Finally broke down and bought an action cam for my boat. This is my first attempt at shooting and editing. The prototype mount is a little jiggly at times, but most of the footage is pretty clear. Thought some of you might get a kick out of this. Yes, I know I need more downhaul, but.........
what type of gimble (mount) are you using?
what kind of camera?
MN3
I designed and fabricated my own mount which I plan to further refine as this was it's debut. The camera is a Garmin VIRB. I'll post some pics later.
cool - nice camera
MN3
Pics as promised. Basically, 1-1/4" X 1/8" aluminum stock and a cable clamp from Home Depot:
It's mounted to the forestay and bent near the bottom to bring the camera's position up to level. The gimble is just a shoulder bolt with a few nylon washers and a spring. At the top it's mounted with a 1/4" bolt through the bottom hole in the forestay adjuster. Note that this was a first attempt and needs some tweeking to improve shake and swing overshoot/return.
Enjoy
I bought the dive case for my Virb after the first one got water in it and it stopped working. I'd also recommend tying a lanyard to the camera. I don't trust the mount.
tradisrad wrote: I bought the dive case for my Virb after the first one got water in it and it stopped working. I'd also recommend tying a lanyard to the camera. I don't trust the mount.
Thanks for the tips tradisrad. Garmin claims the camera is rated to IPX7 for water rating:
Splashes
Rain or Snow
Showering
Incidental exposure to water of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
So, yes it is marginal for a nice long turtle. We have several folks with them in my local club who have dunked and splashed them, had them rained on pretty much to the limits of the rating without failure so far. A tip one long time local user gave me was to carry a double seal zip lock bag within arms length when sailing in likely capsize conditions and if possible quickly detach a and stow the camera inside in the event of a capsize. My other thought is that these cameras are so inexpensive now (< $60 used on ebay) just use to failure then replace.
On the lanyard comment, absolutely. I risk it without one the first time, but intend to use one in the future.
Hi leeboweffect, thanks for directing me to this thread. I'm making my own mount, what do you think?
https://vimeo.com/232271161
I sanded the plastic to loosen the connection, I can sand more but probably some minimum friction is good.
What kind of adjustment did you have t do? I can also make the post longer, it would be more exposed so hopefully not.
andinista wrote: I'm making my own mount, what do you think?
Looks good and that's the simple principle just a free swinging pendulum. As you can see mine is damped with a spring so as to provide a constant force, but the way you have made it will work fine. The biggest challenge is how and where you mount it to the boat. In my case I get a lot of vibration that I didn't anticipate. Folks who use a pole from the dolphin striker up to the bridle Y get great low vibration results. I chose to not use the pole only because I didn't like it being in the center of the video's frame as a distraction.
Thanks! I have a bow foil (n5.5), I currently mount the camera on it, I'll try below now.
Andinista wrote: I'll try below now.
Great! I look forward to seeing some footage from your boat!
I'm planning to sail in a couple weeks, hope weather doesn't say otherwise, it's still winter here in Chile
Edited by Andinista on Sep 05, 2017 - 07:22 AM.
Andinista wrote: it's still winter here in Chile
Well, winter is coming here in NC, but we're usually pretty comfy up through the first week of November and that's when I put my boat up till the following April. So, I've got about two months left to attempt more videos.
BTW where do you sail in Chile?
andinista, are you saying that the go pro locking screws stay tight in this modification? They will not shake loose?
I tried loosening the stock nuts/bolts to achieve pendulums on the X and Z axis. but they will back out when things started getting hairy. I tried rubber banding them in place but that's not the answer either.
Using longer bolts with a locknut would be the way to go... have't got around to that yet.
leeboweffect wrote: [quote=Andinista]it's still winter here in Chile
Well, winter is coming here in NC, but we're usually pretty comfy up through the first week of November and that's when I put my boat up till the following April. So, I've got about two months left to attempt more videos.
BTW where do you sail in Chile?
I store the boat in Concepcion for the winter, that's 500 km south from Santiago where I live (with no room to store it with me..). Near Concepcion I often sail at a beach called Dichato that is perfect for sailing, big enough bay open to wind but no waves (if you miss them they are further out too). During spring and summer I take it to lake Rapel and leave it mast up at a marina. Then I usually go for vacations at a lake in the south and leave it at my in laws again
Edited by Andinista on Sep 06, 2017 - 08:06 AM.
About the mount, I don't trust the nut will stay there, I was thinking either double nuts or a pin with ring. The latter is not adjustable but faster to set up and safer. My main concern is how exposed it will be under the bow foil. I had a tell-o-cat mounted on it that I kept breaking when passing under. I guess I'll put it on one side and create the discipline to circulate through the other
Edited by Andinista on Sep 06, 2017 - 07:55 AM.
nohuhu wrote: andinista, are you saying that the go pro locking screws stay tight in this modification? They will not shake loose?
I suggest the use of Nylock nuts (Nylock is a brand name although there are other brands and some folks call them jam nuts). They are used extensively on aircraft and will prevent backing off and/or loosening plus you can reuse them many times (not on aircraft !@#$#@!).
I get mine either from the home stores or here:
Thanks, I'll try that.
Andinista wrote: Near Concepcion I often sail at a beach called Dichato that is perfect for sailing, big enough bay open to wind but no waves (if you miss them they are further out too).
Great video and sailing action. Also nice looking boat and beach/sailing area. I really like that type of area with a relatively steady breeze, but without the large waves, chop and rollers.