Boating from Philadelphia to Miami.?

Question

If I was boating from the Northeast to Florida, where could I find the proper maps online to guide me?

Answer 1

thats a good question and i dont have the answer. What you need is a proper chart of the intercoastal waterway. On paper.

Answer 2

Probably not available on line, but contact Coast Guard for hard copy maps.

Answer 3

NOAA.gov has every chart made in vector and raster format.  The beauty of these is you can download updates frequently. You will need a navigation software program to read them and a GPS to use them for real time navigation.   For my money, the Rose Point Coastal Explore program is the most bang for the buck.  There are several others,  most far more expensive or far less useful.  

Be sure to have paper back-up.  They are available from many sources.  My favorite is Bluewater Books and Charts in Ft. Lauderdale.  

The fact that you ask this question makes me wonder how much experience you have.  Spend as much time on the Delaware and Chesapeake to get some experience before you head out on a major trip.  I see sad examples of folks who are in way over their heads and end up spending a fortune on repairs all the way down the ditch.

Answer 4

Charts with sufficient detail are not available for free on the net.  Your best bet is to buy a cruising guide for the inland waterway,  which you can find in any boating store...will cost you about $100.00.    You should also buy a chart kit, (not the government charts),  which will have literally thousands of dollars of the right government charts in a  usable format.   Going without good,  up-to-date charts, is a recipe for getting into real trouble,  so don't economize on this part of your trip.

Answer 5

if you're in Philly, go to Pilothouse Nautical Books on S . Delaware Ave....

the charts to cover that distance run many many pages.......there are "kits" put together of the Intracoastal Waterway covering Delaware and Chesapeake Bay, the waterway through NC, to Sc, and one for Florida.....each is about $100.00, because you need really detailed charts......imagine trying to find one house in Boston when all you have is a map covering from DC to Maine....

there are also guides covering the trip available at Pilothouse or Landfall Navigation in Conn.

Great trip!  .take a month or more and enjoy it

Answer 6

USCG does not supply charts (maps for water navigation).  You should go to your nearest ship chandler or a West Marine.  They sell chart books.  If you are a prudent navigator/seaman you will have paper charts on board your vessel for the area you are transiting.