Tide height in feet and inches

[tigermullet]

Does anyone know where I can get tides expressed in feet and inches?

MSQ, in their great wisdom, have decreed that the Tide Guide can no longer publish in imperial as well as metric. Obviously, there is some sort of reason behind the decision but common sense has not been part of the equation. It reminds me of the Australian Standards for PFD,s - MSQ knew about the changes but didn't bother to tell anyone for years. Idiots.

The rule of twelfths is so easy with imperial but difficult in metric or, at least, getting used to it when a life time has been spent thinking in feet and inches for tides.

[BaitThrower]

No idea where to find them in imperial, but get yourself a 1m metric ruler and stick it to the roof of your bedroom or at your work desk and soon enough you will know exactly how deep 0.5m or 0.7m or 1m is by looking at it every day

[tigermullet]

Thanks but that's not the problem. With the rule of twelfths it is automatic to be able to calculate instantly just how much the tide rises and falls during each hour.

For example if the height varies from 1ft to 6ft giving a 5ft rise then the first hour will see a 5inch rise, second 10inch etc., etc., and most of us old boaties know our draft in feet and inches. Try dividing 1.52 metres by 12 and then relating it to draft - it is easy enough I guess but not something that can be done with hardly a thought.

I have only just got used to metric for making things and do find it easier than trying to work out 32nd.s, 16ths's etc - I'd just became familiar with imperial measurements but it was always something along the lines of 6ft 5inches and a couple of little squiggly marks.

Basically, metric is just a French measurement dreamt up to piss off the rest of the world

[yamp]

try a free program for your computer called wxtides I use it to work out when I can come and go up the creek I find it really usefull you just check at different stages on the tidal curve and it shows the height but it is in meters cheers Yamp

[shrunken pojie]

25.4mm = 1" now grab a cheap calculator for the boat!

[tigermullet]

Thanks all but it's not what I'm looking for. I really am ok with the conversions Pojie and quite like metric for volume etc., but will now work out my own set of tables in feet and inches for the entire year. Should be a nice little Christmas project and will beat going to shopping centres or mixing with the holiday crowd at the Pin.

[hivalley]

Mate go and download wtides at http://www.wtides.com

Once you download click on the options then click on preferences and under the units/descriptions tab you can select metric or imperial tide measurements.

Fantastic little program calculated tides for any location in the world, you also have the option to overlay the Maori fishing calendar.

[tigermullet]

Thank you very much hivalley. Very handy - I will use it a lot.

I am still on the hunt for a published list or a way of converting a full year of tides, day by day. Perhaps one of my children will know of way - perhaps using Excel to enter the tides in metric, applying the formula and getting the result in feet and inches. No doubt it will still be a lot of work.

[hivalley]

Thank you very much hivalley. Very handy - I will use it a lot.

I am still on the hunt for a published list or a way of converting a full year of tides, day by day. Perhaps one of my children will know of way - perhaps using Excel to enter the tides in metric, applying the formula and getting the result in feet and inches. No doubt it will still be a lot of work.

tiger, if you have downloaded wtides you should have day by day tides out to the year 2037.

open the program and at the very bottom of the window are 2 little arrows, click back or forth anywhere from 1970 to 2037.

[tigermullet]

Thanks again hivalley, I had noticed that but what I would really like is something like the current Tide Guide which gives the tides for the entire year - day by day.

To explain- half of my time is spent at home and the other two weeks per month are spent on the boat. I like to travel with the tides because the boat is very slow and I track over very shallow water.

With tides in tabulated form I can estimate to within two inches or less when I can get over certain sand or mud banks on any day of the year. This allows planning well in advance and also allows for quick changes of plan. With the tide known in feet and inches the amount of water can be calculated without even thinking - much like we don't have to think of the answers when multiplying, if multiplication tables have been drummed into the old noggin.

I suppose that I could go to the expense of carrying a lap top and paying the wifi subscription but I don't like gizmos on the boat. No radios, no TV - just silence. I have to put up with a mobile phone in case something goes wrong at home but have learned to live with the commitment and usually it is also silent.

You'd be right if you think I don't like change but if tides in feet and inches were good enough for Captain Cook they're good enough for me. Just joking - he could not have known.

[hivalley]

Tiger, now I understand where you are coming from, mate the only way I can see you can get what you want is to; like you say put the data on a XL spreadsheet and do a little formula to convert to feet, very easy to do if you can import the data, a lot of typing if you have to enter it manually, also a greater risk of typing a mistake and that could be disastrous.

I have a Garmin chart plotter on my boat that displays tide information straight from the satellite, I got it on ebay from the USA and because it's for the American market all data is in feet, could be an option.

[tigermullet]

Thanks again hivalley. I doubt that I'll be able to import the data but fortunately I am used to entering data at reasonable speed. I hadn't thought about a chart plotter so that will be another option to consider. On balance I think it will have to be the spreadsheet but Christmas time is fairly dull so there will be time.

[honda900]

TigerMullet,

Got a gps on your boat? most gps devices have an inbuilt tide chart, you set the settings to imperial and off you go.

PS, most newer phones have an inbuilt calculator and if you have a relatively late model phone you may be able to download and install and conversion application.

Regards
Honda.