Farpoint Vixen Dovetail Plate - Celestron 9.25 Inch SCT (pre 2008)

Product Overview

The Farpoint FVC9.25L is a complete Vixen-style mounting kit for the pre-2008 Celestron 9.25″ SCT optical tube. It supplies a 19″ V-size (Vixen-style) dovetail bar together with the radius blocks machined to that tube's curve and the mounting screws to assemble them. The bar is machined from sturdy aluminum with a black anodized finish, is CNC-machined in the USA, and the kit weighs 2.063 lb. With it fitted, the tube drops into any mount saddle cut for V-size hardware.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you…

• own a Celestron 9.25″ SCT built before 2008 and want a Vixen-standard dovetail interface on it.
• run a mount whose saddle takes V-size hardware, which covers most small and mid-size equatorial and alt-az mounts.
• are starting without a bar and would rather have bar, blocks, and screws arrive as one kit.
• are replacing a factory or third-party bar whose fit or length no longer suits the rig.

Key Features & Design

• 19″ V-size bar: the length specified for the pre-2008 9.25″ tube, longer than the 17.25″ bar used on 2008-and-newer tubes.
• Radius blocks included: machined to the 9.25″ tube curve so the flat bar seats correctly on the round tube.
• Mounting screws included: the kit assembles without sourcing separate hardware.
• Black anodized aluminum: machined from sturdy aluminum stock with an anodized surface finish.
• CNC-machined in the USA: bar and blocks are cut at Farpoint's own shop.
• 2.063 lb: the assembled kit's contribution to tube-side mass.

Mechanical Design

The kit works as a two-part interface. The radius blocks carry an underside machined to the curve of the 9.25″ tube and a flat top face where the bar lands, which spreads the clamping load across the contact area rather than concentrating it at the bolt holes. The 19″ bar then presents a V-size dovetail along its length, giving the saddle a long clamping run and a wide range of fore-and-aft positions for balancing the tube with a camera or a diagonal fitted. The extra length over the post-2008 17.25″ bar reflects the different tube and hole geometry of the older 9.25″ optical tube assembly.

Recommended Uses

• Mounting a pre-2008 Celestron 9.25″ SCT on an equatorial or alt-az mount with a Vixen saddle.
• Rebalancing the tube along the bar after adding a camera, diagonal, or focal reducer.
• Replacing worn or mismatched dovetail hardware on an older 9.25″ tube.
• Standardising a multi-scope setup on the V-size dovetail so tubes interchange in one saddle.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The kit is cut for the Celestron 9.25″ SCT optical tube assembly in its pre-2008 form. Tubes built from 2008 onward use a different version of the kit with a 17.25″ bar, and Farpoint also lists 8″ and 11″ SCT kits for those apertures. On the mount side the bar is V-size, also called Vixen-style, the narrower of the two common dovetail standards; mounts fitted only with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle take Farpoint's D-size SCT kits instead. An armoured-strip version of this same kit adds a stainless steel strip along the dovetail edge for saddles that clamp with a set screw. Send us your telescope serial number and we will identify which of the two 9.25″ versions matches your tube.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Two 9.25″ versions exist. This 19″ kit fits pre-2008 tubes; 2008-and-newer tubes take the 17.25″ version, and the serial number identifies which tube is in hand.
• Set-screw saddles wear a bare aluminum edge. Set screws mar and pit an anodized aluminum dovetail over time, which eventually produces slop; the armoured-strip version adds a stainless steel strip that takes that contact instead. Saddles with a clamping bar spread the load across the face and are unaffected.
• The kit is V-size only. A mount with only a D-size saddle takes a D-size SCT kit or a saddle conversion.
• Rings are not part of this kit. An SCT mounts through the tube's own rear-cell holes via the radius blocks rather than through tube rings.
• Farpoint publishes a customer drawing. It shows the bar's hole pattern and measurements for anyone matching the kit against an existing setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this kit do?

It gives a pre-2008 Celestron 9.25″ SCT a Vixen-style (V-size) dovetail interface, so the tube drops into any V-size saddle. The radius blocks match the bar to the tube's curvature, and the mounting screws are supplied.

Does it fit a 2008-or-newer 9.25″?

The newer tubes take the separate post-2008 kit with a 17.25″ bar. This 19″ kit is the one for the older optical tube assembly.

When is the armoured-strip version the better choice?

For saddles that clamp with a set screw. The stainless steel strip absorbs the contact that would otherwise mark the aluminum dovetail edge. Saddles with a clamping bar do not put that kind of point load on the dovetail.

Is it difficult to install?

Installation is bolting the radius blocks to the tube's existing mounting holes, then the bar to the blocks with the supplied screws, and sliding the tube into the saddle. It calls for hand tools and no modification to the telescope.

What mounts does it work with?

Any mount with a Vixen-style (V-size) saddle — the smaller of the two common dovetail standards, found on most small and mid-size equatorial and alt-az mounts.

Bottom Line

In short: a complete 2.063 lb Vixen mounting kit for the pre-2008 Celestron 9.25″ SCT — a 19″ black anodized V-size bar with matched radius blocks and mounting screws, CNC-machined in the USA.