Compass on a sailboat stock photo. Image of navigation 9616156

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As any new boat owner soon learns, the sport has a lingo all its own. But even old salts often have a hard time grasping the magnetic compass dialect. Ritchie Navigation explains two unusual but easily understood terms that are vitally important to the accuracy of a compass: Deviation and Compensation.

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To check deviation all the way around the compass, approach your waypoint from several directions. You may need to use several waypoints to complete the circle. Some sailboats and a good many powerboats have two helm stations, each with a compass. Only one of these can be the master compass, so you have to designate one.

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A marine compass will have one set of magnets that is balanced to seek out magnetic north. Magnetic north is not true north — as in the North Pole — but the location of Earth's north polarization, near Greenland. The compass rose on nautical charts shows the difference, called variation, between true north and magnetic north for navigation.

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As the boat turns, the compass continues to point at magnetic north, and the course is shown (relative to magnetic north) in reference to a line, which represents the boat's heading. A compass has what is known as the "card," divided into 360 degrees. Thus, if the card reads 90 degrees, you will be steering a course due east; 180, due south.

Compass on a sailboat stock photo. Image of navigation 9616156

The compass doesn't stand alone! On a boat, a compass is usually used in combination with a chart so that the sailor can determine their position and heading concerning the desired destination. Compass direction is a critical factor in navigation and sailing because it helps sailors avoid hazardous areas, find the shortest route to their.

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15 things you should consider when buying a compass for your boat. A compass ensures safe navigation. Courtesy Ritchie Navigation. A fair number of boats we test today don't have compasses, a shortcoming that many boaters consider a nautical no-no. A compass ensures safe navigation, even when a boat is equipped with a GPS.

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A compass is maintenance-free. Just cleaning up. Clean your compass with soapy water. It is preferable to avoid solvents such as methylene, acetone or white-spirit, which are effective in the short term, but will strongly degrade the surface of the dome. If the liquid in the dome decreases, some models are equipped with a cap to make a top-up.

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The bigger the boat the larger the compass that should be fitted. Adjusting and using the compass; A well found boat will have a 'Deviation Card'. This is produced after adjustment and records the residual errors or deviations. Deviation is the difference between Magnetic North and the direction the compass needle is pointing.

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A compass and/or hand bearing compass: A compass tells you which direction your boat is heading in, north, south, east, or west, as measured in degrees relative to magnetic north. There are 360 degrees representing a full circle, with 0 degrees to the north, 180 degrees to the south, 90 degrees to the east, and 270 degrees to the west.

Using Your Compass

When it comes to navigation at sea, GPS is quickly becoming the go-to solution for boaters all over the world. There are several reasons why GPS is such an attractive option for boaters. First, GPS units are incredibly accurate — they can pinpoint your location within just a few feet, which is far more precise than any compass could ever hope.

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Definitely keep the compass. In addition, always have paper charts of the areas you're boating or planning on boating. Don't rely upon or allow yourself to become dependent upon electronic devices. They are a wonderful convenience. They can allow a disaster if relied upon completely, though.

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Most sailboat compasses have an internal gimbal so the card will stay level when the boat is heeled. Powerboat compasses compensate in one of four ways. First, by using heavy dampening fluid. Second, by installing a weight under the card to slow its motion. The third, designed by Aqua Meter, relies on an air chamber to pivot the card, which.

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Compasses allow you to steer your boat on a magnetic heading and to take a magnetic bearing.. Magnetic or Electronic Compass. Magnetic compasses contain a free-spinning compass card, which aligns with the Earth's magnetic field and points in the direction of magnetic north.Small onboard magnetic fields, caused by ferrous metal (a steel steering wheel or iron engine block), magnets (a speaker.

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Combined with an onwater procedure, a DIY boat owner can adjust a compass to provide a correct bearing. Alternatively, a qualified technician can complete the task. Both GPS-based and line-of-sight compensation methods exist , beginning with the compass installed but not locked into its final position.

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A marine compass is oriented so the N-S line of the compass runs through the pivot point on the compass dial and an index mark on the compass's base. This is called a "lubber's line." This line needs to be aligned along the centerline of the craft: bow/north; stern/south. Take the time to orient the N-S line because a slight offset of only.

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Stand at the backstay and take a bearing of the mast, while someone else checks the steering compass on a variety of headings. If you've got a large crew on board, you can carry out all of this at once: point the boat towards a variety of transits while checking both the hand bearing and steering compasses.