanish in the late 1700s and early 1800s were just a couple of centuries too early in their quest for a navigable Northwest passage!