Compass in a Tiller Boat

[Stormsearch]

Has anybody come up with a good solution of using a compass in a tiller? In smaller boats, I mainly mount them on the starboard side gunnel and can turn enough to get a decent view. But on the larger tillers???? Thought about mounting one directly across from the seat on a the electronics box (port side) and relying on the fact that I will always be 90 deg off? Do they make a model that can be adjusted 90 deg off? Any solutions? Thanks.

[cisco]

It would help to see your boat to know where best to mount the compass, but one does not have to see it to know you should be a minimum of 3 feet away from your electronics.

What do you mean by 90 degrees off? The direction you are looking has nothing to do with the compass reading -- north will still be north. Same as using a hand-held compass out in the field. You make the "adjustment," not the compass.

[Stormsearch]

In the past, I just mounted the compass on the gunnel of the starboard side. Since my boat then did not have a large beam, I could peer out of my right eye and get a compass reading that my boat was heading. With the larger beam tillers, I can't do that.

The direction I am looking is the line of sight of the boat heading. On the larger tiller boats with the wider beams, I cannot mount a compass that I can see where the compass direction line corresponds to a compass reading. This is important if a GPS gives a bearing to head for and you cannot see the compass direction line without turning around in your seat.

What I meant regarding the 90 deg off, was that if I am facing perpendicular to the centerline of the boat, looking at my electronic command center on the port side of the boat, and mounted a compass there to face me, then the I would not be reading the direction of the boat heading but 90 deg off. If I could adjust the compass to read 90 deg off, then I could see my boat heading. I know what North is, but being able to see your compass heading while boating is important.

[AquaMan]

Since the window of most compasses faces opposite of the direction you are traveling, a side mounted compass will not provide a full view of the window. A tiller does not have a location where you can mount the compass in front of you. So it needs to be mounted on the Starboard or Port side. If you face the compass forward, you can only view 1/4 of the window and the travel direction line faces rearward.

I bought a compass that allowed you to adjust for a side mount. I got it from Cabelas. Aire was the make.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

[Tommy Mac]

Stormsearch,
I found a solution not only of having a clear view of my compass but also of being able to view and adjust my GPS/sonar while underway in my tiller, without having to look to the side. After buying a gps for my boat I found it a pain to have to reach over to the port side to set a course or adjust any of the settings on my GPS.

What I did was take a piece of of white poly, 1/2 inch thick, and cut to about 6X12 inch's. I then mounted this to a RAM mount and installed it on the starboard side of the boat just in front of my seat. I installed the assembly to the top of a shelf on my boat. You could mount the assembly directly onto the gunnel of a smaller boat. I then installed my compass and LMS 350 to the board. It has given me the ability to look straight at my compass and to adjust settings on the sonar and GPS while underway. Hope it helps. TM

[Spurdog]

I had this same problem and found a great solution. It's a Ritchie "fluxgate" electronic compass, that reads on a dial just like a speedometer, and has a remote sensor that mounts elsewhere. It makes no difference where you mount the readout. I have mine on a small starboard console parallel to the gunnel, where I can read it easily from the tiller. The sensor in in the stern under the splashwell. This equipment has been extremely effective for me--sensitive and reliable. It's pricey--I think about 300, but hey, it works on the big marine vessels. These are avialable thru any of the big marine catalogs.

[Stormsearch]

Thanks guys for the responses. Looks like I do have options to consider.