Telltale Compass

[OceanSprint]

I would like to have a compass on display inside the cabin, so I can keep an eye on the course, and I don't want to pay a fortune ( eg £50 ish second hand). Best place would be on the deckhead. I think a compass designed to be mounted upside down is called a telltale compass. Can anyone suggest a simple practical solution ?

 

[NormanS]

I would like one too, please, for the deckhead above my bunk. It doesn't have to be precise, but it would be good to know, when woken, if the wind, (and boat) had gone round.

 

[Woodlouse]

I would like to have a compass on display inside the cabin, so I can keep an eye on the course, and I don't want to pay a fortune ( eg £50 ish second hand). Best place would be on the deckhead. I think a compass designed to be mounted upside down is called a telltale compass. Can anyone suggest a simple practical solution ?

I thought they were called deckhead compasses. I'm considering getting one as well since it would be nice to keep an eye on the course from ones bunk.

 

[OceanSprint]

Seems like there is a gap in the market here !

 

[JumbleDuck]

Seems like there is a gap in the market here !

I have an old Sestrel catalogue which lists an upside-down compass for mounting above the owner's bunk. I've never seen one, though.

 

[FWB]

I use a hand bearing compass. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally upside down or right way up.
It's above my bunk but I need my glasses to read it

 

[NormanS]

I use a hand bearing compass. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally upside down or right way up.
It's above my bunk but I need my glasses to read it

The only hand bearing compasses, except for digital ones, that I know have a bearing that doesn't work upside down. Can you point us in the direction of one that does, please. (There's a sort of a pun in there).

 

[FWB]

The only hand bearing compasses, except for digital ones, that I know have a bearing that doesn't work upside down. Can you point us in the direction of one that does, please. (There's a sort of a pun in there).

Yes one of these
http://www.force4.co.uk/593/Silva-70-UNE-Compass.html

 

[Iliade]

The only hand bearing compasses, except for digital ones, that I know have a bearing that doesn't work upside down. Can you point us in the direction of one that does, please. (There's a sort of a pun in there).

Stick a silva 70 series on the bulkhead and a shaving mirror on the deckhead. Two birds, one stone (no need to find glasses to read compass) :0)

 

[FWB]

Stick a silva 70 series on the bulkhead and a shaving mirror on the deckhead. Two birds, one stone (no need to find glasses to read compass) :0)

Well it's an idea, sort of. At least without my glasses I can tell if we're heading N to E or some other direction since there are less digits N to E

 

[NormanS]

Yes one of these
http://www.force4.co.uk/593/Silva-70-UNE-Compass.html

Thanks, but not sure if these work upside down? I might phone them on Monday

Stick a silva 70 series on the bulkhead and a shaving mirror on the deckhead. Two birds, one stone (no need to find glasses to read compass) :0)

I had something like that on a previous boat. Reading a compass using a mirror can be quite confusing. Good enough to get an idea of the way you're lying at anchor from your bunk, though.

 

[FWB]

They work anyway up. It says so in the blurb, plus I have got one and it's worked that way for the past eleven years.
It's my standby compass should the fluxgate ever fail.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Think the £30 Ritchie ones can be mounted upside down too... see:
http://www.ritchienavigation.com/ca...105&pgid=3D06085F-5A92-11D8-9572-8734EAAAE1CC
http://www.ritchienavigation.com/docs/rs-0130.pdf

 

[OceanSprint]

Think the £30 Ritchie ones can be mounted upside down too... see:
http://www.ritchienavigation.com/ca...105&pgid=3D06085F-5A92-11D8-9572-8734EAAAE1CC
http://www.ritchienavigation.com/docs/rs-0130.pdf

This might turn when it is upside down, but the dial will then be marked inversely, I.e. E will be W

 

[OceanSprint]

Yes one of these
http://www.force4.co.uk/593/Silva-70-UNE-Compass.html

Again, this may turn when mounted upside down, but you will be looking at the underside of the compass card and hence see nothing ?

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Take a look on ebay for an "E2B" compass. They are used as the standby compass on aircraft and go quite cheaply when out of service but would do the job on a boat perfectly.

 

[FWB]

Again, this may turn when mounted upside down, but you will be looking at the underside of the compass card and hence see nothing ?

I happen to have one here in a drawer at home, was used in a car years ago. It doesn't turn inverted, and yes the card would be upside down anyway.

 

[OceanSprint]

Yep, looks like the E2A, E2b or E2C will do it.

The only one for a yacht that is still being made that I can find is the Dirigo telltale compass

http://www.celestaire.com/vmchk/Compasses/Dirigo-Telltale-Compass/vmj_estore.tpl.html

about £200. It would be cheaper to put a flux gate readout on the deck head! Perhaps I wil revert to plan A, and just use a handheld GPS. But a compass would look better.

 

[john_morris_uk]

On some boats I've sailed there's been a Multi Repeater from the instruments mounted at the skippers bunk. You can program it to read out whatever you want; sometimes several items to a page. i.e.. wind speed and direction or speed and depth or distance run and course steered etc

I usually set the first page I see to read wind speed and direction, but if you wanted course steered or even course made good those would be possible provided you've got some sort of integrated instrumentation.

Just an idea, but you'll still have to consider a back up compass if you're looking at redundancy in instrumentation.

 

[nigelmercier]

Could you not use a cheap digital compass?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B006WHNKZW/dolcetto-21

Perhaps wired up to the lighting circuit via a voltage regulator, as they use their internal batteries quite quickly in compass mode.