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Due North
Article posted on: Sep/26/01
author:
(howto@noreast.com)
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A compass is an essential piece of marine and angling equipment. A low hanging fog can roll in or darkness can descend quickly when you’re in the process of making "just one more cast" and a wrong turn along an unfamiliar shoreline can leave you totally disoriented. The situation can even become life-threatening if severe weather is on the way. Suddenly, a compass becomes a necessity.
When things aren’t as desperate, a compass can help you to troll a particular lane time after time so you hit those spots that produced well the day before. It can also give you the proper bearing to begin and end a drift without having to depend upon approximate direction by sighting landmarks. A depth recorder or Loran equipment aren’t meant to replace a compass. All three are essential in their own right for specific purposes.
Critical charactreristics of any compass are its degree of accuracy, dampening capability, built in compensation, and ability to adjust to the pitch and roll of the water. Depending upon optional features, a marine compass can cost from as little as under $30 to several hundred.
For inshore angling, a basic compass with readings accurate to within 5 degrees, a sunshade, and some sort of illumination for night use is recommended. Offshore runs will require a compass with readings accurate to 2 degrees and a larger "card" or dial to make seeing the compass heading easier while at the helm.
Compass accuracy depends on the number of features that together achieve a high level of precision. These include the magnet, the pivot assembly, the dampening fluid, the compensating system and, of course, overall manufacturing quality.
Dampening is the ability of the compass to resist oscillating while the boat is underway. Dials on some compasses may tend to spin when they’re subject to this sort of vibration, pitch, and roll, making it extremely difficult to maintain an accurate course. In general, a well dampened compass should come to rest within 3 to 5 seconds after being moved. This is achieved by a combination of the pivot assembly (the mechanism that allows the compass direction controls to rotate freely as it seeks north) and the fluid that floats the compass in its capsule. A clear oil that doesn’t expand at high temperatures, create air bubbles, or yellow with time is standard on the better compases
A compass must also compensate for potential errors caused by being on a boat. All boats are made with at least some iron-bearing materials that can distort compass readings. More influential, perhaps, is the electronic equipment can create some severe electromagnetic interference.
Once installed, the compass should be compensated by adjusting its set of internal magnets to true north. Most boaters re-calibrate their compass each year when they remove the vessel from winter storage, but a more frequent schedule of verifying true readings is recommended, particulary if you’re in the habit of making long runs offshore. This is mandatory, no matter how good or how expensive your compass might be.
Having a good compass means nothing without knowing how to use it. The time to start to learn compass and map reading procedures is when you’re young, and manufacturers encourage parents to teach young anglers the steps.
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| Some of these articles have been gathered from the archives of Nor'east Saltwater and all references to size and bag limits may be out of date. Be sure to check the regulations section of our website for the latest regulations in your area. |
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