That Silva UN70 looks nifty. There's another one I looked into a couple years ago that is similar, mount or hand bearing, can't recall the make/model at the moment. But this one is a fair bit less expensive and looks more compact also. Thanks for the suggestion. Would be good for paddlecraft too if it's small enough. cheers, John On 1/27/21 4:33 PM, Jim Poulakis wrote:
I second Paul's suggestion. Spirit's compass is on a spare lower washboard. Here are the drawbacks:
1) As Paul said it's not in your line of sight while sailing. This means leaning forward with your head down to read the compass during less-than-ideal visibility conditions instead of taking a quick glance toward the cabin top.
2) You have to step over the lower washboard to get in/out of the cabin when the compass is in place. Mine has been kicked more than a few times.
3) When not in use (90% of the time) the compass/washboard is an unruly, awkward gizmo to store below.
For most of my casual navigation (SF Bay area and Pacific Northwest) I use my old West Marine hockey puck style hand bearing compass. It's not ideal but it works okay. I'm going to look into the Silva UN70, or some other removable cabin-top option for future adventures.
- Jim P.
M17 "Spirit"
On 1/27/2021 3:11 PM, Paul Baker wrote:
Hi Peter, I've been sailing for over 50 years. I can tell you that in my opinion, the best place for a compass is as close as your line of sight as possible. Mounting your compass on the cabin top of your Montgomery is a very logical location. Bravo. Paul
On Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 2:32 PM Peter Zimowsky via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hi all: This may sound dumb and very unprofessional, but . . . I mounted my compass on the deck and it’s easy to see. I have never tripped over it and it doesn’t seem to get in the way. I’m a glue person. I don’t like drilling in the boat. So, I’m a fan of Liquid Nails. I’ve mounted shelves, cup holders, coat hooks, etc on the boat with the glue and it has held for about 3 years. Mounted the compass on a piece of wood and both are glued. HOWEVER, the compass gets slightly in the way when stepping the mast. I’ve added height to the crutch to take care of this.
Pete WinterSky (Zimowsky)
San Juan Islander lost inland - an old salty stuck in the sagebrush
outdoors writer and photographer www.getoutdoorsnorthwest.com <http://www.getoutdoorsnorthwest.com/> Twitter: @zimosoutdoors
"We Can Not Control the Wind But We Can Adjust Our Sails"
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