Ritchie Explorer V-57.2, boy was that a mistake

[brackish]

When i got my 23 it did not have a compass installed.  I'm mostly on a smallish lake and do some near coastal sailing, no offshore planned, so I spent the big bucks on my GPS chartplotter for feeling my way around the shoals, and installed the above mentioned inexpensive compass.  It lasted about eight months before it started leaking fluid.  So I sent it back (five year warranty) and they sent me a brand new replacement.  This time I bought the bulkhead bracket to convert it to an Explorer 537, thinking that would make it more durable.  This time it lasted two months before it started leaking.  Where is this junk coming from?  Ritchie used to have a good name in the market.

So West Marine had a Plastimo Mini Contest on sale with an additional $15 bucks off and free shipping so I ordered one last night.  Hope I have better luck with that one.  I think there needs to be a little more competition in the compass market but doubt that will happen with the shift to electronic alternatives.