Effective correction, or compensation, of the marine compass for any deviation error found during the compass swing requires an understanding of the earth’s and ship’s magnetic fields and an ability to differentiate between the permanent magnetism of the ship’s hard iron and the induced magnetism of the ship’s soft iron.
It is necessary to recognize the effect the various magnetic fields have on the ship’s compass and to have a practical knowledge of the workings of the marine compass and its correctors. Simply reducing or eliminating compass deviation on a vessel in one location can actually make it worse when the vessel travels to another location, particularly when substantial changes in latitude are involved.
Whilst amateur or DIY compass adjusting is not a completely outrageous concept on pleasure craft, it has been known to transform a relatively simple problem into a fairly complex one, particularly on steel vessels.
Marine Compass Adjusters are highly skilled technicians, professional seafarers and qualified navigators who have undertaken rigorous and comprehensive training to meet national and international standards.