Compass Installation

Gudenuph · Aug 14, 2012

Geehaw
You might use a packing (spacer) block serving to offset the compass flange further away from the inside skin and additionally provide a mounting base for a compass cover. To make a solid installation, epoxy a wooden ring to the inside of the outside skin. Cut the ring in two and reassemble inside the hole for solid anchorage for the mounting screws.
FWIW, Geohan

RichBone · Aug 14, 2012

The PO installed his instruments here-

I tossed them and installed my compass (which the boat didn't have)-

Pat · Aug 14, 2012

geehaw said:
Well I just got a new Ritchie SR2 compass. I see that there is not enough space between the inner and outer bulkhead to install with the provided back cover. It appears to be deep enough to allow the compass without this back cover to be installed. And I will have to drill through holes in the mounting flange of the compass to face screw it. I am relunctant to do that so I am asking what others have done for a different approach? GREG

I've seen several installations that were installed by our club Property Manager where he used a 1/4 ro 1/3 inch thick white plexiglass or white plastic base immediately behind the compass or instrument to provide the required thickness....the piece was installed on the outside and was maybe 1 inch larger than the instrument all around...the piece of plastic was square with the compass round....the installation looked really professional...I would suppose the piece could be installed inside so as to not be visible...patrick

ebsail · Aug 15, 2012

I just did the same instalation with the same compass. We cut a square of marine teak faced plywood just a bit larger than the compass and bolted it to the exterior skin. Then we mounted the compass to this plywood. We never used the rear cover and covered the interior with a small vinyl square that has a couple of pockets to hold the GPS, stopwatch, knife etc. The vinyl is held on with the suction cups it came with, from the "Dollar Store". Ernie

Fred Villiard · Aug 15, 2012

ebsail, you just upset the compass by placing all of that metalic and electronic stuff close to it.

Fred Villiard

Fly_H23 · Aug 15, 2012

Fred Villiard said:
ebsail, you just upset the compass by placing all of that metalic and electronic stuff close to it.

Fred Villiard

Airplanes have the same problem, that's what a correction card is for.

emergpa1 · Aug 16, 2012

RBone said:
The PO installed his instruments here-

I tossed them and installed my compass (which the boat didn't have)-

I thought about mounting my compass in the same spot you have used Rbone, if i get a compass someday, but when i removed the old instrument that was there last week to mount my new Moor Gauge Depth sounder (there wasn't enough space there to accommodate the gauge for that brand of depth finder so am mounting all three on the starboard side of the cabin bulkhead) I noticed that the wiring is right behind where the compass would be both AC and DC, including the switch plate. If you end up in new Jersey instead of georgia, you might want to check that!

Fred Villiard · Aug 16, 2012

Fly, in the aircraft you do not put things that you will move around in the compass field.

In that bag he'll add & subtract things, the only way a compass correction card will work if the things in the compass field stay put. the field is about 3 foot radius for non magnetized metallic objects.

Fred Villiard

RichBone · Aug 16, 2012

I removed my switch panel and moved it to the port side of the bulkhead. I can now access it from the back inside the hold under the seat hatch.

emergpa1 · Aug 19, 2012

good idea

Mad Dog · Aug 19, 2012

RBone said:
The PO installed his instruments here-

I tossed them and installed my compass (which the boat didn't have)-

Hey Rich,

Is that a Harken traveler? Did you have to change out the track to install it?

Matt

RichBone · Aug 19, 2012

Mad Dog said:
Hey Rich,

Is that a Harken traveler? Did you have to change out the track to install it?

Matt

Right, I had to buy a new track and a little longer than the stock track.

ebsail · Aug 21, 2012

All of you are correct about having metallic objects close behind the compass. But since we sail on a two mile wide river, in poor visibility, we only have to know which way is west to get home. So it's not critical.

Fly_H23 · Aug 21, 2012

ebsail said:
All of you are correct about having metallic objects close behind the compass. But since we sail on a two mile wide river, in poor visibility, we only have to know which way is west to get home. So it's not critical.

Before you have an occasion with poor visibility. Place various metal objects or a cell phone near your compass. It will affect it in unpredictable ways. If your compass is 10-15 degrees off without you knowing it, you'll find the banks of your 2 mile wide river quicker than you'd probably want.

Permanently mounted objects can be corrected with the compass swing adjustment.