compass mount

[Fly4rfun]

How many have a compass on their Daysailer? if so where and how is it mounted.

[tomodda]

Mine is mounted to a flat "cap" that I built on top of the daggerboard case. Although my very old DS1 has a centerboard that is lower than most, there is no additional "hump" jutting above the lateral thwarts. I'll post a photo as soon as it stops raining around here. But my original setup (also non-standard) was a "bubble" style compass mounted just under the cuddy deck, in the center. I've seen folk also simply mount it off-center on a thwart, that works. I like the compass for telling me if I'm splitting tacks properly and so I can see if I'm getting headed or lifted. I haven't sailed far enough away from landmarks to need it for navigation.

[Fly4rfun]

Thanks Tom, mine also is flat without a rise. will be interested in seeing your photo. going to be redoing the boat so want to do all modifications before I paint

G

[GreenLake]

Note that the cuddy opening on a DS is reinforced by rebar. You don't want a compass too close.

[Fly4rfun]

thanks for the reminder

[tomodda]

Yes, my old compass was on some kind of bayonet thingy that plugged into a socket that was then screwed to a plate under the roof. In other words, it got in the way, and would fall off if I knocked into it. Was far enough from the rebar not to be affected. But I was very sure to move my new compass around the cockpit to make sure it wasn't deviated by anything. Sure enough, getting close to stainless steel was bad. Fortunately, most of my blocks and cam cleats are Tufnol, the horn cleats are all bronze, so I'm good. Funny enough, the most magnetic spot (as in something that deviates the compass) was up by my mini-chainplate, holding up the stays. Lots of stainless there.

I found a photo of my present set up, just need to shrink it for posting. Will do later.

[GreenLake]

Stainless shouldn't be magnetic, or, more accurately, the better grades are much less magnetic. Looks like your chainplate is 304 not 316.

[GreenLake]

I have a hand bearing compass that I bought before I had a GPS to take bearings of certain landmarks to better know how far out I made it into the bay or lake. Fun days, those. I had a laminated chart and one trip we didn't have a straight edge so we used a dollar bill. I still have the charts, but their only use is to let me check where the shore is shelving or has submerged boulders.

When not in use, I'd tie the compass to one of the thwarts. But it was too difficult to read in that position. I don't have much occasion to sail a compass course anyway, because I'm normally surrounded by landmarks. But I have sailed places where that's not the case. In those cases it's easier to steer a compass course, and then make occasional corrections, instead of trying to slavishly stay on the "dotted line" between waypoints in the GPS. (Assuming open water, that is).

[Fly4rfun]

at this time any water i would sail on won't need a compass, but want to be familiar just in case, I am very familiar with navigation from a aviation stand point, so shouldn't have to much problem. except the visualization of the landmarks won't be as good.

[tomodda]

As I wrote up above, the real utility of a compass for us landlocked sailors is to see how well we are progressing upwind. It's an ADI, if you will stand the very loose analogy. Here's mine:

Compass on CB cap

IMG_20200614_194437_copy_1008x756_copy_756x567.jpg (156.4 KiB) Viewed 29413 times

[Fly4rfun]

Tom

was the wood its mounted on original or did you or the po add it? also curious about all your cleats

[tomodda]

The wood is not original. I bought her with the original mahogany seats (single piece, not planks), which were mostly rotted out. I used the originals to make a template for my new seats, which are Camaru wood. A tropical hardwood, heavier than mahogany, expensive, but absolutely rot-proof. And pretty, at least when it's oiled. An absolute, iron-clad, B*TCH to work... I had to use a 5hp router to cut out my curves, and even then I needed to go at it with multiple 1/4 inch deep cuts. Was worth it though, at least in my humble opinion . I still have the original seats and use the non-rotted parts to make various bits and bobs of projects both on the boat and around the house. Nice mahagony, although it's Central American, not the really good stuff from Africa (you can tell cuz it's not as red or dense).

As for all the lines on the CB deck, this was a "test" fit of my new running rigging setup. From fore (the two cleats on the thwart), to aft, they are:

-Jib cleats, Tufnol, no keeper loop, so the jib sheets can be popped off into your hand whenever you need. Note that I tie the ends of the jib sheets together, so they don't get mixed up - this was a GL suggestion, thank you! If the wind is over 7 knots or so, I don't leave the jib sheets in the cleats, they are in my hand.

-Compass. Screwed and glued to the aft plank, slightly overlapping the thwarts, but not attached to them. THis so I can easily disassemble the whole thing, if I need. Like if I need to redo the caulking for the thru-bolts at the top of the CB trunk. I need to do that....

-Swivel cleat and tube for the vang. I got "fancy" and led my vang to the centerboard, so I can adjust it while hiked out. In higer winds and solo sailing, I have jib sheet and vang in one hand, mainsheet and tiller in the other, and I lean out as far as my old body and lazy core muscles will let me... The CB vang is really nice, but a convenience, not a necessity. I'd even say it's a "toy." I'm trying to perfect my upwind vang-sheeting, truly fascinated by the technique ever since I discovered it on this forum. The new vang placement really helps. I don't even want to discuss how much this cost! Several hundred bucks, if you include the tools I had to buy (reuseable, at least) and the fresh marine-grade epoxy. Oh, and I sliced the hell out of my left thumb, adding one more scar to my collection!

-Spinnaker sheets, red for port, green for star. What you don't see are the turning blocks aft and midships to lead the sheets to these cleats. Had to build mounting pads, backing pads, etc. Fun project. I still need to build a better system to hold the guy lines (lazy sheet), for now I'm just "winging it." In other words, I tell my crew to hang on to it by hand.

-Mainsail sheet. OK, this was a vanity project, I had these beautiful bronze camcleats and I wanted to use them. I already had a spare ratchet block, I bought an old swivel base on ebay and machined a part so I could attach the cam cleat to it. Fun project. Essential? No.. I had a perfectly fucntional Ronstan swivel cleat&block before. But this one makes me smile!

-Spinnaker halyard. Hard to see, but it's the camcleat at the back, I led the spinaker halyard to it via a somewhat circuitous path. I got the idea from Phill Root (here: https://daysailer.org/Rigging-Guide). It has a 1:2 reverse purchase, so it pulls the chute up 2' for every 1' pulled. And it's positioned so the helmsman (me!) can pull up the chute while steering standing upright, behind the CB. Best place to be while scooting downwind and trying to get the spin' raised. Let my crew sweat the little details like setting up the spin' pole. In practice, the 1:2 purchase gets the spinnaker up the mast in one big heave, it's great. WHOMP! You've seen the movie Wind, right? If not, go watch it. Silly sailing fun. Break out the Whomper!

That's it. I havent' gotten the chance to test the whole system in "real wind", like above 12 knots. But so far it works and it's fun.

Tom

P.S. Well it works NOW, first sail had the inevitable breakages, I've fixed them.

[GreenLake]

As I wrote up above, the real utility of a compass for us landlocked sailors is to see how well we are progressing upwind. It's an ADI, if you will stand the very loose analogy.

Tom, I wonder if you could unpack this use of a compass with a bit more detail, perhaps in a thread under "seamanship". It's clearly separate from the issue where to mount one. I also think that it's not something that's already second nature to all current or new DS sailors, so a reasoned discussion would be a valuable thing to have on the forum.

[tomodda]

Sure, I'll try and wrap my head around it again and explain it. Honestly, I have to re-teach myself at least once a summer....

[Fly4rfun]

I would be interested in that discussion, as mentioned before, I am familiar with using aviation style magnetic compass for bare bones navigating (pilotage) actually I enjoyed this type of flying, as it kept me sharp. so if i lost all electronics i could follow a course using my map (sectional) and following the ground references id picked out. so I Imagine it would be the same idea but probably more difficult as you don't have the height (altitude) advantage