Posted by jas on July 30, 2002 at 12:24:53:
In Reply to: Do I have to spend $100 for a compass? posted by jweave on July 30, 2002 at 11:47:33:
: Somewhere exists a decent marine grade compass...for under 100$. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just needs to read east so I can hit land in the fog....
These are fantastic. Accurate and they don't get in the way. I purchased mine for about $34 from a store in Reseda, CA called Anchor Marine. Check out the "dealer" section of Ritchie's website or just use search engines to find a dealer near you.
In the Scuppers I like to mount them at the end of one of the foot wells (you do have to cut a hole out somewhere). It's a perfect angle (not quite vertical, but almost) for mounting. All I do is move my foot out of the way to view.
I did a similar mounting w/ my Pro Explorer. They say you don't want to mount the flush mounts flat or horizontal. I think it's somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees. Check the instructions. The compass also comes w/ a light that you can hook up to your fish finder battery. I hooked mine up to my Scupper and put a toggle switch in between the circuit so I can keep it off which is most of the time.
There's no reason to purchase a huge bubble compass or pay big bucks. There are some advantages to a portable compass, but if you're only planning on paddling your kayak, the deck or flush mount is my favorite. The mount comes w/ seals/gaskets. The whole compass back is threaded for a large plastic nut you tighten from the inside of your kayak. The nut clamps or sandwiches the compass tight to the kayak. Mounts more solid than flush mount rod holders. The only thing is you have to have a hatch in order to twist the large nut from the inside of the yak.
Good luck.
jas