I am in need of a seriously good compass adjuster, familiar with steel boats. Right now I am on the Illinois River, headed south to Cairo and then on to the LBL area and down the Tenn-Tom and eventually to Mobile. The back story here: Back in April we were struck by lightning while at anchor in Hobe Sound. I've been working through electronics problems since then; nothing major that I can not handle on my own. I was so focused on the electronics that I did not notice the compass error until we were up north in the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. The error is greatest in the east/west direction and almost unnoticeable in the north/south direction. When the autopilot could no longer properly steer a course as we headed west it became very noticeable. The compass was heavily adjusted when the boat was built, and when it was swung afterward the highest error on the deviation card was 4°, in the SW direction. Now the error is more like 8°-9° in the westerly and easterly directions. I'm pretty certain that the lightning strike, in addition to inducing a surge on a number of low-voltage signal wires, actually re-magnetized the hull. So short of driving the boat through a giant degausser, all the compensating magnets will have to be moved or adjusted. I'd like to get back to something close to where I was, with a max deviation of about 4°, preferably less. TIA for any recommendations. -Sean m/y Vector Under way on the Illinois River http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com