Canadian digital charts

[ron ll]

Are Canadian BSB charts available for free download or must they be purchased from CHS?

[Ron Williamson]

I had to buy mine.
$99.99,IIRC.Then I had to call the CHS,from the middle of Lake Huron, for a validation code.
To top it off,the chart I really wanted,2292,wasn't on the CD,as it was "out of date".

The Navionics Ipad app.,when I used it,was way better.
R

[Old Dryfoot]

I've been playing with OpenCPN recently and as far as I've been able to determine there are no free charts for Canada. The Washington state BSB charts cover parts of Southern Vancouver Island though if that is enough.

[Phil Y]

I always find it surprising that in the land of the individual, the government makes charts available for free. Not so strong on health care or social security or anything like that, but you want charts? you got em. Whereas in more "socialist" countries like australia and canada, you have to pay for them, and quite a hgih price too! But navionics for the ipad is fantastic. good coverage and only a token cost. Don't know how they do that.

[ron ll]

I always find it surprising that in the land of the individual, the government makes charts available for free. Not so strong on health care or social security or anything like that, but you want charts? you got em. Whereas in more "socialist" countries like australia and canada, you have to pay for them, and quite a hgih price too! But navionics for the ipad is fantastic. good coverage and only a token cost. Don't know how they do that.

I think the argument in the US goes something like, the taxpayers fund NOAA, so essentially the citizens have already paid for the charts. Now I readily realize that is shallow reasoning and certainly doesn't apply to many other taxpayer funded undertakings. And that reasoning obviously does not work for Canadians. However, I would think that Canadians would be more than happy to provide charts to Americans rather than pay extra to have to drag our sorry butts off of the Canadian rocks.

[Ron Williamson]

Since the proliferation of cheapish GPS,the boat towing and repair businesses in this area and places farther north have suffered a great decline.
R