Those rolled up paper things.

[feetup]

O.K., I know that electronics now rule the world, but I'm a bit old school, and I like the idea of good old paper charts, especially in some of the seldom seen inlets where i'm not too trusting of electronic charts, or more specifically of the programmers of electronic charts. Then there is the battery failure thing.
Problem is, how do you store a bundle of charts in a 25 foot boat without a cabinet bigger than the galley. I'm sure with all the clever people that read this forum there are a few very clever solutions.

BTW that was a wonderful summer on the west coast!!!

[gc]

Fold them and store under a bunk cushion.

[rawsonnut]

Try storing them in a piece of pvc pipe with caps on the ends. You can move it around until you find a good spot and then make a premmante mount. Cheap, easy and waterproof. You can get several sizes and find what works best in your boat. S/V Swan Maiden

[Gene T]

You can mount PVC tubes above the quarter berth to store them rolled up. But I prefer folding them as they are generally too big to fit on a nav table anyway. I fold them so they fit inside a 1 gallon zip lock bag.

[Surfesq]

Bear in mind that your electronic charts are scanned in and are replications of Government Charts reproduced with permission. I fold mine and store them in a zip-up bag about the size of a brief case.

[hellosailor]

The PVC pipe (or lighter "chart rolls" from a drafting supplier, or cardboard mailing tubes, the advantage being flimsy tubes won't hurt your head if you bang into them) can be set up in a row on the overhead, multiple pipes for keeping different areas separated.

Of course, if you were TRULY old school, you wouldn't be using that newfangled paper stuff, either.

[TrueBlue]

Our last boat did not have dedicated storage for charts. What I used then for onboard chart storage was a cylindrical case designed for transport of architectural plans. Constructed of a lightweight, but rigid black plastic, it proved to be perfect for charts. It's even telescopic to accommodate rolled charts of all sizes.

Our current boat has a very large chart table at the pilothouse helm with a hinged teak top, perfect for layout and storage of full size charts. Below is a photo I just took of the plan case, relegated back to service in my office:

[Faster]

Feetup:

For the type of sailing we do in BC waters - for the most part short hops in sight of land -where you are referring to charts to pinpoint buoys, rocks, entrances to bays and coves we've always liked to fold them into manageable size so you can hold them in the cockpit while conning.

Also, as Surf previously noted, that way they will fit into a large ziploc bag when it rains. (a non issue this past summer!!) This also makes them much easier to store in smaller boats with limited space compared to rolled up charts.

The downside to folding charts, especially if heavily used is that after some time the detail on the fold becomes obscured. (Less of a problem nowadays with plotters as backup, but....) Realistically, having to buy a new chart every 5 years or so is not a big deal, and it will keep your chartset more current.

The demise of our old "strip charts" is unfortunate, they were good for cockpit conning right out of the package. The newer (though very good, complete and detailed) chart books are much less convenient to use, pretty well impossible to fold and also difficult to store. But that's the way our chart service is going. At least they come in a large ziploc bag.

[FrankLanger]

Faster, and others:
Those chart books can be placed on the top of the companionway cover (under the dodger in my case) when sailing, to keep them fairly close at hand, to avoid having to return to the navigation station.

However, I also like to have them even closer at hand when approaching a harbour or other areas needing closer chart monitoring. So I bring them from the above-mentioned spot on the companionway cover into the cockpit where I can see the chart while at the wheel. The problem for me arises when I'm heeling a bit, and the chart book in it's plastic cover slides off the cockpit seat on the floor.

Does anyone have a solution for this--ie. a way to keep the chart book handy while at the wheel, without it sliding all over the place? (I know a handheld colour GPS would solve the problem, and my wife does use it , but I'm still more comfortable getting the "big picture" view that the charts offer.)

Thanks for any suggestions.

Frank.

[hellosailor]

Frank-
I suppose you could clamp the business end of a sheet music holder onto the guard on the pedestal?

Faster-
I used to put Scotch Magic Tape over the folds on heavily used maps, it preserves them for years and years, no gum bleeding, no peeling, etc. and it is cheaper than the vinyl "bookbinding" tapes that are available. BUt the camping & outdoor suppliers now sell waterproofing liquid for maps, you just paint it on and it dries to a flexible "plastic" impregnation. That should solve the cracks at the folds and rain at the same time.
If you fold a map at the same place every time, sure, it is neat. But mapmakers taught me never to do that--fold it differently from time to time, to spread the wear. The folds are stretch the paper, distorting the map a bit across them, fwiw.
If there are particular charts you use a lot, clear "contact" self-adhesive vinyl can be applied to them to laminate them. Here in the US, many charts are available printed on Tyvek or other "plastic" stock instead of paper, a bit more up front but great for working from the helm--or rail. Sometimes you can get "weatherproof outdoor paper" in the office supply stores, some of that can be used in a color copier as well. (If it doesn't say you can use it in copiers and laser printers--don't, it might melt in them.)