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Author Topic:   Original Red Richie Compass...toss?

RWM posted 07-12-2002 10:54 PM ET (US)
My '79 Montauk still has what I believe was the original red deck mount Richie compass. It works fine except the plastic tabs on the base, which the hold down clips clamp to, are broken off. Therefore the compass is free to rotate on the base and bounce around. Not too good for navigating. I can't figure out how to fix it (build up those little tabs?), but before I give in and buy a new compass I thought I'd check with the brillant minds here. So anybody run into this little problem and figured out how to fix it?...Bob M.
dscew posted 07-13-2002 08:59 AM ET (US)
I wouldn't deep six it yet since it still works and those old campasses had so much character. I just looked at mine; it looks like you could wrap the base with electrical tape to increase its diameter and make it a tighter fit. If its still loose, add another layer. If you have the right tools, you could make new tabs and mount them to the underside of the base with its mounting screws. You could also contact Ritchie and ask them what to do, they're very customer oriented. good luck.
tuna1 posted 07-13-2002 04:22 PM ET (US)
You could always hold it in place with some silicone rubber out of a tube.
SSCH posted 07-14-2002 03:26 PM ET (US)
There are a number of marine instrument repair shops that might could really fix the compass for you. I had a shop here in Houston rebuild an old Ritchie for a sail boat I owned at the time. It had a bubble in the oil and a leaky diaphram to boot. Your compass sounds like it is in better shape.
If you're near Houston and want the name of the shop, email me.
RWM posted 07-14-2002 05:09 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the advice. I've got some red electical tape that I'll use for the time being and I'll also contact Richie to see if they can offer a fix.
I just got back in from a few hours on the water. Headed out on Buzzards Bay, but the southern wind was blowing up a stiff chop. Lots of the smaller boats stayed in port. Headed east through the Cape Cod canal to see if it was a little smoother on the Cape Cod Bay side which it was. Moored out off Sandy Neck, had a little picnic, a swim and a snooze with my sweetie. Coming back through the canal I followed one of the heavy patrol boats which cut the chop pretty good.
There were a lot of boats being blown around out there today, but my little Montauk handled it just fine. I look with some envy at those 30 foot contenders et al blowing through the slop, but with my boat budget I'm glad to have my 70 HP 4-stroke sipping gas on a Montauk. Hauled it out, trailered it home (5 miles) and washed it down. It gets a lot of compliments thanks to all the restoration tips I learned here...Bob M.
Tom W Clark posted 07-24-2002 02:47 AM ET (US)
No don't toss it. Fix it. Be resourceful.
If Ritchie doesn't just send you a new base there are a couple possible fixes I can think of:
Drill through the base where the tabs were and run a wood dowel through there. Use a little glue to hold it in place. It will be non-magnetic and plenty strong.
A somewhat fancier solution would be to turn a wooden base and use some brass studs to capture the hold down hooks.
I actually have this same compass but older. It is so old it is the gray color they were originally produced in (from the 1960's) The base is metal, not plastic.
People tend to think plastic is better for everything. Never rots, waterproof, light weight, inexpensive, ect. But the stuff does not last forever. It will become brittle and weak with age. There is a lot to be said for wood.
andygere posted 07-24-2002 11:27 AM ET (US)
I made a wooden base like the one Tom suggests for a sea kayak that I built. Not having a lathe, I simply cut it out with a sabre saw and finished it by hand. Here's a few pictures: http://home.earthlink.net/~andygere/yakdeck.html
alan posted 07-25-2002 08:56 AM ET (US)
I have the original red Ritchie from my 17' Sakonet sitting on a shelve in Rhode Island. Let me know if you want the base and I'll check to see if it's the same as yours. It works fine and I can't remember why it's wasn't on the boat when I sold it.
A Li Volsi posted 07-25-2002 11:59 AM ET (US)
Alan-I'd be inclinded to purchase the compass from you if it is complete!
Contender25 posted 07-25-2002 02:01 PM ET (US)
RWM-
Very small world. I am 95% sure you were to the Starboard of us in the CC Canal on Sunday the 14th, around noon or one. I was running the DK Green Contender and my good friend was in the Ice Blue one to my port. I never would have guessed your hull is a 1979. I figured it to be much much newer. Congrats on a nice boat.
Speaking of burning fuel. That day we were fishing a tournament and had to make the weigh in. We started the day fishing Long Island Sound, "the Race" and had to burn up to Boston, hence you spotting us in the CC Canal. The trip from NY to Boston took 3 and 1/2 hours and I burned 120gals of fuel. Be THRILLED you have the 4-stroke :-)
RWM posted 07-25-2002 02:44 PM ET (US)
Contender 25
No question about it. That was my wife Leslie and I. I was admiring your boat, particularly so when you cleared the canal and headed north...so smooth. I would have sworn your boat was bigger :).
re: the compass...
The base holes (reinforced) for the hold-down screws are at the same location on the circumference as the broken tabs. Pinning and glueing a dowel as a tab, although a good thought, is not possible because of this configuration. The dowel would go right through the screw holes. Because the screw holes are reinforced, relocating them is not a decent option either.
I like the idea of the wood base. Probably a little project for the winter downtime.
mag posted 07-26-2002 03:09 AM ET (US)
I had the same problem with the bracket on my Ritchie compass. A new bracket from Ritchie for $12.40 fixed it. They are at (781) 826-5131. -- mag

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Author	Topic: Original Red Richie Compass...toss?
RWM	posted 07-12-2002 10:54 PM ET (US) My '79 Montauk still has what I believe was the original red deck mount Richie compass. It works fine except the plastic tabs on the base, which the hold down clips clamp to, are broken off. Therefore the compass is free to rotate on the base and bounce around. Not too good for navigating. I can't figure out how to fix it (build up those little tabs?), but before I give in and buy a new compass I thought I'd check with the brillant minds here. So anybody run into this little problem and figured out how to fix it?...Bob M.
dscew	posted 07-13-2002 08:59 AM ET (US) I wouldn't deep six it yet since it still works and those old campasses had so much character. I just looked at mine; it looks like you could wrap the base with electrical tape to increase its diameter and make it a tighter fit. If its still loose, add another layer. If you have the right tools, you could make new tabs and mount them to the underside of the base with its mounting screws. You could also contact Ritchie and ask them what to do, they're very customer oriented. good luck.
tuna1	posted 07-13-2002 04:22 PM ET (US) You could always hold it in place with some silicone rubber out of a tube.
SSCH	posted 07-14-2002 03:26 PM ET (US) There are a number of marine instrument repair shops that might could really fix the compass for you. I had a shop here in Houston rebuild an old Ritchie for a sail boat I owned at the time. It had a bubble in the oil and a leaky diaphram to boot. Your compass sounds like it is in better shape. If you're near Houston and want the name of the shop, email me.
RWM	posted 07-14-2002 05:09 PM ET (US) Thanks for the advice. I've got some red electical tape that I'll use for the time being and I'll also contact Richie to see if they can offer a fix. I just got back in from a few hours on the water. Headed out on Buzzards Bay, but the southern wind was blowing up a stiff chop. Lots of the smaller boats stayed in port. Headed east through the Cape Cod canal to see if it was a little smoother on the Cape Cod Bay side which it was. Moored out off Sandy Neck, had a little picnic, a swim and a snooze with my sweetie. Coming back through the canal I followed one of the heavy patrol boats which cut the chop pretty good. There were a lot of boats being blown around out there today, but my little Montauk handled it just fine. I look with some envy at those 30 foot contenders et al blowing through the slop, but with my boat budget I'm glad to have my 70 HP 4-stroke sipping gas on a Montauk. Hauled it out, trailered it home (5 miles) and washed it down. It gets a lot of compliments thanks to all the restoration tips I learned here...Bob M.
Tom W Clark	posted 07-24-2002 02:47 AM ET (US) No don't toss it. Fix it. Be resourceful. If Ritchie doesn't just send you a new base there are a couple possible fixes I can think of: Drill through the base where the tabs were and run a wood dowel through there. Use a little glue to hold it in place. It will be non-magnetic and plenty strong. A somewhat fancier solution would be to turn a wooden base and use some brass studs to capture the hold down hooks. I actually have this same compass but older. It is so old it is the gray color they were originally produced in (from the 1960's) The base is metal, not plastic. People tend to think plastic is better for everything. Never rots, waterproof, light weight, inexpensive, ect. But the stuff does not last forever. It will become brittle and weak with age. There is a lot to be said for wood.
andygere	posted 07-24-2002 11:27 AM ET (US) I made a wooden base like the one Tom suggests for a sea kayak that I built. Not having a lathe, I simply cut it out with a sabre saw and finished it by hand. Here's a few pictures: http://home.earthlink.net/~andygere/yakdeck.html
alan	posted 07-25-2002 08:56 AM ET (US) I have the original red Ritchie from my 17' Sakonet sitting on a shelve in Rhode Island. Let me know if you want the base and I'll check to see if it's the same as yours. It works fine and I can't remember why it's wasn't on the boat when I sold it.
A Li Volsi	posted 07-25-2002 11:59 AM ET (US) Alan-I'd be inclinded to purchase the compass from you if it is complete!
Contender25	posted 07-25-2002 02:01 PM ET (US) RWM- Very small world. I am 95% sure you were to the Starboard of us in the CC Canal on Sunday the 14th, around noon or one. I was running the DK Green Contender and my good friend was in the Ice Blue one to my port. I never would have guessed your hull is a 1979. I figured it to be much much newer. Congrats on a nice boat. Speaking of burning fuel. That day we were fishing a tournament and had to make the weigh in. We started the day fishing Long Island Sound, "the Race" and had to burn up to Boston, hence you spotting us in the CC Canal. The trip from NY to Boston took 3 and 1/2 hours and I burned 120gals of fuel. Be THRILLED you have the 4-stroke :-)
RWM	posted 07-25-2002 02:44 PM ET (US) Contender 25 No question about it. That was my wife Leslie and I. I was admiring your boat, particularly so when you cleared the canal and headed north...so smooth. I would have sworn your boat was bigger :). re: the compass... The base holes (reinforced) for the hold-down screws are at the same location on the circumference as the broken tabs. Pinning and glueing a dowel as a tab, although a good thought, is not possible because of this configuration. The dowel would go right through the screw holes. Because the screw holes are reinforced, relocating them is not a decent option either. I like the idea of the wood base. Probably a little project for the winter downtime.
mag	posted 07-26-2002 03:09 AM ET (US) I had the same problem with the bracket on my Ritchie compass. A new bracket from Ritchie for $12.40 fixed it. They are at (781) 826-5131. -- mag