GoPro mounting options, TIPS/SUGGESTIONS??

[Wind-NC.com]

Keep your eyes out for the next New England Windsurfing Journal- there should be a pretty comprehensive article about camera mounts in there!

Due in subscribers mailboxes in about 3 weeks I think? If you don't subscribe, pick one up on your next trip to the beach

[cgoudie1]

Guess I'm in the total sexiness category. I find straight helmet-cam video
tedious after about a minute. I have a rear mounted helmet cam and
that video is good for about 5 seconds max, but here's what I like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQFGfE6SsJQ

-Craig

[Wind-NC.com]

Since we're all sharing , here are a few of my videos:


This one has both boom clew footage and some footage shot from land, so you can get a nice gauge for conditions and what the clew footage looks like in the waves:

http://vimeo.com/9090244



And if you're into freestyle, this one's pretty neat too (all clew mount)

http://vimeo.com/9529366



Then, for the slalom dragsters:

http://vimeo.com/6669892



And helmet cam footage, for comparison:

http://vimeo.com/9980163

[rayfus]

First link is to James Douglas' blog entry on clew mount. Links 2 & 3 show alternative mast mounts.

http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-do-clew-mount-boom-mount-gopro.html

http://chrisk97.blogspot.com/2010/09/f-hot-gopro-mast-mount.html

http://www.flymount.com.au/

[boardsurfr]

If you're using the GoPro to see what you are doing so you can improve, the clew mount is definitely best. I use the strap mount as Jim Douglass shows on his blog. One important addition is a little piece of kite string that I use as a backup to attach the housing to the boom. There's always a chance the mount fails for some reason, for example because the plastic breaks. It happened to me, and I think Jim lost a boom cam once. I saw mine dangling from the string and re-attached it.

When deciding which model to buy, keep in mind that the cheaper models don't let you attach the LCD screen. Once it gets a bit warmer, I'm planning to use the LCD screen a lot to look at footage from new tricks I'm working on right on the beach. Usually, I have an idea what I should be doing, but no clew what I actually am doing until I see it on film.

[jfeehan]

what would be wrong with just epoxying a mount to the boom like this:

[isobars]

Are you guys aware of the goldmine of GoPro information at
http://www.eyeofmine.com/gopro/hd/?
Videos there discuss all kinds of GoPro brand and aftermarket mounts, usage tutorials, etc.

And ... don't you guys ever smash your cameras in a crash? I wear a helmet for a REASON -- it often hits stuff -- and I can see this camera getting ripped off a helmet, going through a sail, or getting hung up beneath a downed rig. The safest mounting spots would seem to be on the boom clew or on the mast anywhere above the boom. Maybe the best helmet mount would be using the GoPro tripod mounting bracket or stick-on base on the visor of a batting helmet. This offers both the camera and your sails some impact protection and provides a fairly flat mounting platform.

Mike \m/

[jfeehan]

also, a pretty active user forum at http://goprouser.freeforums.org/

[isobars]

How about mounting a camera bracket on an old boom head, then clamp the head onto the mast in the sail cutout just above your boom? With no stress on the boom head, you could trim (e.g., hacksaw, coping saw, bandsaw) the head down to a smooth, unobtrusive bare bones profile and drill it for mounting a bracket without sacrificing needed strength.

For an even sleeker bare mast mount, surely one of the 45,564 styles of pipe or tubing mounts/brackets available online will provide a small platform for the $8 GoPro tripod base. The possibilities are boggling if the location is a good viewing spot.

I wouldn't do that if the board nose is long enough to get hit by the camera, but that's less common these days.

Mike \m/

[sl55]

I agree that the clew mount is the best and safest for the camera.
One little tip: extend your boom a notch to get a better unobstructed vew on both tacks.