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From: Joel Jacobs (no email)
Date: Mon Aug 02 2004 - 19:37:43 EDT
We're pretty far off the topic of navigation except as it relates to the effect of scaling down a sextant.
What Robert Gainer and George Huxtable are talking about are what in some books are called the laws of relativity and similitude.
In simple form, these laws say that if you double anything, evenly all around, you will increase its surface area by 4 times, and its volume by 8 times. Even more impressive, in respect to a vessel, you'll increase stability 16 times. The same thing happens in reverse, so if you make a boat half the original size, it will weight 8 times less and be 16 times less stable.
With those figures in mind, you can visualize how a small reduction in the size of a sextant can have on its performance under low light, high altitude or rough seas.
Since I don't have any CHO-T sextants for sale, I can't be accused of being self-serving when I point out again that they are smaller than normal by about 12%, lighter, and have large sized mirrors. With the right scope you have a good package at an economical price.
The ASTRA sextant which I do have for sale falls into that same category, and has worldwide service and parts availability, and should be included in any serious evaluation of which sextant to buy.
Joel Jacobs
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