How to Read a Marine Chart [Works for Chartplotters, Too!]

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BoatUS Magazine's contributing editor Lenny Rudow shows you the basics of reading a nautical chart for navigation. While he demonstrates using a paper chart, the same principles can be applied to reading digital charts on a chartplotter. Lenny explains what the different colors on a nautical chart mean as well as water depth, buoys and channel markers, latitude and longitude, reading nautical charts symbols, prominent features on land, compass rose, nautical chart scales, and more.
There are so many things you can learn from looking at a nautical chart, like the names of bodies of water and locations, bridge heights, and more. Remember, though, that things can -- and do -- change, so using common sense and watching what's around you is important as well.
Learn more in our Chart Reading 101 article: www.boatus.com/expert-advice/...
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Пікірлер: 69

  • @ibrhm_ackgz
    @ibrhm_ackgz Жыл бұрын

    Even after 3 years, you are the best, thanks for the information ♥️

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    Жыл бұрын

    Awwww .... we're blushing! Thanks for watching ibrhm!

  • @carldea
    @carldea4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Lenny for all of your videos! I’m tired of the Maryland winter. I’m so ready for the water. It was great seeing you at the Balmer Boat Show😂. Keep up the great work👍🏻

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Carl! At least the Maryland winter has been fairly mild this year. But I think we're all ready for boating season!

  • @kasonhendrix6323

    @kasonhendrix6323

    3 жыл бұрын

    A trick : you can watch movies at Flixzone. Been using it for watching all kinds of movies these days.

  • @noeldakota7395

    @noeldakota7395

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Kason Hendrix Definitely, I have been watching on flixzone} for years myself :D

  • @worldwide1376
    @worldwide13764 жыл бұрын

    Good info Lenny, always look forward to your videos. BTW, love your chart since I'm local to you :-). Cheers! -Norm

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Norm!

  • @GP4288
    @GP42883 жыл бұрын

    Trying to learn something new never been out on the water in a private boat before but never to old to learn something new

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Never too old, GP. Thanks for watching! Most people use chartplotters these days, but it's essentially the same as reading a chart. If you haven't already watched them, you might find our videos on basic and intermediate chartplotter use as well as how to use your smartphone as a chartplotter. Welcome to boating, and best of luck. If you haven't done so already, check out the great courses offered by our BoatUS Foundation, including the free boating safety course, which is recognized by 36 states. www.boatus.org/courses.

  • @fastasfox
    @fastasfox3 жыл бұрын

    That was nice and simple....baby steps. The problem I have noticed is that the people with the information tend to use phrases I don't understand....YET! I spent the best part of 30 years in the catering business and I could tell you to go make me a pan of Bechamel sauce made with a roux you would look at me gone out...but if I said, go make me a pan of white sauce from flour butter and milk you would understand what I'm asking for....this is what I'm talking about....I need the terminology explaining first. Cheers for the tutorial 👍

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, fastasfox, and we're glad to hear it was well explained for a newer boater. Your comparison is a great one--if you told me to make a Bechemel with a roux, I'd say "bless you" and probably call an exterminator! 😂 Hope you hit that subscribe button and enabled notifications for future videos. We post new ones every three weeks or so.

  • @kellypayson4997
    @kellypayson499711 ай бұрын

    Excellent! Thank you.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    11 ай бұрын

    You're very welcome, Kelly! Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!

  • @lesbowhite4358
    @lesbowhite4358 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you Lenny very informative for a novice cheers from aus

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    Жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Lesbo. Thanks for watching!

  • @mikechapura5179
    @mikechapura51794 жыл бұрын

    Good information to know

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching

  • @MarkCartret
    @MarkCartret7 ай бұрын

    Good video.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Mark!

  • @johnrogers7910
    @johnrogers79104 жыл бұрын

    A good intro!

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, John!

  • @user-mv3xo5xz8y
    @user-mv3xo5xz8y4 ай бұрын

    VERT informative

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Michael! Glad you found the info useful.

  • @matthewkashnig3061
    @matthewkashnig30614 ай бұрын

    Kent Narrows Baby!!!

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 ай бұрын

    💯 Thanks for watching, Matthew!

  • @muskduh
    @muskduh3 жыл бұрын

    thanks

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're very welcome, Glenn. Thanks for watching! Have a very Merry Christmas

  • @greenlion6544
    @greenlion65443 жыл бұрын

    This guy made charts less scary. Should you always assume the water is shallower than marked in the chart?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Best compliment we could get, Green Lion. There's certainly always the possibility of the water being shallower, so to be safe, yes -- especially if you have any possibility of running around. Thanks for watching!

  • @scottm3840
    @scottm38403 жыл бұрын

    The diamonds on the buoy symbols all seem to be pointing certain directions. What does this direction indicate?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Great question, Scott! When it comes to buoys, it's the color, shape, and markings that count. The direction of the diamond on the chart doesn't translate into navigational information. Thanks for watching

  • @scottm3840

    @scottm3840

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@boatus Thanks!

  • @jimmyredfern6318
    @jimmyredfern63183 жыл бұрын

    Nice 1 so all they numbers mean low water Thanks jimmy

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Great question, Jimmy. The depth numbers show the least amount of water generally found in that spot. However, always bear in mind that depths can change due to shifting sandbars, hurricanes, and other natural phenomena.

  • @jimmyredfern6318

    @jimmyredfern6318

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@boatus thank u for the reply I was looking for deep marks for fishing off the beaches in Liverpool bay England at low water 👍

  • @zakaria600
    @zakaria6003 жыл бұрын

    I have a chart that shows one big number next to a small number what that means?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Great question, zakaria! These are soundings marks and refer to the height of the water at chart datum, which roughly translates into the minimum depth of the water that can be experienced at that particular position. So, in other words, should you see the number 6 with a subscript 2, this indicates that there is a minimum of 6.2 feet 99% of the time. Although, during storms and extraordinary events like an eclipse, you may find there is less water than the chart indicates. Hope this helps, and thanks for watching!

  • @checkrideair
    @checkrideair3 жыл бұрын

    what do you recommend for charts? like websites.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your question, Train. Are you talking about paper charts or digital? NOAA is discontinuing its paper charts, but they are still available for printing via third-party companies. BoatUS Members can get a discount through Waterproof Charts. If you're looking for a navigation app for your smartphone or tablet, here is a roundup of our favorites: www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2019/december/best-marine-navigation-apps-for-2020. (Our members also can save 10% on iNavX.) If you're already a member, you can access exclusive Member savings by logging into your account at www.boatus.com/account and clicking the "resources" button. And if I've missed the boat completely on my answer, give me a little more info and I'll try again!

  • @raymondgeiter3484
    @raymondgeiter34844 жыл бұрын

    Good stuff!

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Raymond!

  • @raymondgeiter3484

    @raymondgeiter3484

    4 жыл бұрын

    You folks really do put very informative stuff on here! Thank you for taking the time to do that!

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@raymondgeiter3484 We appreciate that! Make sure to subscribe to our channel if you haven't already. There's lots more good stuff to come.

  • @crybaby871
    @crybaby8712 жыл бұрын

    You said a short KZread video is not enough, and I agree, where do you recommend getting better chart practice and knowledge?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    2 жыл бұрын

    Definitely, Olivia! There are a couple options. Look into courses from your local Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons. Another option is an online course through our BoatUS Foundation: www.boatus.org/courses/ There's a nominal fee, and BoatUS Members get discounts. Hope this helps!

  • @deannisuhana9331
    @deannisuhana93314 жыл бұрын

    How do you identify the chart number?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Great question! It's identified in the bottom left corner.

  • @deannisuhana9331

    @deannisuhana9331

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@boatus Thank you very much !

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@deannisuhana9331 You are welcome!

  • @alanedwardlittle
    @alanedwardlittle3 жыл бұрын

    Do some actual learning.......very bad thing to say, however, I sure did laugh after you said it! Keep up the good work! :)

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Alan. The point we were trying to make is that this video is only a very basic introduction to navigation and is not meant to be all-encompassing. As you probably know there's a lot more to navigation that would be helpful for every boater to learn. That said, we hope that videos like this get people started, possibly keep them out of trouble in many situations, and maybe even whet their appetite enough to take a course to learn more.

  • @user-rf8lf9hi3s
    @user-rf8lf9hi3s3 жыл бұрын

    Good

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching, Vaibhav!

  • @user-rf8lf9hi3s

    @user-rf8lf9hi3s

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@boatus I am so much thankful that you replied me something.i am having great interest in sea ,charts and all this and I was in search of vedio like this and found it.Thank you so much

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@user-rf8lf9hi3s Fantastic! We also have some basic videos on how to use a chartplotter if those would interest you as well.

  • @user-rf8lf9hi3s

    @user-rf8lf9hi3s

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@boatus ofcourse Thank you so much . I also had recently subscribed your channel for further vedious in future.Thank you once again.

  • @matthewhammons9746
    @matthewhammons97463 жыл бұрын

    You could do a 3 hour lecture on navigation using a compass rose and scale in a youtube video. The snide comment of, "Actual learning" with a point to an internet article bothers me slightly. If you want to be an, "actual learning" purist then point me to a textbook.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your honest feedback, Matthew. It wasn't meant as a snide comment -- just noting that this is a VERY general overview. It sounds like you are beyond this basic info, but as you can tell from the other comments here, many folks learned something. We all have to start somewhere, and we hope that watching this will inspire all the new boaters out there to learn more to become better, more knowledgeable, safer boaters and inspire them to get out and enjoy the wonders of boating. Maybe that starts with reading an article from our magazine, which then leads to enrolling in a course -- or buying a textbook. Baby steps.

  • @pauliefromphilly
    @pauliefromphilly2 жыл бұрын

    Hehehe he said wooder. Is he from Philly?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    2 жыл бұрын

    Close -- Balmer, Hon! Thanks for watching, Paulie.

  • @billwiedemann6298
    @billwiedemann62984 жыл бұрын

    You use the Latitude scale on the side of the chart for distance not the Longitude on the bottom

  • @peterwaterson5898

    @peterwaterson5898

    4 жыл бұрын

    He actually used the scale on the bottom of the chart, not the Longitude grid. One can of course also use the latitude scale to measure distance (as long as the measurement is taken at the same latitude as the DR position). I have to shake my head at the fact that such a video is even necessary, but I guess that’s today’s reality.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@peterwaterson5898 Thanks for your helpful response, Peter. We believe that everyone needs to start somewhere. Don't forget there are new boaters coming into our sport/hobby all the time. And you'd probably be shocked at how many "experienced" boaters have no idea how to read/use a chart. Judging by the number of views we've had on this video, lots of people are actively seeking this information. I'd rather see more boaters educated and prevent avoidable accidents, wouldn't you?

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    Good catch Bill, you're right! Looks like Lenny's dysgraphia was on full display when he swiped the chart. Nice job Bill, you're the first to eciton ... errr, notice.

  • @ChrisD624
    @ChrisD624 Жыл бұрын

    It’s water not wutter.

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    Жыл бұрын

    Lenny's from Balmer, Hon! It's definitely "wutter" where he's from. 😂

  • @Captdal
    @Captdal4 жыл бұрын

    got it > get out of md

  • @boatus

    @boatus

    4 жыл бұрын

    What's wrong with Maryland, Dal?!

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