Remove Compass
Jim: You remove it by going very carefully.
I assume you have not had the compass off the boat since you have owned it and the previous owner never did either. I'm working from memory here but I think in my case, when I had to replace the cables, the top screws came off rather easily. I think the inside ones were a bear and any amount of force will strip the heads.
What I did was soak them with a product I bought when I lived in So Ca. It is made by Justice Bros (Duarte, Ca - outside of LA) and called "JB-80". It is the best product I know of to free rusted or corroded parts. It smells awful but boy does it do the job. I sprayed the compass screws or bolts and let them soak and out they came. Lubricate the screws/bolts with anti seeze before putting them back in.