Which compass?

[jimbouy]

I need to choose a compass for mi boat.

She's only a little leisure 17.

Something removable, for security.

Any recomendations for somthing that represents good value for money.

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[graham]

I can strongly recommend the Suunto Commander.

It has a bracket you screw to the bulkhead to allow it to be used for steering and can be removed from the bracket for use as a handbearing compass,orfor security.

The backplate has a light which can be wired to the boats battery if required.

I had one on a Hurley 22.

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[samuel]

What ever you do try the light before you pay for the compass
I bought a new Hanse 311 with Plastimo compass in the hatch bridge. I have a grid steering compass in the cockpit under the tiller which I bought 30 years ago. Unfortunately on the very first night cruise I had not fitted a light to my grid compass.
No problem I thought just use the one supplied with the boat.
What a joke, there we are 100 miles from land & the light in the plastimo only shines on the top. You cannot read the card horizontally because the light is shielded by its own rim.
Fortunately we have a GPS repeater on deck & were able to use that plus we set up the self steering using a torch to read the compass till the steering was set then let that take us where it wanted to
The reason I have a grid compass is that when the helm gets tired he often forgets what course he is steering 320 degrees soon becomes 340 or whatever. Plus trying to watch numbers swinging back & forth hypnotises you.
With a grid the skipper sets the course lines & the helm only has to line up a set of parallel lines
The Hanse dealer could not have cared less when I told them about the light at the Southampton boat show

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[sailorman]

try & get a "bosun" grid compass they are sometimes available @ jumbles.
they a very good & were inexpensive when new all plastic from memory i had one on my first 2 boats.
u could post a "wanted" ad.
also try
"outboards & boats" site a good site to buy & sell
www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk

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[VicS]

I have a Bosun grid compass, while it is a perfectly good compass, it is rather large for a small boat. I have two mounting points in the cockpit, one below the companion way which makes it vulnerable to damage and the other below the tiller which is out of harms way but was affected by the steel fuel tank untill I replaced that with a plastic one. In this position there may also be ineraction with the compass in the Autohelm.

I would agree with the suggestion that a compass which can also be used as a hand bearing compass would be a sensible choice. In practice you will only rarely need either for pottering around the Solent, not that I am suggesting you try managing without! I am not familiar with the Suunto one mentioned but Silva offer one and so do Plastimo. Silva also do a small grid compass. I would advise consideration be given to the type of illumination. Luminous markings, as with the Bosun, are IMHO inadequate for a steering compass. I have a low power light (a 24volt bulb running off 12v) above one of the mounting positions.

If you buy from a Jumble sale etc you will obviously look closely at what you are buying but you may find that there are no mounting brackets included. In which case knock the price down and be prepared to make your own. No doubt someone bought the one which was stolen from my boat many years ago but I've still got the mounting brackets.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple>

 

[jimbouy]

I have the iris 50 hand bearing compass.

The boat also came with a Silva compass of sorts.

Now you'll have to excuse my ignorance, but what is a grid compass as opposed to a "normal" compass?

In fact I wonder if the Silva that came with is what you would call a grid compass, it has a needle that swings rather than the card. Whilst the card is moved by hand. I suppose that you can set the card to the req. bearing etc etc.


Any further help much appreciated






<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[bpscmarine]

If you contact us we can offer a full range of magnetic compasses contact us at www.bpsc-marine.co.uk

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[VicS]

That sounds like Silva I was thinking of, but its a long time since I saw one in the flesh. It's the Silva 33? It is actually described as a parallel steering compass in their literature. You use it by setting the graduated ring to the course you want then steer by keeping the needle parallel with the lines below it.

It sounds as though you are Ok with regard to compasses. See how you get along with them as there is no point in shelling out hard earned cash un-necessarily.

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[VicS]

Re: Getting to Ryde

Btw Jim have you come to any decision about a launching site for your crossing to Ryde? I just re-read the thread, which seemed to degenerate into a discussion about ferry charges in remote parts or Scotland, and it crossed my mind that you will need a sheltered launch site with an adjacent pontoon. I think launching dierctly into to Solent from what is most likely to be a lee shore, like Lee on Solent, with a boat with fixed keels could be very difficult with opportunities for disaster. Its a long time since I visited Hardway but if it is as I remember it it is probably close to ideal. Make sure you have a long rope attached to the boat and that someone hangs on to it come what may. I remember rescuing a small boat there once that went adrift while being launched. Also if you go for Portsmouth gen up on the rules for navigating in the harbour entrance on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.qhmportsmouth.com>the Queen's Harbourmaster's website</A>

An alternative would be to find a small friendly boatyard who would launch the boat for you, allow you to use a mooring for a day or two and park the car while you go across to Ryde and only charge you peanuts. I could suggest one in Chichester if it's of interest.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by VicS on 23/03/2004 21:14 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[jimbouy]

Re: Getting to Ryde

I've PM'd you.

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[samuel]

Re: Getting to Ryde

A Grid compas is one where the bowl is usually mounted in gimbals so it stays level all the time . Most ( but not all) are viewed from the top. Hence they sit very well under the tiller where a helmsman can look down on it.
The grid part of it comprises a compas card where the north south line is marked in a highlighted colour. On the top of the bowl is a rotating bezel with 2 lines about 15mm apart. Around the edge of this bezel are graduations marked 0-360 degrees
To operate you rotate the bezel until the degrees read of the course you want agoinst a small mark. You then rotate the boat until the compass card line runs between the 2 bezel lines. It is quite easy to keep 3 lines in parallel when sailing & much easier than trying to watch numbers. As I said earlier tirednes can lead to forgetfullness & the helm can forget the course ( esp after a few beers) the navigator can set the bezel & it is then up to the helm to keep the central( Card) line in the midle of the other 2
Of course you can do something idiotic like my crew one night when they got so lost they started sailing me 180 degrees the wrong way & we went back to Ostend

<hr width=100% size=1>Justisla