Next message: Robert Eno: "Re: Suitable Sextants"
"What is the concensus of opinion on the most suitable sextant for small
boat work where starsights are needed as well as sunshots?"
An Astra would be an excellent choice. It all depends on what you're doing
though. Are you considering celestial navigation as an emergency backup? If
so, a plastic sextant will suffice and you can spend whatever money you have
left over on backup GPS units. Are you thinking of taking up celestial
navigation as a "hobby" or an "art"? In that case, you'll probably be happier with a
more expensive instrument or possibly an instrument with some history to it.
These days, you can start small and trade up later. There is a very strong
market in used sextants on ebay for example. The better models of Davis plastic
sextants, in good condition, rarely sell for less than about $75. You could
literally buy one online, use it for a few months, and re-sell it without
losing any money (depending on your auction skills, of course). The risk is
higher, but you can also do this with more expensive metal sextants. Just be
aware that something like 80% of the "sextants" for sale on ebay are display
items and reproductions. Some of these look really nice and even the people
selling them are sometimes unaware that they are not functional instruments.
-FER
42.0N 87.7W, or 41.4N 72.1W.
www.HistoricalAtlas.com/lunars
