All About Plastimo Navigation Compasses
→ Plastimo navigation compasses: French know-how
French brand Plastimo, based in Lorient, has been combining know-how, innovation and quality for over 50 years. The result is navigation compasses that are as aesthetic as they are precise, veritable jewels for your boat.
→ Plastimo boat compass in detail
Why are recognized for their quality? Here are some answers:
▪️ Each Plastimo navigation compass is equipped with a sapphire crystal: its hardness guarantees the compass' longevity and precision.
▪️ Plastimo boat compasses are equipped with a vibration absorbing device that ensures minimal contact between the pivot and the bearing plate, the most recent device being the vibration absorber.
▪️ Genuine craftsmanship: all the precious parts of Plastimo compasses are made by Swiss watchmakers, renowned for their expertise and meticulous workmanship.
▪️ Plastimo boat compasses are fitted with ultrasonically welded watertight membranes that absorb variations in liquid volume due to current temperature and atmospheric pressure.
▪️ All Plastimo compass plastics, and more specifically the domes, are selected to resist UV rays and impact in a marine environment.
▪️ The transparency index of the dome and the refraction index of the liquid are very high, guaranteeing optimum magnification and perfect legibility of the rose on your Plastimo boat compass.
→ Plastimo boat compasses: the work of a craftsman
If the French brand has been a leader in its field for over 50 years, it's not just for the choice Plastimo offers, with over 400 models of navigation compasses. It's also because of the satisfaction that Plastimo boat compasses bring to their users. If you too are interested in or have already been won over by Plastimo navigation compasses, take a look at our so that the settings and operation of these compasses no longer hold any secrets for you.
Plastimo boat compasses are manufactured and assembled entirely in our Lorient workshops. Produced on sophisticated machinery, the domes are visually inspected to eliminate any manufacturing defects, both optical and mechanical. The rose is balanced and controlled by hand to ensure perfect horizontality. This is a very delicate operation, where know-how and meticulousness are a guarantee of quality.
All Plastimo navigation compasses are assembled by hand. Even new, they already have a history. The complexity of the components that make up a Plastimo compass, and the meticulousness required at every stage of production, mean that assembly is non-automated.
Plastimo navigation compasses in figures
More than 4 million Plastimo navigation compasses have been sold by the brand. The most successful skippers, the most prestigious boat builders and the most demanding yachtsmen entrust their course to Plastimo.
As a further guarantee of quality, every Plastimo navigation compass is designed, assembled and tested in France, guaranteeing uncompromising reliability, even in the most extreme sailing conditions.
→ Quality control and regulations
In addition to regulations, every Plastimo boat compass meets one of the brand's demanding criteria. Plastimo sailing compasses are subject to ongoing validation, leaving nothing to chance.
➡️ Accelerated ageing tests: carried out in the laboratory, they guarantee the perfect resistance of the Plastimo magnetic compass, and in particular the dome, to radiation.
➡️ Vibration tests: simulating the vibrations produced on a motorboat, the rose must not resonate. Plastimo compasses are tested at frequencies between 5 and 100 Hz, whereas regulations only require testing between 7 and 40 Hz.
➡️ Packaging resistance tests: to guarantee the protection of Plastimo boat compasses during transport, 1-meter drop tests on concrete are carried out on the compasses.
➡️ Climatic tests: Plastimo compasses are tested between +60° and -30°C. Even in these extreme temperatures, the Plastimo navigation compass must not leak, register disturbances or bubble.
➡️ Stability tests: when the Plastimo boat compass rose is deflected (40° or 90°), the half-period (time taken for the rose to move in the opposite direction, until it stops, after passing the point of origin) must be contained within a set period of time.
➡️ Accuracy tests: the accuracy of the is checked on the 4 cardinal points. After a 95° deviation, the rose must return to its initial position, to within one degree.
➡️ Final quality tests: Plastimo boat compasses, even when finished and packaged, are once again checked by statistical sampling.
→ Oven testing for total tightness
The oven test is infallible for leak detection. Every Plastimo navigation compass undergoes this test: placed in an oven at +60°C for 1h30, the liquid undergoes a strong expansion, compensated by the membrane that ensures watertightness and prevents the formation of bubbles. The marking and legibility of the rose are checked on each model as it leaves production.
→ Plastimo compass, a world reference
The quality of the marking and how it holds up are essential: once the Plastimo boat compass is assembled, the magnification phenomenon is very important and the slightest imperfection would be intolerable.
Plastimo owes much of its leadership today to its rigorous selection of roses, thanks in particular to products like the model, whose reliability is recognized the world over.
→ Your Plastimo navigation compass on Nautisports
On our site, you'll find numerous models of like the Compas Iris 100 Plastimo, which acts as both course and bearing compass.
It can be mounted both horizontally and vertically, and features a conical rose for horizontal or vertical reading. The Iris compass is ideal for sailboats and small craft. It is available in blue and white or yellow and white.
Motorboats deliver greater vibrations than sailboats, which can disrupt compass and rose operation. It is therefore imperative to for this type of craft.
The Plastimo 105 Offshore Compass is fully adapted to this use and is suitable for motorboats from 5 to 10 meters. You can find this black Plastimo Offshore compass on bracket or flush-mounted in our dedicated category.
The legendary Plastimo Contest 101 Tactical Compass is a model that needs no introduction. Derived from the regatta version of the Plastimo Contest compass, this black boat compass incorporates a tactical rose and is a must-have accessory for your boat.
If you're looking for a multi-purpose product, opt for the Plastimo Iris 50 bearing compass. A great classic from the brand, this bearing compass was designed for racing, but can also be used as an orientation compass for hiking and trekking.
