A-Z Compass Service

binnacle mount      bracket mount     flush mount
bulkhead mount      compass covers

North Sea Navigator has been serving the compass needs of New York and Long Island for more than 30 years.  We are proud to serve the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, New York ferry lines, official vessels of all types, commercial fishing boats as well as pleasure craft of all makes and sizes.

The following are some of the more commonly asked questions regarding your magnetic compass, we hope they will be of some help to you. Please feel free to contact us for 
further assistance if needed, no question is ever too small!

Q.  Why do I need a functional compass when I have G.P.S.?
A.  Certainly the most common response of boaters today.  Your compass is by no means an obsolete instrument.  Although G.P.S. is a very helpful and sophisticated piece of electronics, it is not a compass and can not be considered a replacement for it.   The course that the G.P.S. shows you is only a historical course, meaning that once you have traveled in a straight line "course over ground" for several minutes it gives you a course of what you have just done not necessarily what you are doing at that very moment.  It takes quite a long time for G.P.S. to catch up to what the boats actual heading is at any given moment.  It is also prone to power failure and temporary downtime, leaving the navigator without any directional reference at all! 

Q.  What does it mean to have a compass adjusted, calibrated or swung?
A.  A compass adjusting procedure is done by using a known directional reference.  These can include a sun azimuth or a known land bearing, for example: a tower or tank.  This directional information is used in conjunction with a pelorus.  The necessary corrections are then made to the internal correctors, and a deviation table is prepared to record any remaining errors if any.

Q.  Is a new compass "pre-adjusted" after assembly at the factory before I buy it?
A.  Most compasses are set for the basic North, South, East, West headings.  This however is done in a magnetically clean environment.  As soon as the same compass is installed on your boat along with, electronics and stereo speakers among many others, the magnetic environment is altered, causing what is known as "deviation".

Q.  Is my compass adjusted by the boat builder or dealership before I take  delivery of a  new boat?
A.  This is a dangerous assumption.  In most cases the answer is no.  It is safe to say that the builder does not adjust the compass based on the fact that all equipment has not yet been installed.  If your dealer has had the compass adjusted for you, a completed deviation table would be furnished.

Q.  What are the common instruments that can create errors?
A.   

Q.  Can I shield my compass from any of the above mentioned disturbances?
A.  Take a moment to think about the result of being able to shield the compass from a magnetic disturbance.  This action would succeed in shielding it from the Earth's magnetism, which is the very thing that makes the compass work to begin with.

Q.  When is a compass in need of repair?

1. When there are cracks in the dome.
2. When fluid levels are low, creating a bubble or fluid is all together empty.
3.  The dial or card is discolored or yellow.
4. When the dial begins to stick * follow these steps to test dial.........
While dockside take note of the compass heading.  Hold any magnetic object to the compass so that the original heading is deflected about 10°.  Remove that object, and see if the dial returns to it's original heading.  
Repeat this several times deflecting the compass to both sides.

[Home]   [Payment & Terms]  [Contact Us]