In the past, I have only owned small open runabouts and navigated using county and state higway maps to get around.
When I got into sailing, I pretty pretty went on the ICW or across the open Gulf of Mex. using standard nautical charts. I once has a Corps of Enginers chart of the MacClellan-Kerr Waterway which was a chart for the Arkansas River from Tulsa, Ok, to the Mississippi River.
Now that I plan to take either my sailboat, a trawler or a houseboat inland next year I was wondering what you folks do for navigation other than stay in a channel. Are there any Gov't publications for the Inland rivers and waterways in the eastern half of the US? Or, are charts available either hard copies or digital?
Specifically referencing the Mobile River up to Kentucky Lake for starters.
Thanks in advance
Tony B

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Edited: 05/01/2012 at 08:10:15 AM by TonyB

Hard Copy. Chart of the Tennessee River. Flip format covered in laminate. Picked it up at a local marina, Pebble Isle. Sure it is online somewhere. You can flip to the river section you need in a few seconds. It has depth info, marina info sailing lanes.... Nice, would not be without it..well won't be when I get my ole trailer running again.

here is a handy site to look at. http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/opn/tnriver/

-------------------------
1977 58' Aluminum Sumerset
Kentucky Lake

Thanks

I figured someone would be putting out the info.
I never travel without charts.
I use both paper and digital - GPS.
BTW, I am not a big fan of those guide books. They never seem to give me the info I really need and most of them copy the info from govt publications.

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Edited: 05/01/2012 at 12:39:36 PM by TonyB

i use quimbys guide and a good gps.

-------------------------
1991 gibson 44 executive
454's
norwich,ohio
docked on the good ole ohio river in marietta

Can u get gps for the river and lake systems?

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Pretty sure you can. Met a man on a really nice houseboat. He just had open heart surgery that year. He installed a system that he could drive his boat from anywhere on the boat. He had the controller hanging around his neck when I met him. Said it would auto pilot down the sailing lane or "hover" in place. Pretty sure that is GPS based. Or is that what u meant?

-------------------------
1977 58' Aluminum Sumerset
Kentucky Lake

What I was referring to was actual charts on a GPS like a Garmin. Something that would show channel markers, obstructions, etc.

I think what that guy had was an Auto-Pilot with a remote control. Only thing is, as far as I know, those remote controls control direction and not speed, although controlling the throttles remotely dont seem that hard to do.

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Yes you can get charts for every waterway. I ran the Tenn-Tom from Pickwick to Pensacola. Had all the charts, and a Guide book. (Still do, and have let others use it on the same trip, and then it come back home.

I can not remember the author, at this time, but can at home. The marina's in Pickwick have then on the shelf. But I would order on line, after googling.

Look on the "Great Loop" website for links to charts and guides.

The guide book was most helpful in planning anchorages and fuel. The charts were used to navigate, even though the channels were marked.

I would never travel any long trip without both. I did not have GPS, at that time. It would have been nice to have it, as well. But we made it just fine without.

-------------------------
Banana Tom

I love boating on rivers but one always hast to remember that a river is a flowing living entity. As such no matter how current the chart in hand may be one hast to learn how to read the river. If your carefully reading whats in front of you generally the river will reveal many of its hidden secrets to you before they become your hidden problems. Back before I learned the rivers sign language a few of the hidden secrets actually became my problem though fortunately minor problems. But you know I found myself always circling back to ascertain as to what I'd missed in an attempt to make misfortune a learning experience.

-------------------------
Respect Our Outdoor Recreational Resources
Leaving Only "Footprints in the Sand"

2003 5.3 Chevy P/U
1972 35' Crest Pontoon Houseboat
2007 90 hp. Yamaha

Here's the link to the online charts of the Tn River that desimulacra was talking about. http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/opn/TNRiver/

-------------------------
Harbor Master 47
Watts Bar Lake - TN River

Thanks to all for the above info

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

i have a garmin gps with the eastern rivers and lakes chip in it. it shows pretty much anything you need to find.

-------------------------
1991 gibson 44 executive
454's
norwich,ohio
docked on the good ole ohio river in marietta

If you have a Windows notebook computer, there's a freeware program "OpenCPN" that works very well. If you want the whole moving map thing, rather than just detailed charts you use as if it were paper, just add GPS,either bluetooth or hardwired, available fairly cheap from your nearest electronics store. It turns your computer into quite a capable chart plotter. You just download free NOAA nautical charts from NOAA's website. You can expand, shrink, change to adjoining charts, etc, very intuitively. Plan your route, measure your speed, find out what marinas are along your route and what facilities they offer.

Same goes for the iPad and other tablets, including Android ones. There are several nav apps, ranging from free to maybe $80, that are very full-featured. I have one (by EarthNC) that does all sorts of marvelous things. I find the iPad's built-in GPS to be very reliable, but I haven't yet activated the Verizon data plan... no need for it yet, but may, once we get farther from broadband connectivity.) The program, and others like it, shows me not only my position on the most current nautical chart (downloadable from NOAA) within 5 yards, my planned route, the track I'm making good, the cross track error, the winds, tides, anchor-dragging alarm, but once I get the proper antenna for it, will (with some other black boxes I already have) paint the precip on the chart, and show current weather maps. It is simply amazing-- and for my money, beats sending more hard-earned Garmin's way. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But these new tablets are so light, versatile, and fun. And best of all, so far, anyway, you've already bought the charts=- with your tax dollars.

http://s76.photobucket.com/alb...w¤t=DSC_3781.jpg

-------------------------
Amelia
Edenton, NC

Edited: 05/02/2012 at 03:01:53 PM by Amelia

I use SeaClear on a notebook computer. Its completely free. The software can be downloaded at http://www.sping.com/seaclear/ and you can get the charts free from NOAA http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa...staff/chartspubs.html

I takes a few minutes to learn how to use it but it works really well and is free.

-------------------------
Ike
"Don't tell me I can't. Tell me how I can!"
New Boat Builders Home Page
My Boating Safety Blog
My Boat Building News Blog

Ask me why I love this forum.

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Tony:
You got some good info and a lot of not so good info on river boating.
Forget all about depending on GPS systems or computer programs etc.
I came down 15 miles of the Allegheny river in Pgh. Pa. --then the entire Ohio river then the whole lower Mississippi to New Orleans.

I know that we could not have done it without hard copy's of chart books.
There are available and very important.
For instance--there are 53 dams on the Ohio and you must know where they are,
going downstream especially.
The charts show the little rivers and Islands off to the side where you might want to stay for the night. They show Marinas, hazards, fuel etc.
We had someone on board monitoring the charts all day long and marking off the river markers as we went past and it saved our butt many times.

If you are just going out for a casual boat ride over the same territory everyday then you can probably get away with a GPS. Don't take any chances.
clarencio

C

Which chart books would you recommend?

-------------------------
Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

Google "Corps of Engineers Charts" and you'll find 'em online.

Whether they're available in raster format like NOAA charts I haven't checked.

-------------------------
Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw

Just speaking from aviation experience, Clarence, GPS has come a long way, accuracy-wise, just in the last several years. For one thing, the gummint turned off that 'Selective Availability' silliness that deliberately made it inaccurate. For another, most of them are WAAS-capable now, with accuracy to mere feet. I was perusing one program, and it accurately noted when I moved from one end of the sofa in my family room to the other. And how fast I moved, and in what compass direction. Unbelievable! My gps now will lead me right smack to the centerline of any runway in the country. It's amazing. For another, the electronic charts I mentioned, are raster-versions of the very NOAA charts in those books. All the information is right there on the laptop or tablet computer screen, plus charted anchorages, and a lot more. The iPad program I use also has GoogleEarth, streetmaps, and topo map overlays. And you can download all manner of up to the minute notices to mariners, information on marinas, fuel prices, ... the list is amazing, and I haven't discovered them all. Maybe the old chartplotters don't do all that-- I wouldn't know. But my computers do. That said, anybody doing serious coastal or river navigation needs to have hard copy on board, too. Just in case we run out of electrons. But for accuracy and wealth of information and currency-- I can't imagine doing better than my cute little computer.

-------------------------
Amelia
Edenton, NC

Agree with Amelia. I can download the LATEST (updated every week) raster charts for FREE and put them on my laptop, which is connected to the GPS. I COULD pay hundreds for new but out-of-date charts and correct them myself (I can do it but it's a PIA). OR I can buy an expensive chartplotter and pay for more outdated charts on a "chip".

It's nice to be able to pencil in corrections and remarks on a paper chart though (not as simple with electronics), so I do carry some charts of the area I frequent, just in case. On trips I carry a spare laptop.

-------------------------
Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw