Gene Kearns wrote:
There are special issues involved in installing a compass in a steel
vessel, such as initial adjustment of the cardinal points and
installation of a heeling magnet and the criticality of the location
of the compass fore and aft and in reference to other steel structure,
wiring, and potentially transient magnetic situations.

Yep. Locating the thing where the helmsman can see it should be on the
list, too


Adjusting a compass is not a difficult task, but can truly be a time
consuming character building exercise. If you don't have any specific
knowledge or experience doing this, don't have a pelorus, or
non-magnetic tools appropriate to the task, you'll have a much nicer
time hiring the job out.

And it will be a good chance to learn how to do it *right* instead of
fumbling along on old wives tales and internet advice.

Remember that on a steel boat, the compensating magents (two of them,
one for N-S and one for E-W) will be secondary to the flinders balls,
which are two large soft iron spheres located on an adjustable arm
athwartship of the binnacle. These must be situated to cancel out the
boat's magnetic fields before monkeying with the compensators.

DSK