fluxgate compass location

[hathanger]

Auto pilot Raymarine ST 4000 - I'm looking for the best location for the fluxgate compass unit in our E-35-3 1984 and I was hoping that sombody
might have a good suggestion. The wheel assembly went great and the
fluxgate doesn't look to hard [ except fot the location ] BUT, the arm on
the rudder looks alittle intimidating !!!!!!!!!! Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Chip

 

[Loren Beach]

I installed my ST4000 model a decade ago. It has been thru one "mother board" since ($275.), but works fine otherwise.
I put the compass module near the center of the boat, well forward of the iron mass of the engine, and several feet away from the cabin heater DC fan in a nearby settee. Keeping it away from magnets and iron and yet near the roll center of the boat is challenging...

One thing I remember doing when I had pretty much decided on the final location was holding a pocket handbearing compass in that spot and turning on every electrical item anywhere near to see if the needle would move...

On my Olson 34, I mounted it under the nav table, inside the cabinet "second level down", and about a foot above the bilge, out of sight except for the appearance of the screw heads.

Best,
Loren in PDX

 

[u079721]

On our E-38 we mounted the fluxgate on the aft side of the bulkhead that forms the aft part of the cabin. That is, you opened up the aft lazaret/seat on starboard (next to the propane locker) and the compass was right there, on the centerline, on the back of that bulkhead, about even with the cockpit sole. Worked for us, and was a short run to the control head.

 

[oceandreams89]

Chip,

Find a spot as low and as close to centerline as possible. Once you find a nice spot check it with a small magnet to see if there are any magnetic fields in the area, including surrounding compartments within about 3 feet or so of your chosen mounting spot.

On our E-38 the autohelm compass is mounted in the cabin, forward of the galley sink beside a plastic water tank near the bilge access. I'm unsure of the layout of the 35, but I know the 34 is similar to our setup. I lost one to water intrusion around the gasket, so the new one I put in I put inside a ziplock bag and mounted it to the bulkhead area and sealed with a tight rubber band around it. So far so good.

best of luck!!

Todd