Cruising Info

Equipment Pages

1. Create a directory structure something like \Charts\mbTiles\[country]\[area].  Add all the countries and areas that you're interested in.
   Mac users may have to get a bit creative here, as the MacOS wants to hide access to the underlying file structure, but you'll probably be downloading lots of files for several areas, and you want those to be organized so you can find them again relatively simply.
2. Download the files for the areas you're interested in by clicking on the SIZE link.  The files are all zipped to reduce download times, and the filenames all include the country and the area within that country, as well as the type of chart and zoom levels.  Note that some zips are individual mbTiles, while a few contain the mbTiles for all chart types in a single file.
3. Move the zip‑files from your Downloads folder to their correct folders and unzip them.  Usually, a given folder will include all map‑types (ArcGIS, Bing, Google, CMap, Navionics) for that area.
4. In OpenCPN, go to Options (looks like a gear) and select Charts (the 2^nd tab over).
5. Click Add Directory (on the right) and navigate to the folder you want to look at.  Note that these are huge files, so you probably only want the area where your boat is.  Adding too many folders will bring OpenCPN to its knees because of the size of the data it's having to manage.  Adding a folder will add all sub‑folders as well, and this should be avoided.
6. Click [Apply] in the lower right when you're finished.
7. To allow single‑key access to your charts (some of this will only need to be done once):
   1. Click on the Chart Groups tab (3^rd over within the Charts tab)
   2. Click [New Group] and call it ArcGIS.  Create more Groups called Bing, Google, CMap, and Navionics.  You can make them in any order you want, but you should always use the SAME order.  The first Group you create will be accessed by typing a "1", the 2nd Group by typing a "2", and so on.  I like my satellite imagery to be 1, 2, 3, and my nautical charts to be 4 and 5.
   3. In the upper box, expand the folder with your mbTiles by double‑clicking on it.  This should show the individual mbTiles in that folder. 
      Note that all of my mbTiles have names like:
          [Country][Area][code].[Chart‑type].[zoom‑levels].mbtiles
   4. Select your ArcGIS Chart‑Group (lower window), then your ArcGIS Chart (upper window), then click [Add] on the right to add that chart to your ArcGIS chart‑group.  Add all of your ArcGIS charts to your ArcGIS Chart‑Group.  I also add my CM93 charts to each chart‑group, but it's not necessary.
   5. Repeat #4 for each of your other chart‑groups (Bing, Google, CMap, Navionics, etc)
   6. When you've finished, click [OK].  OpenCPN will read in the files (which might take some time the first time) and then close the Options window.
8. When OpenCPN starts, you'll see 5 maroon "piano‑keys" down at the bottom of the display.  They represent the 5 mbTiles. Click on each one to turn it on (they'll wake up OFF).
9. Now, when you type 1, you'll get your ArcGIS, 2 for Bing, 3 for Google, 4 for CMap, and 5 for Navionics.  You can switch between them very quickly, which makes it very easy to cycle through your charts to see which one is the best for your situation at that instant.  Type 0 (zero) to get back to displaying all of your charts, but note that this will only display the LEFT‑most mbTile that's turned on (mbTiles are turned on/off by clicking on their maroon piano‑key).

We've put several hundred hours into this project.  If you'd like to help us provide more charts for the cruising community, even a small donation will help pay our extra costs to host and download these large files.  Just click the Donate button on the left.  PayPal makes it very easy.  Thank you!

If you can't make a donation, please download what charts you need anyway.  Our primary goal is to help make our cruising community safer, by using these charts.

All 1,480

All 3,620
All    905
All 3,430
All 4,210
All 1,870
All 2,220
All 4,850
All 2,490

942 (all)

2,750 (all)

2,780 (all)

3,830 (all)

• There are some issues with CMap and Navionics mbTiles files:
  • CMap files at some resolutions display only a red circle with white bar, meaning the data wasn't available on the server so couldn't be downloaded.  Sometimes, zooming in further will result in the detailed data being displayed.
  • Navionics depths are mostly in meters, but sometimes switches to feet with NO NOTICE, especially in shallow waters.  The best solution to this we've found is to switch between CMAP (which is always in meters) and Navionics to see if the depths change.  If they differ by about 3:1, then the Navionics depths are probably in feet.
     
• These files are all zipped to reduce download times.  Most operating systems come with the ability to unzip files, but you can also download the free utility 7‑Zip to do this, which is what I used to zip them in the first place.
   
• These charts will work with all operating systems: Windows, Mac, Unix, Android, etc.  They generally will not work in chart‑plotters.
   
• Sizes are only approximate.
   
• Clicking on a download link will open a new confirmation window, which is necessary to download and decrypt the zip file.  Click the green [Download] button to start the download.
   
• If the area you're interested in isn't available, you can make your own with our How‑To page on Making mbTiles.  I've tried to write it so even a novice can produce high‑quality, high‑resolution navigational charts themselves.
   
• East Timor (Timor Leste) is included in Indonesia/Timor‑Sumba‑Wetar, and Singapore is included in Peninsular Malaysia.
   
• In general, these charts include the entire coastlines as well as near‑shore waters of the areas indicated.  The main exceptions to this are:
  • PNG, where much of the mainland is dangerous from pirates (called "rascals")
  • East coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, which also suffers from pirates.
  • East coast of Thailand, which we haven't done yet.
  • Chagos, where only the visitable atolls (Peros Banos & Solomon) are charted.
     
• The "Z10‑Z18" in the filename refers to the zoom‑levels that are included in the mbTile (from SAS Planet).  The "CS2C" in the filename is my code and can safely be ignored.
   
• We would like to thank Paul Higgins for creating and improving his wonderful Sat2Chart program that makes all of this possible!