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#1
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
max camirand wrote:
I'm looking for a real gimballed marine compass, with a flat face usable with a direction-finder. You don't say where in the world you are. Here in Denmark, my first choice would be Weilbach in Copenhagen - they've been in the business of compasses, charts, etc since 1755 or so. I have sailed on a ship that has one of their compasses, gimballed and with a flat face. Haven't tried with a direction- finder, but it looks like it ought to work well. Big thing, probably approved to be used on much bigger ships that ours... http://www.weilbach.dk/netbutik.asp?...fold4479&l=155 -H |
#2
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
On Dec 3, 1:54*pm, Heikki wrote:
max camirand wrote: I'm looking for a real gimballed marine compass, with a flat face usable with a direction-finder. You don't say where in the world you are. Here in Denmark, my first choice would be Weilbach in Copenhagen - they've been in the business of compasses, charts, etc since 1755 or so. I have sailed on a ship that has one of their compasses, gimballed and with a flat face. Haven't tried with a direction- finder, but it looks like it ought to work well. Big thing, probably approved to be used on much bigger ships that ours... http://www.weilbach.dk/netbutik.asp?...fold4479&l=155 -H Thanks for the link! Sorry for the oversight: The boat is in Seattle, USA. Those compasses look excellent, but they're very expensive. Maybe I shouldn't have any illusions about getting a good compass for little money, but I hope I can find a commercial ship outfitter that carries a decent product at non-yacht prices. -m |
#3
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
max camirand wrote:
On Dec 3, 1:54 pm, Heikki wrote: max camirand wrote: I'm looking for a real gimballed marine compass, with a flat face usable with a direction-finder. You don't say where in the world you are. Here in Denmark, my first choice would be Weilbach in Copenhagen - they've been in the business of compasses, charts, etc since 1755 or so. I have sailed on a ship that has one of their compasses, gimballed and with a flat face. Haven't tried with a direction- finder, but it looks like it ought to work well. Big thing, probably approved to be used on much bigger ships that ours... http://www.weilbach.dk/netbutik.asp?...fold4479&l=155 -H Thanks for the link! Sorry for the oversight: The boat is in Seattle, USA. Those compasses look excellent, but they're very expensive. Maybe I shouldn't have any illusions about getting a good compass for little money, but I hope I can find a commercial ship outfitter that carries a decent product at non-yacht prices. -m Try this carefully crafted google search http://www.google.com/search?q=marine+%22grid+compass Unfortunately I have yet to see one in decent condition at a good enough price. If you have around $100 you *might* get lucky with a used one Ships will all be using gyrocompasses or fluxgates now. Your only chance of beating yachtie pricing would be if you know a shipbreakers who are currently scrapping an old fishing fleet. -- Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED) ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL: |
#4
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
On Dec 3, 2:38*pm, IanM wrote:
max camirand wrote: On Dec 3, 1:54 pm, Heikki wrote: max camirand wrote: I'm looking for a real gimballed marine compass, with a flat face usable with a direction-finder. You don't say where in the world you are. Here in Denmark, my first choice would be Weilbach in Copenhagen - they've been in the business of compasses, charts, etc since 1755 or so. I have sailed on a ship that has one of their compasses, gimballed and with a flat face. Haven't tried with a direction- finder, but it looks like it ought to work well. Big thing, probably approved to be used on much bigger ships that ours... http://www.weilbach.dk/netbutik.asp?...fold4479&l=155 -H Thanks for the link! Sorry for the oversight: The boat is in Seattle, USA. Those compasses look excellent, but they're very expensive. Maybe I shouldn't have any illusions about getting a good compass for little money, but I hope I can find a commercial ship outfitter that carries a decent product at non-yacht prices. -m Try this carefully crafted google search http://www.google.com/search?q=marine+%22grid+compass Unfortunately I have yet to see one in decent condition at a good enough price. *If you have around $100 you *might* get lucky with a used one Ships will all be using gyrocompasses or fluxgates now. *Your only chance of beating yachtie pricing would be if you know a shipbreakers who are currently scrapping an old fishing fleet. -- Ian Malcolm. * London, ENGLAND. *(NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED) ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL: Ah-ha, I didn't know they were called grid compasses. Large ships are still built with magnetic compasses, even today (source: I am a merchant marine officer). We don't ever /use/ them, but they're there, on the monkey bridge, viewable from below at the wheel. As you mentioned, all merchant ships are now primarily using gyrocompasses. Good idea about looking for old fishing vessels. They're likely to have something. My other option is to get a "regular" compass and then whittle up a direction finder on a fixed card in order to get a relative bearing and mathematically apply it to the boat's compass heading and get the compass bearing that way. Or maybe I'm just dumb for wanting to navigate without electronic aids. -m |
#6
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
On Dec 3, 4:42*pm, I am Tosk wrote:
Not dumb at all. It is a skill, you desire to get better at it. It all just depends on how far you want to go with your sport I'll keep a handheld GPS onboard in case I get hopelessly lost in an emergency situation Otherwise, I'm limiting myself to: lead line rotator log compass sextant timepiece binoculars I'm a merchant marine officer, so I studied navigation professionally (both the "old" and "new" ways), and GPS has made the job a boring button-pushing nightmare. I'd like to get away from that on my yacht. I have no illusions about "going back to nature" or any garbage like that. Slocum didn't have an accurate timepiece, while I will have one, and the Polynesians only had some cleverly marked sticks. It's just that I love navigation and I feel GPS takes all of the magic away from making landfall. Going back to the methods of the 1800s will at least involve some level of skill. Too bad it's more expensive to do things the traditional way. |
#7
posted to rec.boats.building
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LF real gimballed compass
max camirand wrote:
On Dec 3, 4:42 pm, I am Tosk wrote: Not dumb at all. It is a skill, you desire to get better at it. It all just depends on how far you want to go with your sport I'll keep a handheld GPS onboard in case I get hopelessly lost in an emergency situation Otherwise, I'm limiting myself to: lead line rotator log compass sextant timepiece binoculars I'm a merchant marine officer, so I studied navigation professionally (both the "old" and "new" ways), and GPS has made the job a boring button-pushing nightmare. I'd like to get away from that on my yacht. I have no illusions about "going back to nature" or any garbage like that. Slocum didn't have an accurate timepiece, while I will have one, and the Polynesians only had some cleverly marked sticks. It's just that I love navigation and I feel GPS takes all of the magic away from making landfall. Going back to the methods of the 1800s will at least involve some level of skill. Too bad it's more expensive to do things the traditional way. I have nothing against doing "real" navigation. That and the paper charts still work after a lighting strike. (The story is good, plan on buying at least three rounds of beer if you want to hear it all.) Prowl the chandlers and set traps on E-bay. You might get lucky. We that are old enough to use that stuff are dying off fast and the kids don't want it. Might I suggest that you get a decent box compass. They are all flat top, but that doesn't matter. Also get a pair of binoculars with a bearing compass in them. A Sextant is neat, mine is Bendix Mark2. Been in the family since WWII. I Dread to think what any decent device would cost if you could find it. A friend has a more modern one with a half silvered front mirror. I just can't make it pull down right. Maybe if I was used to it. If you want a mechanical chronometer, good luck, they are collectors items. A good modern wrist watch will work as well if it is kept at a more or less constant temperature. You rate it - just like always. Are going to do any long passages off soundings? Because, a taffrail log is a serious PITA and when you see the shark that snatches the spinner, you can kiss that one good-by. Lead lines are an another amazing PITA. Pretty much useless if you are single handing. Lots of them around and often for the price of the lead. I wish you fair wind and smooth sea. Matt Colie - Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner (also- 40++ years) and Perpetual Sailor. |
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