Celestaire likes to say how they have sold over 20,000 of their Astra IIIB sextants in the last 21 years. Why don't we see more of a used market for them? It almost makes me think they are buying back, refurbishing, and reselling them.

That's a very good observation, Maren.

If you look just at the number of boaters in the States who would be in the market for a sextant, I doubt you'd even come close to 20,000 people. Most boaters are lake/river boaters. The next smaller set would be boaters that cruise around their home ports.

People requiring a sextant really come down to those making large passages, which leads me to believe the 20,000 is probably just marketing hype.

Maybe that's 20,000 worldwide in 21 years. Now that would be less than 1000 a year...worldwide.
Not so impressive.

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A thousand a year isn't so much but that's only for the one company and, as Sully points out, it's not really a general use piece of kit for most boaters.

I wonder how many are in a dusty box or on a mantel just because they look nice.

Hmmm... I do wonder about that too.

Maybe somebody who has an old dusty one will find this thread through Google and will be able to convert that old, dusty heirloom into QUICK CASH!

Sextant owners: You have more than one buy waiting here!

Sully,
I am guilty! My Sextant and the instructional books are sitting in the closet in my den. The problem is I try to use it ever few years and realize I forgot how to. My calculations put me in Mexico or Tennessee. But, the romance of someday using it off some remote Island in the middle of somewhere will not tell me part with it.

I resemble that remark, but this time when I leave. I will take it out, and use the thing. I am going to get one of those calculators that does the bookwork. Work with the book along the way, and see how I progress on getting a GOOD sight!.......i2f

If you'll notice, Celestaire also sells a presentation plaque to mount it on. You remove the handle and screw it to the plaque. Yep, I bet a lot of them are on mantels, in showcases, office desks, etc.

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I hadn't noticed that. It seems a shame, really. Why bother make it functional if the purpose is just decorative? You could then save even more by making it not functional just like the cheap brass astrolabes I’ve seen.

In my hands the damn thing aint functional