Steel boat compasses

[John_L]

Can anyone suggest or recommend a suitable compass for a 33 foot steel motor boat. I am told most standard compasses will not do.

 

[Guest]

What about an electronic compass? e.g. gps,

 

[jleaworthy]

Sestrel do a version of the Major with "quadrantal balls" for steel boats. They also do the Sestrel Moore which is an edge reading compass mounted at line of sight and often used in steel boats. Or go for a flux gate compass which can be mounted remotely - up a mast say - with a repeater in the cockpit. Try www.nonstopyacht.com as they supply them for both power and sail. I know that the Nasa Clipper range has a fluxgate compass but I don't know the separation between compass and readout.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by jleaworthy on 15/02/2003 23:52 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[spannerman]

If you buy a flux gate compass then the compass will have to mounted up on the mast or light pole, but you will then experience precession due to roll, this is fine if you are just going to read it manually as it will average out, but if you are going to slave it to an auto pilot you can expect it to wonder in rough seas as the auto pilot chases the compass. Fitted one to a steel boat and it waa fine only when it was calm.