Farpoint Vixen Dovetail Plate - Celestron 11 Inch SCT

Product Overview

The Farpoint FVC11 is a complete Vixen-style (V-size) dovetail kit for the Celestron 11″ SCT. It pairs a 17.25″ black anodized aluminum bar with the radius blocks and mounting screws needed to bolt it to the tube, so the C11 gains a V-size dovetail interface and drops into any Vixen saddle. The kit weighs 1.875 lb and is CNC-machined in the USA.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you own a Celestron 11″ SCT and want it on a Vixen-style saddle with everything needed in one box — bar, blocks, and screws — rather than sourcing the pieces separately. It also fits the case where you are replacing a worn or damaged factory rail, or standardising several tubes on a single V-size dovetail format.

Key Features & Design

• Complete kit: Dovetail bar, radius blocks, and mounting screws supplied together.
• 17.25″ bar length: Machined to run the length of the C11 tube with hole positions matched to that OTA.
• V-size Vixen profile: Cut to the narrower of the two common dovetail standards, seating in any Vixen-style saddle.
• Radius blocks included: Machined to the curve of the Celestron 11″ tube so the flat bar sits properly against a round OTA.
• Black anodized aluminum: Sturdy aluminum stock with an anodized surface layer.
• 1.875 lb kit: The published weight, which counts toward the payload the mount carries alongside the tube.
• CNC-machined in the USA: Produced on CNC equipment at Farpoint in the United States.

Mechanical Design

A dovetail bar is flat and an SCT tube is round, so the two cannot bear against each other directly. The radius blocks in this kit sit between them: each is machined to the curve of the Celestron 11″ tube, so the clamping load spreads across the block's contact face rather than concentrating at the bolt holes. The 17.25″ bar length then spreads the mounting points along the tube, which is what keeps a tube of this size from pivoting on its fasteners under the torque of slewing and tracking. The bar itself is cut to the V-size profile along both edges, so the saddle jaws bear on a machined surface at a fixed angle rather than on a rolled or extruded one.

Recommended Uses

• Mounting a Celestron 11″ SCT on an equatorial or alt-az mount fitted with a Vixen saddle.
• Replacing a factory dovetail rail that has worn, loosened, or been damaged.
• Building a first-time mounting interface on a C11 tube that has none.
• Bringing several telescopes onto one dovetail format so tubes exchange on the same saddle.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The FVC11 is machined for the Celestron 11″ SCT optical tube assembly and is a V-size bar in the Vixen-style standard — the narrower of the two common dovetail formats. A D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle is the wider format; for a tube the size of a C11 on a heavy-duty mount, the D-size standard is often the one chosen at that payload, and Farpoint's D-size kits cover it. Everything needed to attach the bar to the tube is in the box: the radius blocks and the mounting screws are included, so no separate hardware is required. Farpoint publishes a dimensioned product drawing for the FVC11 showing the 17.25″ length, the hole pattern, and the measurements. An Armored Strip version is not currently offered for the C11 — the armored options in the Vixen lineup cover the Celestron 8″ and 9.25″ and the Meade tubes. If you are unsure which standard or which kit suits your mount, tell us your telescope and mount model and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The fit is tube-specific. The radius blocks and hole pattern are machined for the Celestron 11″ SCT; other Celestron tubes take their own matched kits.
• No armored version exists for the C11. The stainless-steel-strip option in the Vixen lineup covers the Celestron 8″ and 9.25″ and the Meade tubes. Saddles that clamp with a set screw bear a point load on a bare aluminum dovetail edge, which is the case that strip addresses on the tubes where it is offered.
• It is a V-size bar. A D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle is wider and needs an adapter or a dual-format saddle in between.
• The kit adds 1.875 lb. On a mount near its rated capacity that figure belongs in the total with the tube, diagonal, and any imaging train.
• V-size is the smaller standard for a large tube. The C11 is at the upper end of what a Vixen saddle commonly carries, and heavy-duty mounts at this payload are frequently specified with D-size saddles instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

No. The radius blocks and mounting screws are in the box, and the bar bolts to the existing threaded holes on the C11 tube with hex keys. The tube then slides into the Vixen saddle and clamps. The product drawing shows the hole positions for checking against the tube first.

What does this kit do?

It gives the Celestron 11″ SCT a Vixen-style (V-size) dovetail interface so the tube drops into any V-size saddle. The radius blocks match the flat bar to the tube's curvature and the mounting screws are supplied.

Is an armored version available for the C11?

Not currently. The Armored Strip versions in the Vixen lineup cover the Celestron 8″ and 9.25″ and the Meade tubes. If your saddle clamps with a set screw and you would like armor on a C11 bar, we are happy to look into it with you.

What mounts does it work with?

Any mount with a Vixen-style (V-size) saddle. For a C11 on a heavy-duty mount, the D-size (Losmandy-style) kits are also worth weighing, since the larger standard is often preferred at that payload.

Bottom Line

In short: a complete 17.25″ Vixen (V-size) dovetail kit for the Celestron 11″ SCT — black anodized bar, matched radius blocks, and mounting screws, weighing 1.875 lb and CNC-machined in the USA.