Compass

[marsanden]

On my 2001 mac x there is a compass bulkhead mounted on the other side than the 12 volt panel.
This location its good against interference, but i dont find the way to take there the AC line.
Ther's anybody who can suggest me the way?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Are you trying to hook up a light in the compass? Do you mean the DC 12v line? I used the line going to the head light to get some power to other devices on that side.

You can also get more wires to that starboard cavity by going across under the aft berth then up the backside of the head and into the cavity. The wire will be exposed for the small gap where you exit the lower sink cavity and cross the flat panel to the upper cavity.

[Fairwinds]

Use a "twisted pair" of wires to avoid a magnetic field which might effect the compass accuracy. That card must not move when you turn on the light(s).

[marsanden]

Are you trying to hook up a light in the compass? Do you mean the DC 12v line? I used the line going to the head light to get some power to other devices on that side.

Thanks, Duane and yes, its excatly what i need to.
Cause i dont like exposed wires , think the best choice could be the head light, but.....no head light in my Mac....no light on that side of the boat....

[Chip Hindes]

no head light in my Mac....no light on that side of the boat....

Better to wire it into your running lights anyway. If you wire it into the interior lighting, unless you add another switch in between, it's on whenever the interior light circuit is on and vice versa.

Mine is installed on the port bulkhead (see, I admit the original Havencraft didn't do everything right). That is exaclty where you don't want it; switching the running lights on the power panel makes it deviate more than 10 degrees. I'm planning to move it to the starboard bulkhead this spring, I only hope the head light doesn't also affect it. Of course, usually the head light is off when I need to light the compass, but it's just not right, and hurts my sensibilities.

[Frank C]

I found it convenient to run wires under the aft berth (as Duane wrote), into the 26X head, and then up the head interior immediately along (behind) the door hinges. If desired, you can hide the wires in a simple plastic wiring channel, the kind the sell for hiding wires along your household baseboard. The plastic wiring channel tucks neatly into that curled seam for the door hinges, but the wires are well-hidden anyway along that seam.

[March]

I had wires already installed in the steering column, to power up the depthfinder. When I upgraded the electrical system a few years back, I moved the old fuse panel inside the column, after I replaced it with a heftier main one which is still below deck. It was easy to connect power for the compass--this system gives me a fuse to the depthfinder, one to the compass, and another one to a 12V outlet (cigarette lighter) which is also mounted on the column.

I had another problem, however. The Ritchie compass originally installed outside the steering column, below the tach, would show a deviation of about 10-15 degrees, or even more. I solved that problem (temporarily) by installing the compass on a short axle which goes into the receptacle for the mast crutch. Now I can disconnect the compass and store it below when the mast is lowered. No more deviation.

[tomasrey88]

I use a cheap $5 boy scout's compass. It comes in a small plastic bulb so that it points in the same direction and stays level even if the boat is rocking. I use a el-cheapo handheld GPS (Gecko Garmin) that costs me less than $100 on eBay. You can program waypoints into it to help you navigate a course. Best of all, it floats, is brightly colored and is waterproof.

For "backup" and a salty image, I have a cheap souvenir sextant that probably doesn't work too well. I still haven't figured out how to use it... yet. But, I do have a book that I bought off a garage sale for 2 bucks. I guess, I can speed read it if I lose my GPS in mid-journey. Or I can simply sail in one direction until I read land, then sail along the land until I reach my point of origin (I sail in lakes, mostly).

For charts, I just go to the library and trace over real charts with really thin paper if the chart is big. If it is small enough to fit in the copy machine, I'll photocopy it.

My depthfinder is a long wooden pole from home depot. Since the Mac can float in a foot of water, the pole needn't be too long to determine if it's getting too shallow. My total navigation package costs under $120, including sales tax.

[Catigale]

For charts, I just go to the library and trace over real charts with really thin paper if the chart is big. If it is small enough to fit in the copy machine, I'll photocopy it.

Sarbanes Oxley will probably make you amortise some legal fees on that last strategy.....

[waternwaves]

SOx is securities and reporting......... among other things....

Which IP and IT provisions are specific to this law?? that would apply to cpying for personal use from a pub source.....

Admittedly there are other laws prohibint libraries from helping copy copyrighted material..... however...... Those also allow individual to copy for personal use, (just not subsidized by the library staff)

What did I miss?

[Catigale]

You missed my tongue in cheek....

I did get a call from Finance last year saying SOX says we couldnt recognise revenue on an installation of a piece of equipment because the customer had never explicitly said the installation was done..

Never mind they had been using it for 4 years, had paid for it, and had published about 10 papers with data they had taken with it....

All we need to do to regain world domination in the economy (TIC again) is export SOX regs and Excel spreadsheets to anyone we dont like

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

And we debate the safety of using eCharts that are a few years old? You really use paper tracings of library charts that may date back to who knows, maybe the colonial days? I guess you can use your depth pole to push you off the rocks you neglected to trace.

Speaking of the pole, how effective is that pole when cruising at 15 knots? I start to get concerned when my sounder goes below 20', how long did you say that pole was?

[DLT]

Duane, I hope he was joking...

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

I used to have some charts that said on them "Not to be used as placemats", or maybe it was placemats that said "Not to be used for navigational purposes", or maybe . . .

[tomasrey88]

I've spent all my dough on the Mac, so everything else is on a microbudget.

James Baldwin of "Atom Voyages" circumnavigated the globe without any charts. He used tracing paper and photocopies. All he had was "limited day sailing experience". He had no GPS, either.
Jame's Website: http://atomvoyages.com/voyaging/solocircum.htm

All I'm sailing are Texas lakes. Even if I got toally lost and had no navigational gear at all, I could probably just sail around the edge of the lake until I find my point of origin.

The way I see it, I'd rather buy the best boat that I can afford with no bells and whistles than have a crappy boat with lots of bells and whistles.

James Baldwin was a newbie with no fancy equipment on his first circumnavigation and he did fine. Alberto Torroba sailed across the Pacific in an open dugout canoe with no compass, no gps, no chronometer, and no sextant. He relied solely on a plumbline and celestial navigation by "eyeball". Admittedly, Alberto Torroba is an ubersailer and I'm just a newbie. But the point is that some people try to "improve" their sailing with gadgets. I am working hard to "improve" by increasing my skill level. In a couple of years, I'd like to retire early by living on a shoestring like James and Alberto. I would like to trade my Mac in for a Pearson Triton at that point. But that is just a distant dream for now....

P.S.
Another James Baldwin quote, "people find they need that space (referring to a large yacht) to contain all the equipment and gadgets the yachting press and their neighbors in the marina have told them they can't do without. If you can live without the watermaker, refrigeration, full-size galley and propane locker, inside shower with hot pressure water, 10-foot hard-bottomed inflatable dinghy with 15 HP outboard motor, and some of the other optional equipment you don't really need, you'll find you can cruise quite easily on a boat under 30 ft."