Where to buy a sextant.

[Toast]

Does anyone know where to get a full size functional sextant? I want to get one as a backup just in case my gps bites the dust, for latitude I'll just use either my watch or another clock.

Thanks, Toast

[5BTM]

Celestaire.

https://www.celestaire.com/product-c...maya-sextants/

[Toast]

Thank you much.

[Lepke]

ebay usually has used sextants from ship scrappers.
I've bought a couple, both were in good condition and work fine.

[barnakiel]

i got a frajberger direct from another sailor via local adds, it is good and not too expensive


b.

[thomm225]

You can get a plastic Davis Mark 3 "Lifeboat Sextant" for around $100.

They are for emergencies etc.

I have one that I play around with verifying Latitude etc so far.


https://us.binnacle.com/product_info...hoCgqMQAvD_BwE

Or this metal Astra III with 3.5 x 40 telescope. ($119)

https://us.binnacle.com/Navigation-S...duct_info.html

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You can get a plastic Davis Mark 3 "Lifeboat Sextant" for around $100.

They are for emergencies etc.

I have one that I play around with verifying Latitude etc so far.


https://us.binnacle.com/product_info...hoCgqMQAvD_BwE

Or this metal Astra III with 3.5 x 40 telescope. ($119)

https://us.binnacle.com/Navigation-S...duct_info.html

"Slight" mistake on the Astra IIIB.

It's $1,119.00 not $119.

Glad I didn't hit order like I was thinking of doing.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Toast

Does anyone know where to get a full size functional sextant? I want to get one as a backup just in case my gps bites the dust, for latitude I'll just use either my watch or another clock.

Thanks, Toast

used boat junkyard or at some used art work shop for interior design

[El Pinguino]

Sextants from shipbreakers are a reasonable way to go.
Watch out for 'replicas' out of India though.
They don't seem to 'replicate' Freibergers which are a very good sextant.
Here in Australia I would expect to pick one up for $A500, about $US300.
An example
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/32609149...oAAOSw65VmHiA5

[Katapult Mike]

Originally Posted by thomm225

"Slight" mistake on the Astra IIIB.

It's $1,119.00 not $119.

Glad I didn't hit order like I was thinking of doing.

Yeah, that got me kind of excited and I was ready to order one till the other $1,000 popped up.

Back in the 80's wehn I actully relied on a sextant, I had two plastic ones. A decent Davis (don't remember model) and the (in)famous Ebco Special as a backup. I still have them out in the garage someplace. It's hard to wax nostalgic over a piece of plastic, even if it did get you accurately across the Atlantic. In those days, the cheapest metal sextents were brass numbers made by Zeiss in East Germany. I wanted one then but couldn't afford it. This thread casued me to look on eBay, where I saw a badly tarnished Zeiss for $255. Maybe it's not too late....

[ParL]

I got the Davis mark 15 from https://www.bookharbour.com, but e.g Starpath in the US may be more convenient for the OP. Bought one of the fake Peli cases to store it in (looks like a Peli, not quite the same, but should do the job ok-ish.



Drooling slightly over looking over the shipbreakers Ebay pages for a Freiberger. Just because.

[Don C L]

I've seen some good ones in nearly new condition at Minney's in Costa Mesa.

Marine Antiques-Decor Etc.

[zachduckworth]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I've seen some good ones in nearly new condition at Minney's in Costa Mesa.

Marine Antiques-Decor Etc.

I was there three weekends ago, they have a number of them at the moment.

[SeanPatrick]

Another vote here for Celestaire and the Astra IIIb. The "deluxe" model at U.S. $899 is great value for the money. I have one (among several other sextants) and I love it. Just look at my avatar.


If you just want to try it out and are not sure if celestial navigation is something you will stick with, then a plastic Davis sextant will do a fine job (as long as you check the index error often).



You might be able to get a nicer sextant for less on eBay. Or you might get a piece of junk.


Cheers!

[CrispyCringle]

Do a nationwide search on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace for a good used Astra, or similar. Easy to find barely used examples.