Swing a new compass

Fizzgig

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Hi, can anyone recommend someone in the Solent area to swing and adjust our new compass please?
We are in Gosport.
Thanks in anticipation
Fizzgig
 
The two functions, adjusting and swinging are quite different. Swinging is a relatively easy task you can carry out yourself, especially in the SOlent with lots of marks and transits. Building the readings for a deviation card takes 30 minutes. If that reveals major deviations, then perhaps there's a physical reason why the compass is off.

New compasses are sold "tuned" for a particular area of the globe, and it would be very unusual to have a southern hemisphere compass sold in the UK.


I agree with Sandy. More info needed before you dash off to an adjuster.

Steel boat or GRP/Wood ? Make of compass ? New or new to you ? Where is it located in the boat ? What seems to be the problem ?
 
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I can't recall any leisure boat that I've been on with a swung compass although the one on the sail training vessel I volunteer on has a card near the nav station.

I sort of swing my own using know transits and the GPS.
 
An accurate compass is a wonderful back-up even if you have (and actually trust) your *electronics. We have relied on ours to steer thru some rough and gnarly sea state conditions when the lag time in the display on our gps plotter was somewhat behind the up-down-sideways motion of the boat for an hour two. (!)

I note that Some folks disrespect this most-primary of nav. instruments. That is their choice, but I try not to crew with them, either.
I had our compass adjusted and swing several years ago, and the fellow doing it was able to adjust it out to zero, and give us a deviation card that reads "steer to compass. We are very lucky that our particular boat came with a factory-install of a high end compass with a large and easily readable card.
It is Good to have confidence in it.

*Not being a complete admirer of old Ned Ludd, I do love our 9" plotter and high def radar. display... oh yes I do! :)

BTW, you may find the on-water swinging of your compass quite interesting to watch and participate in. I sure did.
 
BTW, you may find the on-water swinging of your compass quite interesting to watch and participate in. I sure did.

I did, too.

I suppose the usual reason for having a compass swung and adjusted is because you fit a new engine, but any change to ferrous metal near the compass is a good reason for having it done.
 
Great variety of responses!
Having been trained by the old school I yearn for a compass that will get me home in the event of electrical derangement, batery failure, zombies etc.
Thanks Dawnrazor and Barbican for Compass adjusters. Co.uk. I will contact them.
Very best
Fizzgig
 
Personally, I find when bouncing along in any sort of reasonable sea, the compass is moving about so much that at best the heading is a visual avergae of where it is tending to point ... I am sure compass adjusters can (in theory) get them close to 1 degree, but I cannot see a time I would be able to keep that degree of accuracy in the actual steerage.
 
I'd also recommend Robinson. Used them in the past and they travelled to Shoreham By Sea happily. I think it was the founder/owner's daughter who did ours. Very competent.

W.
 
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