Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

Mr. Sandman · 03-08-2004, 07:47 PM

I was in this camp for years but I am now starting to disagree with this compass thing for esp. smaller boats. It is impossible on many smaller boats...."locate your GPS at least 30" from your compass"...yeah right...not in a 17-26' CC boat.

With all the electronic crap in my console so close to my compass it is way off and I know it. (15 deg+ off) I can improve it a little but it is a pain to do it. I spent two afternoons and gave up. If I pull out all the crap the compass is pretty close. To be honest, I rarely look at the compass anymore anyway. It looks cool at night with the red light but I am addicted to my electronics. , I do keep an accurate hand-held compass in the dash as a backup. But again, I never look at that either and I can't imagine navigating with it in the fog at night...but I have it.

I am half joking here but I was thinking last summer of taking the compass out throwing it away and using the hole as a cup holder...It would be better use out of that space!

I hate to say it but (FOR SMALL BOATS) I think a compass has seen its day and is now obsolete.... sort of like the sextant and the abacus. It works but what is the point? It is FAR easier and more accurate to follow the GPS. If it craps out...take out a spare battery hand held GPS slap it on the dash and go...frankly they are so cheap that you could have 2 spares. Some watches even have gps now! They are as cheap as a good compass and 1000X+ times more accurate.

While I do feel it is important to know how to navigate with a compass and a paper chart (for history's sake as well as the principals of navigation), in today’s world they are obsolete.

IMO a lot of "old salts" and prof. captains preach this is because this is what they were taught and it has worked for 100's of years...and they were also taught don't trust the new-fangled electronics...And to some degree they are right, boaters should know how to navigate. But having grown up learning to nav via a compass and charts, then using Radio Direction Finders, then LORAN and now WASS enabled GPS...(I even took a short course once on Celestial navigation (how to use a sextant)...talk about crude!) ...but the compass has seen its day and it is time to start changing the tune. A LOT more GPS courses are needed for boaters...don't waste too much time on the compass, dividers and parallel rules with paper charts...on a CC? You have got to be kidding. Sure it is important, teach the basics but IMO they should spend A LOT more time how to get the most out of your electronics.

IMO my gps's are the most important thing on my boat. If they don't work, and it is at night, I don't leave the dock. I would not THINK of getting as close to the shore as I do at night without GPS, it would be a death wish. I also think a gps/chartplotter AND BACKUP handheld gps unit is more important then even a life vest...really! As you are FAR more likely to get lost in a fog/night or run aground or even be outside a channel, then sink and have a need for a pfd. (but I have quality pfd's (and wear them) too!).

A compass does not tell you where you are, only about what direction you are heading. Moreover it is fairly crude device on a small boat subject to all kinds of interference. If fact in poor visibility (dense fog) navigating via compass is a good way to run your boat aground. Close is NOT good enough for inshore navigations and a compass is only good enough for close esp. around these waters. For large boats and ships way out at sea compass has more use but still...they rely mostly on electronics.

I know this will rub guys the wrong way but times are a changing and we have to change too. The hard facts are that the cheapest battery gps is better then any compass. I think they should be mandatory for all boats...you can afford a boat you can afford a gps, that simple.

Again, I AM being a little sarcastic here, I practice safe boating and believe and follow the rules and use as much common sense as god gave me. I do have a compass and it is off by about 15 deg..So I deem it near worthless, I also have a backup handheld compass which is very good with a paper chart or two on board...but I don't see I time when I need them anymore...(My dad is rolling over in his grave right now...he loved drawing lines on charts) IMO the cheap GPS have made the compass a museum piece... Most of my charts hang on my wall at home as conversation pieces.

GO DIGITAL

03-08-2004, 07:47 PM	#7
Mr. Sandman Registered User iTrader: (0) Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 7,649	I was in this camp for years but I am now starting to disagree with this compass thing for esp. smaller boats. It is impossible on many smaller boats...."locate your GPS at least 30" from your compass"...yeah right...not in a 17-26' CC boat. With all the electronic crap in my console so close to my compass it is way off and I know it. (15 deg+ off) I can improve it a little but it is a pain to do it. I spent two afternoons and gave up. If I pull out all the crap the compass is pretty close. To be honest, I rarely look at the compass anymore anyway. It looks cool at night with the red light but I am addicted to my electronics. , I do keep an accurate hand-held compass in the dash as a backup. But again, I never look at that either and I can't imagine navigating with it in the fog at night...but I have it. I am half joking here but I was thinking last summer of taking the compass out throwing it away and using the hole as a cup holder...It would be better use out of that space! I hate to say it but (FOR SMALL BOATS) I think a compass has seen its day and is now obsolete.... sort of like the sextant and the abacus. It works but what is the point? It is FAR easier and more accurate to follow the GPS. If it craps out...take out a spare battery hand held GPS slap it on the dash and go...frankly they are so cheap that you could have 2 spares. Some watches even have gps now! They are as cheap as a good compass and 1000X+ times more accurate. While I do feel it is important to know how to navigate with a compass and a paper chart (for history's sake as well as the principals of navigation), in today’s world they are obsolete. IMO a lot of "old salts" and prof. captains preach this is because this is what they were taught and it has worked for 100's of years...and they were also taught don't trust the new-fangled electronics...And to some degree they are right, boaters should know how to navigate. But having grown up learning to nav via a compass and charts, then using Radio Direction Finders, then LORAN and now WASS enabled GPS...(I even took a short course once on Celestial navigation (how to use a sextant)...talk about crude!) ...but the compass has seen its day and it is time to start changing the tune. A LOT more GPS courses are needed for boaters...don't waste too much time on the compass, dividers and parallel rules with paper charts...on a CC? You have got to be kidding. Sure it is important, teach the basics but IMO they should spend A LOT more time how to get the most out of your electronics. IMO my gps's are the most important thing on my boat. If they don't work, and it is at night, I don't leave the dock. I would not THINK of getting as close to the shore as I do at night without GPS, it would be a death wish. I also think a gps/chartplotter AND BACKUP handheld gps unit is more important then even a life vest...really! As you are FAR more likely to get lost in a fog/night or run aground or even be outside a channel, then sink and have a need for a pfd. (but I have quality pfd's (and wear them) too!). A compass does not tell you where you are, only about what direction you are heading. Moreover it is fairly crude device on a small boat subject to all kinds of interference. If fact in poor visibility (dense fog) navigating via compass is a good way to run your boat aground. Close is NOT good enough for inshore navigations and a compass is only good enough for close esp. around these waters. For large boats and ships way out at sea compass has more use but still...they rely mostly on electronics. I know this will rub guys the wrong way but times are a changing and we have to change too. The hard facts are that the cheapest battery gps is better then any compass. I think they should be mandatory for all boats...you can afford a boat you can afford a gps, that simple. Again, I AM being a little sarcastic here, I practice safe boating and believe and follow the rules and use as much common sense as god gave me. I do have a compass and it is off by about 15 deg..So I deem it near worthless, I also have a backup handheld compass which is very good with a paper chart or two on board...but I don't see I time when I need them anymore...(My dad is rolling over in his grave right now...he loved drawing lines on charts) IMO the cheap GPS have made the compass a museum piece... Most of my charts hang on my wall at home as conversation pieces. GO DIGITAL Last edited by Mr. Sandman; 03-08-2004 at 08:34 PM..