Compass required?

S

ssobol

Active member
I have a question....

Per the USCG recreational boat requirements, is it required to have a magnetic compass? With the proliferation of electronic heading display devices, is it really necessary to have a magnetic compass? On my boat I usually have at least 3 devices on board that have GPS receivers and COG displays. One of more of these might also have electronic compass components.

According to the Canadian boating regulations a magnetic compass is required for boats over 8m. A boat under 8m is not required to have a magnetic compass if it is operated "within sight of navigation marks".

I cannot find any mention of a required magnetic compass in the USCG recreational boating information on the web.

I just want to know if anyone knows if a magnetic compass is required equipment, I don't want to start along thread on whether having one or not is a good idea.

Thanks.
 
No compass required in the USA. I sold a fluxgate compass to a Canadian who thought he could use it on his charter dive boat--not so, Canada requires a magnetic compass--fluxgate did not qualify. He used it on recreational boat, where it apparently meet the requirements.
 
Agree with Bob, No magnetic or for that matter compass, requirement for US recreational vessels.

Canadian requirements are stricter than US.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_070.thumb.jpg
 
"Dessert 1st" had a nice compass already installed when I bought her, so I left it in place.

On the other hand, I bought "Naknek" new in 2003 and outfitted her to my spec's, which did not include a magnetic compass.

...but I kept my old Boy Scout 'silva (compass) handy in a drawer just in case. Some habits are hard to break. 😄

Best,
C&M
 
ssobol":1r5cwat1 said:
I have a question....

Per the USCG recreational boat requirements, is it required to have a magnetic compass? With the proliferation of electronic heading display devices, is it really necessary to have a magnetic compass? On my boat I usually have at least 3 devices on board that have GPS receivers and COG displays. One of more of these might also have electronic compass components.

According to the Canadian boating regulations a magnetic compass is required for boats over 8m. A boat under 8m is not required to have a magnetic compass if it is operated "within sight of navigation marks".

I cannot find any mention of a required magnetic compass in the USCG recreational boating information on the web.

I just want to know if anyone knows if a magnetic compass is required equipment, I don't want to start along thread on whether having one or not is a good idea.

Thanks.
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I will Never rely only on ELECTRONICS! :wink:
You only have to get bit once. :shock:
 
Even with a kayak it could be essential to know what direction the shoreline or hazardous areas are should a sudden fog bank move in.
 
So I would assume that if you are spending any time in Canadian waters that you would need a compass if you are over 8M which is 26.25 ft. So if you are a C-Dory you should be in compliance. Although I too would not want to depend only on electronics.
 
ssobol"A boat under 8m is not required to have a magnetic compass if it is operated "within sight of navigation marks".[/quote said:
That's a good one. How many times have I found myself socked-in in a matter of minutes. I was within sight of navigation markers just moments ago. Then, there was no requirement for a magnetic compass. Now, it's required. Without a magnetic compass, do I wait until the fog clears so that my boat is legal again in Canada?

There is no requirement that it be an expensive magnetic compass. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Car-Vehicle ... 566e4a25c3

Mark
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In Canada you are required to have a compass if you are out of sight of landmarks. However, you are not required to have charts. So if you are in the soup all you can do is hold a heading, but you might not be able to determine which heading is best. A compass will keep you from sailing in circles though.

If you have a compass, there is no guarantee that it is accurate. Even if it is not, it still might let you hold a constant course (whatever it may truly be). I doubt few if any recreational boat owners have a compass correction card for their compass.

My panel mounted Ritchie compass heading can be tens of degrees different from the GPS COG, even in calm conditions. I have far more confidence in the GPS information than what the compass says.
 
ssobol":295drb41 said:
In Canada you are required to have a compass if you are out of sight of landmarks. However, you are not required to have charts. So if you are in the soup all you can do is hold a heading, but you might not be able to determine which heading is best. A compass will keep you from sailing in circles though.

If you have a compass, there is no guarantee that it is accurate. Even if it is not, it still might let you hold a constant course (whatever it may truly be). I doubt few if any recreational boat owners have a compass correction card for their compass.

My panel mounted Ritchie compass heading can be tens of degrees different from the GPS COG, even in calm conditions. I have far more confidence in the GPS information than what the compass says.
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I find it somewhat amusing to see a discussion of minimal requirements for a pleasure craft sailing in Canadian waters. Like the fear of prosecution is all one should be concerned with? Hey, we are Canadian- friendly and polite --LOL. Now lets get to the safety aspect regardless of the Regs. A back-up minimum hand held compass is always along with a small Richie cabin mounted magnetic compass on my 16' C-Dory. Charts -- I would never leave on any trip without paper charts. Why-- because electronic systems can and do fail at times. Yes complying with the Regs. is good -- common sense is better--IMO
 
"Be prepared -- that's the Boy Scouts marching song."

If an electronic system (or systems) can fail, someday they will.

We will be cruising north of the magnetic pole in a few weeks, so my old scout compass might have a problem.:-)
 
I have the compass directly in front of the helm, I'd feel funny without it. I always am checking it's reading to the gps heading
I for one need a good fixed mount compass aboard
El and Bill you'll be surprised at the dip up north, just where you really need a compass they don't work, they dip down and the card sticks
George
 
I am probably considered old school as long as it has been since I did any serious boat traveling but I would want a magnetic compass that had been installed and swung by a professional......not even sure I would use a chart plotter, probably just pull out the paper charts, parralell rules, and dividers, the radar does help greatly in keeping tabs on any pendulum swing caused by tide or wind, "line up high/low points" in the geography worked well with good visability to track relative position. I actually enjoyed working with the charts.
 
My main compass is a KVH 1000, fluxgate. For daily use, I rely on the RayMarine chartplotter, with a Garmin back-up. If they do not agree, (like on depths or rock positions) I don't go there.

Spending more time at anchor on this last trip than ever before, I found that at anchor, I shut down almost all of the electronics. The little Garmin 640 is left on to record a track for positioning checks. For swing monitoring, I have a magnetic Ritchie, that is not mounted (yet) that I would place where it was convenient to view. (I had 2 nights where I had some 40 to 60 degree swings resulting from wind and wave motion.

For the record, I also have on board a hand bearing compass, internal to a pair of binocs. I have used that for position verification on occasion.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_070.thumb.jpg
 
Gene Stebbs.":s9r9yaiq said:
I am probably considered old school as long as it has been since I did any serious boat traveling but I would want a magnetic compass that had been installed and swung by a professional......not even sure I would use a chart plotter, probably just pull out the paper charts, parralell rules, and dividers, the radar does help greatly in keeping tabs on any pendulum swing caused by tide or wind, "line up high/low points" in the geography worked well with good visability to track relative position. I actually enjoyed working with the charts.
Click to expand...

I enjoyed sitting at a nice big navigation table, pulling chart rolls out of their pigeon holes, plotting LORAN readings under the kerosene lamp. But those days are gone. NOAA paper charts are bigger than my new pilot house (do they still make paper charts?). On the other hand, my new chart plotter is the size of a hip flask.

Mark
CD 16
 
For most boaters, in most places, under most conditions, the talk of GPS COG versus compass heading is academic. In theory, though, they are measuring two different pieces of information. The compass is representing the true magnetic direction that the nose of the boat is pointing at that instant; the GPS is showing a series of the recent locations plus current location of the boat relative to points on the earth (the boat's track).
A difference in the two readings can be caused by tide, current and wind conditions. For instance: I'm just cruising along on a 90* compass heading, and as I pass an island I'm suddenly contending with a 15kt. wind and 5kt. current, both coming directly on my port beam. To offset these affects I steer towards those forces to port, to reach my destination. Now my boat is yawing, or "crabbing". During this stretch the compass heading may be 85*, but COG display will be further E (toward my starboard), showing perhaps 95*.
So depending on circumstances, compass heading may be of most use...especially if my GPS craps out.
I think the other factor is that, like using my car and phone GPS's, when using it on the boat I tend to "follow the bouncing ball", being less mindful of the details of my surroundings. To plot a course on chart and follow a compass is much more of an active process, requiring constant decision making and choices.
All that being said...I usually use my GPS :smiled
 
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