Compass repair

[Lou 14643]

I have a 20 year old Ritchie flush mount binnacle compass that has, in the last couple of months, developed a bubble which is growing. I understand that this means it has developed a leak, possibly from remaining on the boat through the winter and being subjected to significant heating/cooling cycles. Does anyone have experience opening up the compass themselves and refilling it (mineral spirits?), and resealing? Does it need to be done by an "authorized service tech?" If so, what should I expect to spend? Thanks for your response.

 

[menestheus15689]

not mineral spirits

no you can add mineral oil yourself dont use mineral spirits

 

[Dan]

Call Ritchie

I talked with them about a different problem and they are great people. Call them and ask them what they will charge to service your compass.

 

[Neal4200]

I tried s few approaches....

Sent to a dealer and paid about eight dollars to relace the seal and refill. It lasted about a year and drained all the fluid into my bilge. I then call Richie, and was told to sent to their factory where they fixed it for FREE. On the current boat we own, I accidently broke the seal when I was replacing our binnicle guard. I went to the drug store and bought a plastic syringe, and added some oderless mineral spirits in the filling hole. It seemed to blend in perfectly to the original fluid. I ended up with a bubble about the size of a match head, and after a couple of days in sun, the bubble disappeared. I think the filling hole was on the bottom, so you had to invert the compass to fill it.

 

[Lou 14643]

thanks guys for the feedback

I'll give the company a call after I get the compass off the boat and can give them the model number. I'd really like to fix it myself if possible. I've read somewhere about a diaphram that is under the seal. Is this a problem to replace if it has a leak in it?

 

[Rick]

Non current Ritchie compass

We had pair of non-current Bulkhead Ritchie comasses that had cracked globes and leaked. Since Ritchie did not carry the replacement parts any longer, we were referred to a service center in the Mass. area. The service center estimated a repair bill with material, labor and shipping at approx $90 a compass. Since the replacement compasses are BN-202 which are easier to read, we repalced the compasses.

 

[Lou 14643]

Where is the tipping point

Rick,That's what I am wondering about. If repair cost approaches the cost of a new unit (about $120 in my case), then I may just opt for that. I'm getting the compass off the boat today and will see if I'm able to fix it myself. If not, may look to buy new.

 

[Rick]

Repair vs New

On an older boat, we always have to be concerned about the repair costs vs the new replacement products. Repairing the old would work, but for a few dollars more, I got a new model with improvements. I watched ebay and bought at a good price too.