good compass?

what compasses do you guys like and use?

thanks

I have a Brunton classic. Fits nicely in my pfd pocket.

http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=116

I have the same one Alfredo has. Fits perfectly on my PFD's pocket.

what about this one

more expensive, but you could keep an eye on it all the time.

I have seen a number of people with the Orcas very nice compass. This is on my list of purchases this winter so thanks for starting the thread.

Nice idea BlueKayak.

Couple of issues that came to my mind.
Maybe it would be good to have two.
One that is mounted on the kayak and another on the floatation device.
GPS plus the handheld compass.

I just find myself breaking things that are attached to me.  Or I forget to bring it, or it falls off, etc......

I like these little ball compases for pinning onto your outer gear / pfd.  Not super duper precise but good enough and convenient for a quick peek now and then.

http://www.scoutgear.com/as815839.html

The Silva Ranger is a great all around handheld compass that's near bullet-proof.  I keep one in my PFD and its never failed me.  It works well for navigating from charts, as you can put it down on the chart and set your bearing.  I use a silva at work and it's lasted for over ten years without a hitch.   They are pricey though, at about 50 bucks.

Dave

I bought the orca. the one with a baseplate. I get seasick if I don't keep my eyes mostly
on the horizon. I'm going to mount it in the compass circle on the scupper pro TW.
This way I can flick my eyes over it often, keep my bearings more or less continually.

as for emergency navigating, well, following the swell to shore works pretty well. you might not
hit your launch, but you'll hit land. If I end up dogpaddling for shore, I'll do that. you know a
single swim fin might be a good thing to have like laird and the tow-n guys used to have.

pescadore, you sound like you belong in the burly outdoorsman class, paddling the lost
coast, etc! nice salmon you and scwafish got last summer too. congrats.

I was able to find a partial view of my compass mount on a fish shot of my boat.  The compass is mounted to a tupperware lid and held to the top of the boat with a good rubber bungie.  I have had this compass for years.  Have used it on three different boats..........and replaced the tupperware lid one time.

Pat

that's pretty much exactly what I had in mind.

I got a yum-yum yellow orca to match my SPTW. it fits snugly into the cupholder! I have a metal loop
(what are those riveted tie down things called?) right next to it so it can be secured.

I tried it positioned further up the kayak, but it was hard to make out the heading numbers.

except for a vhs radio my yak is ready for offshore (well, further out-inshore) salmon fishing.

when's opening day?  . 

pescadore, you sound like you belong in the burly outdoorsman class, paddling the lost
coast, etc! nice salmon you and scwafish got last summer too. congrats.

hah, that's a laugh about the burly outdoorsman thing (my wife wishes).  Thanks for the congrats about the salmon.  It got me stoked for next season. Here's my idea:  Trolling while undersail.  Have two cars; park one a few miles upwind, another some miles downwind.  Launch at the upwind site and troll while sailing to the downwind site.  Stop and paddle-troll in hookup areas.  I'm going to try it next season.

hook up one of those kite-boarding sails maybe. Or just use a regular kite and cleat it to your bow.
maybe they have a second line to collapse them like with a drift chute when you hookup.

I thought of this one too, you don't need much of a sail that is for sure some of these days.

I tell people I'm an "indoorsman", 

I thought of this one too, you don't need much of a sail that is for sure some of these days.

I tell people I'm an "indoorsman", 

I bought one of those EZ sails you can get online ($99).  I bought it for salmon trolling, but as yet have only used it to get to or from long distance sites.  It works pretty well for downwind and some reaching, but not at all for pointing.  Most of the time we get NW winds up here, so I figure launch north and fish south.  I went for about six miles down the coast one time without hardly paddling.  A rudder would help.  I think you might be able to use a small downrigger or deep diver because you're not paddling so much.

I'm itching to give it a try, especially since I just went over to the dark side and bought a ff.

i tell folks i'm an "oldman" and they believe me.

dave