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 Catalina 250 Specific Forum
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coldducks
Captain

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USA
342 Posts
Initially Posted - 04/24/2008 :  20:16:17  Show Profile
noticed today that there is an air bubble in the compass and it is sitting off side. has anyone had this problem and what should we do. thanks
COLDDUCKS
FANTASY #409 C250WK
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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5381 Posts
Response Posted - 04/24/2008 :  23:17:39  Show Profile
The Card (the part with the numbers, letters and arrows on it) floats in a very light oil which has two purposes - to allow the card to freely rotate, and to damp out minor variations in motion to make it easier to follow with your eyes and read while the boat is bobbing and pitching.

Folks like us who live in cold climates will often find our compass has sprung a leak over the winter, and some or part of the oil will drain out. You might see it dripping down the bulkhead somewhere.

I had a great Suunto compass built into the bulkhead of my dinghy and one spring when I took it down from the storage area, the compass was in much the same shape as yours.

There is a rubber cover that allows for expansion and contraction and this is usually the part that fails. If you have a good quality compass, you can reorder the rubber cover and purchase some oil to refill the compass. I was unable to get a replacement, but I still have the parts - I'll fix it someday!

I also had an inexpensive Ritchie compass on the dinghy, and that too failed in exactly the same way. It froze. The oil doesn't really freeze, but the rubber gets really cold and the oil contracts a lot, so it puts a lot of stress on the cold-hardened rubber.

I am sure there are several folks who know the exact type of oil you need - it reminded me of sewing machine oil. And the rubber cover, you might check online with the manufacturer if the compass is not too old.

After it happened to me twice, I stopped leaving the compass on the boat over the winter -- I keep it in the basement until spring.

So, good luck on the repair. If it is a several hundred dollar unit, you should have a good chance of getting the parts. You can also check to see whether there are any compass repair people in your area who can probably get it back into working order for you.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.