Owners Manual for Tamaya Sextant M#631

swains · #1 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

I've recently acquired a Tamaya Sextant Model#631. Made in 1975.
I would like to find a copy of the owner's manual if at all possible. Does anyone have one I could photocopy or have a lead to suggest for obtaining one?

hellosailor · #2 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

There are email lists for traditional navigation, I'd suggest joining a few and putting your request on them. Another owner probably would run the opies off for you for free.

Celestaire.com might be able to put you in touch with Tamaya, they carry their sextants. Or, they might be able to get you a spare booklet, they're probably the leading sextant nav company in the US, and nice folks.

camaraderie · #3 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

Or try them directly here:
http://www.tamaya-technics.com/e_site/ms833_e.html

sailingdog · #4 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

I'd contact Celestaire or Tamaya and see if they can send you a copy. If you contact Tamaya, they may have it available on-line as a downloadable PDF file.

catamount · #5 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

I too have a Tamaya sextant with no manual. I didn't find one on the website Cam gave. But I CAN recommend "The Sextant Handbook" by Bruce Bauer.

sailingdog · #6 (**permalink**) 12-03-2006

The Sextant Handbook is an excellent resource for anyone who uses a sextant.

sailaway21 · #7 (**permalink**) 12-05-2006

I bought my Tamaya in 1977 and I don't remember it coming with a manual. I think it's sort of like a Ferrari owners manual-they don't tell you how to operate the transmission. If I'm reading between the lines correctly you probably want to adjust the sextant. Chapter 15 of the 1984 Bowditch tells you all you need to know on that. Newer edition is out. The newer eds have moved some things around and the info you want may be in Vol. 2 now. Some talk that the gov. was getting out of publishing it-but I just saw a new version of volume 2 at west marine two weeks ago. Probably cheaper on Amazon. Vol. 2 is what you want, if it has sextant adjustment in it now, for the tables and piloting info-it's the vol. you want on your boat. Me, I'd buy both volumes-there's a ton of authoritative info in them that you won't find elsewhere. I'm not familiar with the book listed above, it may have just what you need, I'm just a strong believer that every sailor who desires to go over the horizon should know their way around Bowditch.

sailaway21 · #8 (**permalink**) 12-05-2006

BTW, fine instrument-never regretted not spending the extra money on the Plath.

hellosailor · #9 (**permalink**) 12-05-2006

Sailaway, I'd offer to email you a PDF copy of Bowditch, but at 40MB it is more than most folks can take in their email. Glad to FTP it if you can take that though.

USNO has (had??) Bowditch available online if you didn't mind doing separate chapters unlinked. And some erratta in page numbering and chapter numbers (there was a dupe) unless they've finally caught up to that.

catamount · #10 (**permalink**) 12-05-2006

You can get Bowditch chapter by chapter here

or all in one 35 Mb zipped file here: http://www.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/St...S/APN/pub9.zip