Not sure what you mean about not being able to use it at night... What about
the artificial horizon common on modern sextants?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sextant

I'm somewhat familiar with the Davis models... thinking about playing around
with the 25.

I have a Carl Zeiss "Yachtmaster" which does not have any artificial
horizon and have yet to see a marine sextant that does. Bought it
second hand in its wooden box 20 years ago for NZ$450.

For sight reduction tables for sun, moon and stars I now use my O2
phone/PDA with a neat little programme (Bruce, please note the CORRECT
and civilised spelling of "programme"). Yes, I know, a lightning
strike could take that out too but I throw it in the oven with the
some of the other gear when lightning gets too close. Anyway, there is
always the backup of donning knee pads and grovelling to God.

About once a year I get the urge to keep up my skills in case of such
as a lightning strike, turn off all instruments for a few days and
take sights.

Peter

"Capt. JG" wrote:

Does someone own a sextant? What model? I'm thinking about picking
one up.

I still have a new Davis MK 15 for sale.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
news:z3NOj.3364$aq4.2434@trnddc02...

"Capt. JG" wrote:

Does someone own a sextant? What model? I'm thinking about picking one
up.

I still have a new Davis MK 15 for sale.

Lew




Hey Lew... haven't forgot... I think I'm going to get one as a gift, so....

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Capt. JG" wrote:

Hey Lew... haven't forgot... I think I'm going to get one as a gift,
so....

Send the 'giver' my way.

Everybody makes out.

Lew

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
news:J8ednTRMl5onF5bVnZ2dnUVZ_gqdnZ2d@bayareasolut ions...
Can you navigate (lat and long) at night with a sextant and a compass, but
without a nautical almanac, sight reduction tables, the time of day, and
without knowing the names of the stars? The sextant has an error, but you
don't know what it is, just that it's off. You can keep your modern watch,
but you just replaced the battery and the time is wrong.

I say that you cannot.
Firstly because at night you probably cannot see exactly where the horizon
is.Even if you got an aeronautical sextant with a bubble level they are very
hard to read on a boat if it is at all rough
Secondly because you cannot derive longitude without an accurate watch.


Does someone own a sextant? What model? I'm thinking about picking one up.

You do not say what you want it for. For use aboard or just as a talking
point at home?.
You can get various plastic sextants that do a good enough job for use on a
small boat where pinpoint accuracy is hard to achieve.
But a proper sextant is a thing of beauty and mine is a Kelvin Hughes dating
from 1959 which is in pristine condition in its box with all accessories. I
take the odd reading with it from time to time to keep my hand in in case
both my chartplotter and my DR on paper charts fail me. Mine is a
micrometer type but retains the silver engraved scale which is somewhat
overkill for a micrometer since you only need to use the scale to read whole
degrees. But it is very nice to look at an inlaid silver scale.
Vernier sextants are older and are collectable antiques now and regrettably
mostly end up in museums or hanging on someone's wall.
There are a lot of authentic looking but purely decorative ones about which
are not suitable for navigation. Make sure yours comes with an authentic
test certificate.

"Edgar" wrote in message
...

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
news:J8ednTRMl5onF5bVnZ2dnUVZ_gqdnZ2d@bayareasolut ions...
Can you navigate (lat and long) at night with a sextant and a compass,
but without a nautical almanac, sight reduction tables, the time of day,
and without knowing the names of the stars? The sextant has an error, but
you don't know what it is, just that it's off. You can keep your modern
watch, but you just replaced the battery and the time is wrong.

I say that you cannot.
Firstly because at night you probably cannot see exactly where the horizon
is.Even if you got an aeronautical sextant with a bubble level they are
very hard to read on a boat if it is at all rough
Secondly because you cannot derive longitude without an accurate watch.


Does someone own a sextant? What model? I'm thinking about picking one
up.

You do not say what you want it for. For use aboard or just as a talking
point at home?.
You can get various plastic sextants that do a good enough job for use on
a small boat where pinpoint accuracy is hard to achieve.
But a proper sextant is a thing of beauty and mine is a Kelvin Hughes
dating from 1959 which is in pristine condition in its box with all
accessories. I take the odd reading with it from time to time to keep my
hand in in case both my chartplotter and my DR on paper charts fail me.
Mine is a micrometer type but retains the silver engraved scale which is
somewhat overkill for a micrometer since you only need to use the scale to
read whole degrees. But it is very nice to look at an inlaid silver scale.
Vernier sextants are older and are collectable antiques now and
regrettably mostly end up in museums or hanging on someone's wall.
There are a lot of authentic looking but purely decorative ones about
which are not suitable for navigation. Make sure yours comes with an
authentic test certificate.



I never said it would necessarily be a boat that was in rough conditions.
That is always difficult.

The sextant would be a backup, a talking point, and something to mess with.


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Capt. JG wrote:
"Edgar" wrote in message
...

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
news:J8ednTRMl5onF5bVnZ2dnUVZ_gqdnZ2d@bayareasolut ions...
Can you navigate (lat and long) at night with a sextant and a
compass, but without a nautical almanac, sight reduction tables,
the time of day, and without knowing the names of the stars? The
sextant has an error, but you don't know what it is, just that it's
off. You can keep your modern watch, but you just replaced the
battery and the time is wrong.

I say that you cannot.
Firstly because at night you probably cannot see exactly where the
horizon is.Even if you got an aeronautical sextant with a bubble
level they are very hard to read on a boat if it is at all rough
Secondly because you cannot derive longitude without an accurate
watch.


Does someone own a sextant? What model? I'm thinking about picking
one up.

You do not say what you want it for. For use aboard or just as a
talking point at home?.
You can get various plastic sextants that do a good enough job for
use on a small boat where pinpoint accuracy is hard to achieve.
But a proper sextant is a thing of beauty and mine is a Kelvin Hughes
dating from 1959 which is in pristine condition in its box with all
accessories. I take the odd reading with it from time to time to
keep my hand in in case both my chartplotter and my DR on paper
charts fail me. Mine is a micrometer type but retains the silver
engraved scale which is somewhat overkill for a micrometer since you
only need to use the scale to read whole degrees. But it is very
nice to look at an inlaid silver scale. Vernier sextants are older
and are collectable antiques now and regrettably mostly end up in
museums or hanging on someone's wall.
There are a lot of authentic looking but purely decorative ones about
which are not suitable for navigation. Make sure yours comes with an
authentic test certificate.



I never said it would necessarily be a boat that was in rough
conditions. That is always difficult.

The sextant would be a backup, a talking point, and something to mess
with.

They look great on the mantleshelf. A wow at cocktail parties. Buy plenty
of Brasso.

Dennis.

"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...

They look great on the mantleshelf. A wow at cocktail parties. Buy plenty
of Brasso.

Dennis.

I'd like to keep mine aboard... a good talking point for students.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
news:89ydnfGc1fm5XJHVnZ2dnUVZ_vOdnZ2d@bayareasolut ions...
"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...

They look great on the mantleshelf. A wow at cocktail parties. Buy
plenty
of Brasso.

Dennis.

I'd like to keep mine aboard... a good talking point for students.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com




Just don't look through it backwards, upside down or leave the lens cap on
it.

http://www.galaksija.com/znakovi/clinton_binoculars.jpg

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:31:04 GMT, "Dennis Pogson"
wrote:

The sextant would be a backup, a talking point, and something to mess
with.

They look great on the mantleshelf. A wow at cocktail parties. Buy plenty
of Brasso

Brasso dissolves copper alloys. It's the ammonia that does it. The
stuff will blur the markings, and it won't take plenty to do it.
Slower than an abrasive, but the result is the same.

Casady