⚠️ This article is provided for general information and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for formal navigation training, official publications, or professional instruction. Electronic charts, whether raster or vector, are only aids to navigation and must always be used in conjunction with proper lookout, paper charts, up-to-date hydrographic information, local notices to mariners, and prudent seamanship.
The authors accept no responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, or consequences arising from the use of information contained in this article. All skippers remain fully responsible for the safe navigation of their vessel and for ensuring that their charts, software, and equipment are correctly configured, updated, and appropriate for the waters in which they are sailing.
Regular visitors to our site will know that we have long highlighted the importance of understanding how electronic charts work, particularly the limitations of vector charts.
This is not because vector charts are unsafe, but because they can be misleading if their display settings and behaviour are not fully understood.
We first published our article explaining the differences between Raster and Vector charts in 2013, and we demonstrated the issue again in person at the PBO Experts event at Beaulieu in 2015. The message remains just as relevant in 2026.
Vector charts are dynamic. They filter information depending on zoom level, safety depth settings, and user configuration. If these are not set correctly, important hazards such as rocks, shoals, or wrecks may not be shown on the screen. Raster charts, by contrast, are simply scanned paper charts, so everything printed on the chart is always visible.
This does not make vector charts inferior. In fact, they are extremely powerful tools when used properly. But it does mean that skippers must understand:
How zoom levels affect what is displayed
How safety contours and shallow water shading work
How to enable all relevant hazard layers
As Tom Cunliffe wrote in Yachting Monthly :
"If you navigate using vector charts alone, you’re heading for unseen trouble.”
His point remains valid today. Vector charts should be used with knowledge and care, and ideally cross-checked with raster charts or paper charts, especially in confined or poorly surveyed waters.
Modern navigation systems have improved greatly since 2013. Displays are clearer, warnings are better, and default safety settings are generally more conservative. Even so, the fundamental difference remains:
Raster charts show everything that was on the original paper chart.
Vector charts decide what you see.
In 2026, the safest approach is not choosing one over the other, but understanding both. Vector charts are now the primary navigation tool for most sailors, so learning how to configure and interpret them correctly is an essential part of modern seamanship.
This article was first published 25 March 2016