Latitude Hooks and Azimuth Rings: How to Build and Use 18 Traditional Navigational Tools

by Dennis Fisher

Book Overview

Latitude Hooks and Azimuth Rings is for people who like to work with their hands and who appreciate traditional nautical craftsmanship. You don't have to be the master of any craft to undertake any of these projects--from a simple kamal or latitude hook to the more complex pelorus or octant--just a careful and enthusiastic worker.

These 18 projects fall roughly into three categories: decorative, useful, and somewhere in between. Some, such...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070211205
• ISBN13: 9780070211209
• Release Date: December 1994
• Publisher: International Marine Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Interesting info.

A nice intellectual journey. Not much practical use unless you are stranded, have a wood shop, and need to navigate real quick like... MJL

A Medieval Reenactor's Perspective

As a medieval reenactor with a nautical persona, I bought this book to get some information on navigational instruments used in the Middle Ages. This book is a gold mine of information on making and using traditional navigational instruments. Although some of the instruments do not fit into my time of interest (Western Europe 1066-1603), most do, and the instructions on making and using them are good. The historical information is spotty,and some information does not agree with other sources that I consider reliable, but this is not intended as a history book, and the information it DOES provide on construction and use fills in a lot of gaps in other sources. This is a must-have book if you want to know how to make and use medieval navigational instruments.

a set of projects and histories

This is not just a craft/wood working set of plans (and a very good set too) it is a history of the tools of navagation. The tools I built from this book work. They are not the best things to use for finding your way (wood instead of metal). But they work reasonably well.

A must read, must have book

This book is a must read for anyone interested in navigation or history. It shows the often primitive but nevertheless effective methods used for navigation in ancient times. Beside showing how to build those instruments it is also explained how to use the gadgets. If you are adept at metal working you might even make money with this knowledge. The ring dial shown in this book for example I've recently seen made out of brass being advertised for about fifty Dollars. A truely useful book!

Do-able projects and sound history

This well-illustrated volume contains 18 projects for those interested in nevigation and astronomy. They are not excessively difficult, and the instructions are clear. The author demonstrates how very simple devices can be used in navigation; if nothing else, the "ancient astronaut" crowd should read this to learn how our "primative" ancestors could tell their latitude with just a stick and a string!