Ok, after enough years of sea kayaking, one tends to accumulate quite a batch of charts, each measuring something like 3 feet x 4 feet. I've got maybe 20 of these, ranging from good-as-new to barely-holding-together. Assuming one doesn't have room to store them flat, what fiendishly clever ways have people found to store them in any sort of organized way? Second question: I read in "Camping's Top Secrets" that Thomson Water Seal, intended for sealing concrete, works for treating maps. Has anyone ever tried this (or another product they would recommend)? I tried a bunch of sealers in the past and was disappointed that most made the paper brittle and/or turned a dark yellow after a while. Evan Dallas Woodinville, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
A nice place to store large flat prints (like blueprints) is to clip them together with either a pair of large binder clips or squeeze clamps from the garage. Couple of nails on the back of a closet door and the prints will hang nice and flat and out of the way. Could use several smaller clips and group them into sets by region or trip. No help on sealing them - sorry. K *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Evan, I can't really answer the storage question very well as I just seem to dump them as I get home. Keith's idea sounds good. As far as protection I have used, with some very good success, clear shelf paper or contact paper. The only thing is that I usually can only find it in 12 or 13 inch rolls and it can be a pain trying to get old maps with wrinkles and creases to lay flat enough to adhere. Hope that helps. Brgds, Jeffrey Bingham *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
One other thing - contractors use blueprint cases on jobsites - basically huge sealable flat envelopes. Not sure how "waterproof" the seals are. Not sure they'd be useable in the cockpit either. Couldn't find any sources on-line with a quick Google... K *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> One other thing - contractors use blueprint cases on jobsites - > basically huge sealable flat envelopes. Not sure how "waterproof" the > seals are. Not sure they'd be useable in the cockpit either. > Couldn't find any sources on-line with a quick Google... > > K I keep my maps rolled up in tubes, several from the same area in the same tube. (A buddy gets these tubes from somewhere.... sorry I can't help with that part.) I scan the sections of the maps I want to use onto the computer as 8X10 pages. I then put two pages (adjoining sections) into clear plastic page protectors and seal the page protectors with clear packing tape. The page protectors are for three-ring binders, so I use a couple of snap-open loops to hold the pages together (again, in order). The whole thing goes in a map case on my deck. Another friend just bit the bullet and purchased a set of CDs with 1:50000 maps of most of Canada. He's got some neat software that lets him calculate distances by "drawing" the planned route. It also shows him Lat. and Long. when he hovers the cursor over any given point, and these get entered into the GPS as waypoints. (We type the waypoint "name" onto the map before printing as well.) I think he told me it cost a few hundred dollars (Cdn.) for the set of CDs, but at the price of paper topos, it was well worth it! (And there's hardly any storage issue with the set of CDs!) -- Darryl *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
"Evan Dallas" <evand_at_pensionresourcegroup.com> asked: > Assuming one doesn't have room to store them flat, what fiendishly clever > ways have people found to store them in any sort of organized way? Don't know about the fiendish part, but I made a multi-slot storage box of lucite (aka Plexiglas; aka acrylate) which is about 2 feet by 2 feet on the ends (it's actually L-shaped) and about 3 feet long which I screwed to the ceiling and wall over my desk. The charts are stored there rolled. Lucite is a little tricky to saw, but glues easily, and its transparency makes for easy identification of charts. I'll email you a couple shots back channel, Evan. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
"Evan Dallas" <evand_at_pensionresourcegroup.com wrote: >> Second question: I read in "Camping's Top Secrets" that Thomson Water >> Seal, > intended for sealing concrete, works for treating maps. Has anyone ever > tried this (or another product they would recommend)? Never found any of those paint on products to work well. The weakness in that approach is that the paper degrades from use, and pretty soon you have an illegible (or, torn) chart. I cut mine into 11 inch x 17 inch pieces and have them laminated. They survive well. Keep 'em in a bunch of Lucite shelves above my computer workstation when not in use. They roll up inside a flyrod case that I pack underdeck as a knee tube and I extract them when needed. For an overview, I get a smaller scale chart (or make a color copy reduced) which allows me to make sense of the 11 x 17 inch chunks. That gets laminated, also, because it always seems to be raining when I want to look at a chart. Sending photos of the Lucite chart shelves backchannel, also, Evan. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] How about some large diameter PVC pipe. Slap a cap on one end, roll up some maps and stick them in a corner somewhere. Christopher G. Madden maddencg_at_earthlink.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Evan Dallas Subject: [Paddlewise] Storing/protecting all those charts Ok, after enough years of sea kayaking, one tends to accumulate quite a batch of charts, each measuring something like 3 feet x 4 feet. I've got maybe 20 of these, ranging from good-as-new to barely-holding-together. Assuming one doesn't have room to store them flat, what fiendishly clever ways have people found to store them in any sort of organized way? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Second question: I read in "Camping's Top Secrets" that Thomson Water Seal,intended for sealing concrete, works for treating maps. Has anyone ever tried this (or another product they would recommend)? I've always treated all my topos and charts with Thompson's as soon as I get them. My oldest topos are about ten years old and I use them on the Mississippi River every time I go, which is about ten times a year. They don't get wet, though, because I use them in camp, not for navigation. On the rare occasions that I look at them on the water, I keep them in my day hatch and not on deck. I just went and took an old one and ran water from the faucet over it. Some water soaked in, but not much and mostly in folds and scratched spots. But it dried fast with no damage, even after I threw it around a little. And I wiped off one part after about a minute and the area dried right away. I have also had the joy of using Dave Kruger's laminated charts of the Queen Charlotte Islands and that was great, the charts are in perfect shape even after being used on deck the whole trip. Jim Tibensky *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Like Darryl, I store my current charts rolled up -- in my case, in the drawer of an old dresser that serves me as as printer table (I keep paper and other printing supplies in the top drawers). Years ago I bought some nicely stacking hexagonal storage tubes from an art store -- I suspect drafting supply businesses might have something similar. My old BWCAW topos are stored in those in the attic. Waterproofed maps are hard to write on and the paper becomes harder to fold for use in a kayak. For those areas covered by the NGS TOPO! program, I print out maps as I need them on 8.5-inch by 14-inch NGS water-resistant map paper, which is about as wide as will fit in my map case. (I say water-resistant because I have noticed some ink transfer between stacked wet maps.) For areas TOPO! does not cover, such as the Canadian shore of Lake Superior, I scan Canadian topo maps for use in OziExplorer and, again, print them as I need them. One of the virtues of doing this is that I can overlap the coverage of adjacent maps and also create smaller scale reference maps. Also, the printouts can include waypoints, notes, and projected routes. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
When getting smaller map sections laminated, try to find a print shop that has the thicker 10 mil laminating material. Maps laminated with this are very stiff (almost like tagboard or poster board) and cannot be folded. They accept spiral bindings (and don't tear out) so you can create a notebook of maps that continue logically as you page through the book (front to back of each page and then onto the next. Mine are color printouts or photocopies of maps on std size copy paper - then folded into 5.5 x 8.5 and laminated for a total size of about 6.5" x 10" including lamination edges. Excellent setup to use on deck BUT...from experience, keep in mind that these packets sink unless you attach a float of some sort! ;o) K *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:40 PDT