Help me choose a new compass

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Well, how about a compromise. A COVER for a compass that looks like a beer tap?
Actually, just a cover for the existing compass might be a good idea. I don’t use the compass anyway and it would be cheap.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Would a round access hatch fit over the hole and perhaps mount the compass in the in the hole or a smaller one in the actual plate?
Other than a tap this is my favoritest idea. Don’t know about sizing it, though
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
OK, y’all. Santa brought the Ritchie SR-2 but it won’t work. ARRRGGGG! Hunter thoughtfully supplied a circular vertical surface within the angled bulkhead complete with 12v wire for the light. But the Ritchie is too big for the vertical circle. I spoke with both of my favorite Daves today - Dave Groshong and Crazy Dave Condon. Neither has the answer but they both agree I have the wrong compass. I even talked to a lady at Ritchie. They have nothing that will fit. The current hole is too big for a smaller compass. I’m ready to install a beer tap but my wife is, to say the least, a bit skeptical.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
I'm thinking that a bezel made out of polyethylene or nylon would be the way to go. If you buy the material & supply a sketch with dimensions, I'll machine it down for you.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
I'm thinking that a bezel made out of polyethylene or nylon would be the way to go. If you buy the material & supply a sketch with dimensions, I'll machine it down for you.
Dang. Incredibly nice offer! I’ll send you a private message this morning.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
I'll need a fairly accurate measurement on the height (Green H in the picture) for the flat part of the glass before the radial chamfers start & the depth (red D) from the flat glass to the outside of the radial chamfer on the sloped surface below it. It would be nice to also have a fairly close measurement on the diameter of the existing hole. I found the dimensions for the compass on the Ritchie website.
 

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Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Alrighty. I found an almost identical compass on nandjmarine.com and ordered it. The price was fair but not great. They are sending it to me today. I promise to report back on how it works out.
Thanks to everyone who responded with ideas and advice. Seriously, and I’m being totally serious, I truly would rather have a beer tap there. It certainly would be more useful than a compass. And I’d be very popular at the club.
 
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Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
I just received my replacement compass today. (Beer tap not included.) I scraped a fair amount of silicon from the back of the collar. The Ritchie included a rubber gasket but this one’s obviously is not included. What do I use to seal it to the bulkhead that will be water tight but removeable? Thanks!
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
I may have misread your post. If you have no new gasket, then you probably need one from your picture. Raymarine Techs use a special bedding caulk to seal my MFD.
Jim...
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Why do you want to remove it? So you can swap it out with the beer tap when the Admiral isn't looking?

Sam
Busted!
Actually I don’t want to ever remove it. But I didn’t WANT to have to remove this one.
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Well the black kind doesn't need a sealant. Thats what my Chemical Professor told me.;)
Jim...

PS: Auto Zone has a gasket kit and you can cut your own.
 
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Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
Not sure exactly what has to be done but if you need some sticky material behind the bezel where it sits against the cabin bulkhead, try butyl rubber - MaineSail sells it and the 2 rolls you have to buy will last forever. It doesn't glue, it just seals.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Not sure exactly what has to be done but if you need some sticky material behind the bezel where it sits against the cabin bulkhead, try butyl rubber - MaineSail sells it and the 2 rolls you have to buy will last forever. It doesn't glue, it just seals.
I was kinda wondering about butyl rubber. I’ll check into it. Basically I just need to keep water from seeping behind the hole. Thanks!
 
Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
It is grey sticky stuff that comes on a roll, a band about 1/8 in thick and about an inch wide. It is sort of like a somewhat stickier version of silly putty. You can pull it off surfaces, and because it is not a liquid you can apply it to the back of your bezel, or the surface on which it'll go, and when you screw it in it compresses a bit to fill the gap. I use it a lot to seal chain plate covers, etc. If you countersink a screw hole slightly (try running the countersink bit in reverse so it doesn't bite too aggressively) to make sort of a channel around the screw entrance the rubber squeezes into that gap, making a pretty watertight seal. It isn't really great for an application where bolts or screws can't be used to mechanically attach the objects together - you need some "oomph" in the fastener to squeeze it down a bit.
 
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May 12, 2004
1,502
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
Butyl Tape. Good stuff. Just used it to caulk an above the waterline thru-hull. Was used on my '77 Hunter to seal the hull to deck. Still pliable. You do need some
"oomph" in the fastener to squeeze it down a bit.