Tamaya Jupiter Sextant

[dmwake]

Hi all

New to the Forum.

I've recently developed an interest in celestial navigation and I'd be interested to know if anyone has used/uses a Tamaya Jupiter sextant.

I guess what I most am interested in is if they represent good value, or if it would be wiser to blow the extra $200 on a Spica, or go for the cheaper Astra IIIb.

I'd prefer to buy one instrument that will last for life.

[El Pinguino]

They will all last you for life if cared for....

All things being equal I would buy a Tamaya before the Astra but that's just me.

Differences in the Tamayas here.. https://www.celestaire.com/marine-se...or-detail.html

Have never owned either, just sailed with them.....

Edit... the scopes on the ones you are considering may influence your choice.

[Benz]

Never used anything fancier than the Astra IIIB, but can't guess what would make a more expensive sextant "better". More ergonomic? Better optics? Lighter weight?
With the help of some simple directions, I was able to tune out the index error on my Astra. After months of use, the IE was still zero. Every time I check the IE, it's still zero. I'm not sure I could ask for better than that.
I'd love to handle some of the more expensive sextants, but I've been fully satisfied with my Astra. If you do go for a different sextant, look for one with a whole-horizon glass rather than a split-horizon. That did wonders to improve the speed as accuracy of my shots on a bouncing boat.

[double u]

for starshots the half-mirror seems to be better...

[hellosailor]

benz-
"Better" means very subjective things. In theory a full-sized sextant is "better" because it will be more accurate. No, wait, full-sized means harder to stow and heavier so harder to hold up for longer periods, so small is better. No, wait...

Some "better" sextants focus the telescope by turning the rear ring. Oh wait, that means your eye will also unfocus the telescope by turning the ring if you are swinging it to get a level horizon, so those better sextants are worse?

And I've used a pricey fullsized Plath that had a totally undocumented feature I only noticed on star sights. Half the image had a very slight red tint, the other half a very slight green tint. Possibly just an artifact of the mirror coating, but it also made the image of a star POP into white when it was perfectly aligned. One could call that "better" than just trying to align shapes...but it was totally undocumented.

Better? Cheaper could be better, since all you have to do is drop a sextant to ruin it. Cheaper could let you buy a spare.

Bottom line, almost anything except the Indian Brass Gift Shop sextants will do a job well enough, the rest is whatever suits you best.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

benz-
"Better" means very subjective things. In theory a full-sized sextant is "better" because it will be more accurate. No, wait, full-sized means harder to stow and heavier so harder to hold up for longer periods, so small is better. No, wait...

Some "better" sextants focus the telescope by turning the rear ring. Oh wait, that means your eye will also unfocus the telescope by turning the ring if you are swinging it to get a level horizon, so those better sextants are worse?

And I've used a pricey fullsized Plath that had a totally undocumented feature I only noticed on star sights. Half the image had a very slight red tint, the other half a very slight green tint. Possibly just an artifact of the mirror coating, but it also made the image of a star POP into white when it was perfectly aligned. One could call that "better" than just trying to align shapes...but it was totally undocumented.

Better? Cheaper could be better, since all you have to do is drop a sextant to ruin it. Cheaper could let you buy a spare.

Bottom line, almost anything except the Indian Brass Gift Shop sextants will do a job well enough, the rest is whatever suits you best.

I wasn't aware that the Astra is not considered "Full Size." But if other sextants are bigger, that would be a problem, since the Astra is a handful as is.
Better optics was one of the things I mentioned could make the Astra better--that feature of the Plath you mention sounds nice, since my star shots are limited to twilight, and sometimes going later or earlier would be nice.

[earlgray]

Do not know for Tamaya, I had Astra IIIb, my daughter bought me Spica as a birthday present, no difference so save money. how long they will last, it depends of you, if you take proper care they will both burry you. I had (still have Astra) for 10 years and it still looks like brand new and I am using it on almost daily basis during 3 to 6 months a year.

[hellosailor]

Don't know how the Astra compares in size, a friend of mine had one but I never held it side by side with anything else to compare. I know Tamaya does make a couple of sizes, again, I don't know which is which.

The Horizon Ultra (Plath) does have some other nice features, like a pair of polarizing rings (plus the usual shades) and a horizon prism all standard, but they're pricey new and scarce used.

[Tina7]

Have a Tayama Jupiter sextant for sale. Excellent condition.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Tina7

Have a Tayama Jupiter sextant for sale. Excellent condition.

What are you asking for it?

[Tina7]

$800 + shipping from the US Virgin Islands

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Tina7

$800 + shipping from the US Virgin Islands

Thank you. I'll ask around my cronies for interest.