Repairing a Ritchie compass?

[Group9]

Originally Posted by NYSail

On old boat I sent mine (20 year old) back to company and it came back sparkling new for less than half the price of new. For me well worth it. Certain models though may be too old. Sure it can be a do it yourself as well....

Good luck

Same here. I sent one back to Ritchie and it came back looking brand new. I don't recall the exact price, but I thought it was very reasonable at the time.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by SailingFan

Hello everyone.

I have a task to handle where I am hoping someone else has done it and can offer some insight.

I currently have a Ritchie compass installed on my 78 Hunter 27, and the fluid in it has gone "dark". It is an illuminated compass and the one I see like it on Amazon is over $300 (yikes). During my current refit, as soon as the mast is done (have it down, wiring is all in and we are currently making connections, installing lights, coax, etc., so should be done with that part tomorrow) I want to go on board and get to the things that need handled there. The yard transit is still down (ugh) so I am unable to attend to the rotted mast step area, sadly. That leaves me with extremely low impact issues like mapping out wiring runs in the boat to order whatever supplies I may need, etc. But back to the compass.

I was told by somebody that these things are filled with some sort of mineral oil and that the oil can get some sort of bio growth in it over time, that there is a way to drain and replace the oil, but that there were some dangers to avoid. This is where I get foggy. Can anyone tell me how it is done and what I need to fill it with, what problems to watch for, whether it is even something I should do, or if there is a place such things are repaired if it is something that is beyond the basic new guy? Also, are there any seals I could damage, that sort of thing?

In 2014 I had a Ritchie SP-5 compass rebuilt locally here in the Seattle area before my roundtrip to Hawaii. The guy was a professional instrument repair type I met at the Seattle boat show. That's a big expensive compass and he did a good job; the cost was about 60% the price of a new one. It is still in top condition. I had previously dealt with Richie directly on replacing the small red light and think dealing directly with them is OK.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Sailorgirl86]

A fellow named Robert Peterson at Great Lakes Compass is a good person to fix your compass:
847-697-6491; www.greatlakescompass.com. He fixed the Ritchie compass of a friend and it was like new. Good luck.

[Narfi]

I don't know, because I have never done it, but it doesn't look like rocket science......

https://www.vikingcompass.com/5globeold.html

You need oil and the proper o-rings and gaskets.
Looks like $51.05 for the oil, orings and filler plug gasket.

[SailingFan]

Wow, thanks everyone! I will attempt the personal repair option first, and if that does not work, will send it in. There are so many things going on at the refit that this is yet another that needs to be done. Thanks for the information everyone!!

[George DuBose]

I had a bubble in the compass, the compass card looked faded. I contacted Richie and they said for $200 they would refurbish it. I swear that they sent me a new compass. For $200.

[SailingFan]

This compass looked like new when I bought the boat 5 years or so ago, but the fluid was a little dark. The device itself worked, lighted, and the dome was perfect, so I am pretty certain it is not original to the vessel. There was a sunbrella cover snapped over it at the time, and the cover was still flexible (it is not so soft and flexible now). The compass was installed into an oak ring that was 1/4" bolted and siliconed (ugh!!) to the cockpit/cabin bulkhead on the port side. Someone had been "playing" with a caulking gun, apparently. There is silicone all OVER this vessel and I am pulling it all off, cleaning to my ability the surfaces and filling holes with epoxy, etc. Even the double cheek block used to run halyards aft is clogged with silicone.

Anyway, a side question is regarding this compass and the electrical panel proximity. Currently, the switch panel is port side, next to the companionway stair. The nav station is on the same side, but there is no way to sit at the table outside of sitting on the steps (the hull liner is formed into a closing locker where your legs should go, and I am considering carving the aft section of that locker out to convert it to leg room in fact).

I am wondering if placing the electrical panel in another location than it currently is (because I keep hitting switches with my calves when sitting on the top step of stair) would be easier while not affecting the compass sensitivity than relocating the switch panel to another location that is more useful, maybe on the interior cabinside above the nav station. To be clear, that nav station is directly forward of the current compass location, so moving the panel up (even though a bit forward) puts it in direct (nearly) line with the compass itself, though perhaps the same distance away. How much of a difference would that make? Would the current in the relocated panel affect the compass direction indication?

[SailingFan]

btw, the panel distance is currently about a foot forward and about 4 feet lower than the compass.. I want to move the panel (or place an additional) about a foot forward but perhaps even according to the same level as the compass, making it go from about 4 feet away to about two feet away. Is that a bad idea? Will DC current at that range change the swing of the compass ball?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by SailingFan

btw, the panel distance is currently about a foot forward and about 4 feet lower than the compass.. I want to move the panel (or place an additional) about a foot forward but perhaps even according to the same level as the compass, making it go from about 4 feet away to about two feet away. Is that a bad idea? Will DC current at that range change the swing of the compass ball?

May I suggest dismounting your compass or using a different one and temporarily sticking it in the new spot. With the boat tied firmly in place, turn on and off all the loads and watch for changes in the compass bearing.

My guess is that it will be fine... unless the panel has analog meters imbedded, for they have magnets in their movements, and they could be an issue (not impossible to correct for, but an added complication).

Jim