Do you have a compass??

[Geekie1]

Hey cfelton,

My V came with a Ritchie Helmsman compass. I had the same problem as you with the compass fluid leaking out. I went on the Ritchie website and downloaded a manual and the parts list. The manual was very general. There are 2 o-rings and a diaphragm to replace to stop it from leaking. The diaphragm is for expansion and contraction of the compass fluid. The 2 o-rings are for the fill screw and the top globe seal. The globe seal o-ring is the diameter of the top globe and is reached by taking out the retaining ring screws (about 8) on the top mounting flange. I didn't try to replace the top globe seal because if it was bad you would see the leakage. The leak was in the rubber diaphragm which is accessed by opening the bottom of the compass. All in all, it was a very easy job to replace these parts. When I opened the bottom of the compass, the problem with the diaphragm was old age, and the rubber was a gooey mess. The Ritchie compass fluid is available from West Marine and was about $15.00 a pint. A pint completely fills the compass. I used an ear syringe to shoot the fluid into the compass. The total to overhaul the compass was about $30.00. I use the compass so it was money well spent. To have a compass repaired professionally, I got estimates from $75 to $100.

Geek

[bigshrimpin]

If you are really worried, get ten $5 compasses and squirrel them around the boat . . . just in case your 2 GPS's and the other 9 compasses break. :)

I personally think having 2 GPS's (fixed and handheld) is enough, but that's my own personal preference. If both went out which has never happened to me (and I believe has an extremely small chance of happening) . . . a $5 compass in your ditch bag or on a key chain will work just fine. If all 3 failed . . . I think you'd be smart enough to find your way home. Sun rises in the east . . . you have an anchor and a cabin . . . to wait out the fog. If you're offshore 30 miles that might be another story, but 95% of the time you're close enough to land (in shallow enough water to throw anchor) if both GPS's and the $5 compass were to fail on a foggy day.

[Hammerhead]

On the V-20 I hava GPS and a compass.
Generally I use the compass but, I've been in weather that would be hard to tell which way I was going w/o the GPS cuz the compass was spinning around. Clouds rain and waves in the dark made it impossible to otherwise know the way back.
Sure is nicer than the ol'RDFs.

[genesis08]

In my neck of the woods you cannot do without a compass.That is of course the south west of Ireland,{check it out on google earth}so many islands and rocks.If you get stuck out there in fog or poor visability and you have no compass you are up the perverbial creek!!

[Hammerhead]

Originally Posted by genesis08

In my neck of the woods you cannot do without a compass.That is of course the south west of Ireland,{check it out on google earth}so many islands and rocks.If you get stuck out there in fog or poor visability and you have no compass you are up the perverbial creek!!

I checked it out on G'Earth. Looks like a nice place for boating, Lotza protected water. I can imagine in a thick fog it'd be hard not running into something.