Ultralight board mounted camera pole - how to build thread

[clay]

The conditions did not line up for the local downwind event today, this was great news for the surf breaks.  Sunny blue skies, light winds, an afternoon glass off, and some swell, pretty unreal for May around here.

First time surfing this stretch of beach, what jumped out at me was most of the surfers exiting and entering the water were father and son duos.  This one dad built a canopy for his son's wagon that functioned as a wetsuit hanging/drying rack and board caddy, they wheeled it up to the dunes together and suited up.  I really enjoyed seeing this in a non-competitive environment, and I look forward to having these kind of adventures with my son. 

The bamboo pole is rebuilt and quite solid, I reinforced all the hemp joints.  What failed on a wipeout was one of the velcro pieces that attached it to the board (I eventually want to use rope or wood, and for now Velcro is easier for testing).  I was bummed at first and then shortly after saw a quick way to reinforce it, stoked to try it again as I feel like I'm getting really close to having a bomb proof design that can handle some solid surf.
http://www.clayisland.com

Music:
Finally Here by Stuart Rau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nufW67Q7txM

[clay]

Aloha,

So I rebuilt and strengthened the bamboo pole cam, I then made another one out of smaller lighter poles and made a different configuration, and I also rebuilt one of the carbon poles just in case the swell was all time and I broke all the bamboo poles.

Here is the first test of the lighter thinner bamboo pole cam.  I built it to thin and without enough support, the cam was wobbling all over the place with to much shake for my taste.  The swell was still building.and I choose to surf this spot because there were only a handful of people out when I got there and no other SUPs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCzHpuBz9Vk


After seeing the video from the first day I switched to the more robust bamboo pole on the peak swell day, and I surfed a different spot that looked so so so much better and had spread out the crowd.  I feel like I know how to build the next bamboo pole so that it has the right combination of light weight, rigidity, and durability.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24yNsJpdJNA

[magentawave]

It seems that your contraption is holding up really well to the waves. Good for you that you're still working on this!

[clay]

Aloha!  Fresh back from a week in Maui, always such a beautiful and amazing place.  We lucked into 2 solid south swells bookending our trip, edit forthcoming.  I brought 2 bamboo poles and only used one, after many wipeouts I feel very good about the durability with no signs of cracking or any damage.  Also I have accidentally found a break away attachment system, any time it gets hit hard enough the velcro pops off and takes a minute or so to reattach.  Next I will try something more substantial to see what happens when it's solidly attached, probably should have done this with the rental production board I was riding    I suspect I have slightly overbuilt the bamboo pole and can remove some of the supports and lighten it by several ounces and hopefully get it under a pound.  Maybe I'll do one of those Quickblade tests and try to jack my truck up with it?

So I glassed a new ultra rigid bamboo camera pole just as I left for Maui and when I returned to California the south swell I surfed in Maui was now lighting up California, so after 2 days of rest I had to surf the same swell twice.  I put a couple of finishing touches on the pole and headed out.  To my eyes this pole is as rigid and solid as the 1 inch thick carbon fiber pole I use on DW runs, the video has no noticeable shake,  so smooth that it messes with my head as my brain is trying to reconcile what it's seeing - whereas with vibration my brain says oh hey this camera is on the end of a shaky pole. 

Stoked to remove the vibration and get this shot, I scored a bomb at the end of this video and had an awesome ride:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWDYZyik4C4

[magentawave]

will you be posting any videos of your maui trip?

[clay]

will you be posting any videos of your maui trip?

Most likely, I'm torn on what kind of edit I will do.  I want to do an edit that will be new for me and a bit of a stretch, so I am feeling out of my comfort zone and procrastinating.

[clay]

After the success of this latest build of the Bamboo pole I wanted to give it a more rigorous test to see how it holds up.  It's had three session now, taken many wipeouts, and been thrown around a bit, before under this kind of strain something would have cracked or broken off by now.  This bamboo pole has held up wonderfully and shows no signs of damage or wear.  The velcro has come undone 4 times, three of those it was as simple as taking a few minutes to reattach.  The fourth time one of the adhesive mounts was pulled off the board, so I just pulled the velcro tighter and finished the session with a few more waves and all is well.  I have a couple ideas on how to make the pole a few ounces lighter as well as how to beef up the attachment points so the pole stays in place.

I enjoyed both sessions and am grateful for the company of wonderful people, and the positive feedback on the bamboo pole cam.   

Day one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9pTezTXfyc

Day two:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAOnUyqjbB0

[clay]

I am getting more interested in using video to help improve performance.

For example the shot below it appears as though the paddle is fluttering.  Is this my imagination?  Some of the strokes appear to be waffling left right.

Hey so when I was in Maui I had a rental Kialoa paddle with a larger blade than my Hulu.  After watching the video I noticed almost no flutter or cavitation.  So this morning I called Kialoa to ask why, and the answer I got is that the flutter comes from me overpowering the blade size.  Which makes sense as I'm a big guy using a small blade.  They gave me a longer answer which I probably couldn't rewrite accurately.

[clay]

Hi,

So it has been a while since I updated this thread, figure now is a good time.

I have been using the same bamboo pole since June and it still works great and looks like the day I made it.  So stoked on the durability and functionality.

Also in August I stop using the velcro and went with tying the pole firmly in place (old shoe laces), that has been a big improvement and I no longer am concerned about wiping out and having the pole pulled off my board.

Looking forward to some bigger heavier days to test it in this winter

Here a few recent sessions:

From 2 days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khTJXIXGOrw

First surf with the new gopro session 5 camera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa_AMjdHe7g

From the first day of fall conditions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqRJU1anVLM

[Off-Shore]

Awesome vids Clay, with epic conditions. Perfect voice over on the middle one. You have a talent man! Great to see you are enjoying your Session 5 as much as I'm enjoying my Hero 5 Black.. Definitely an improvement on image quality, image stabilisation and sound. Just posted my first vid using a headmount, and looking forward to seeing how it performs on the 3rd person mount. 

[clay]

Thanks Robert!  You inspired me to add narration to a video 
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,30862.0.html

[magentawave]

Clay, how much does everything weigh and do you notice a difference with the swing weight?

I may have already said this in an earlier comment but normally I find videos taken from the deck at the nose are unwatchable, but your videos with the raised camera are really enjoyable to watch.

[clay]

Clay, how much does everything weigh and do you notice a difference with the swing weight?

I may have already said this in an earlier comment but normally I find videos taken from the deck at the nose are unwatchable, but your videos with the raised camera are really enjoyable to watch.

The bamboo poles that I'm using now weigh around 19 ounces.  The smallest board I have is 8'8" and 140L and I do not notice the swing weight.  I only used a gopro on my prone boards a couple times because the swing weight was to noticeable and messed with my surfing.   On a SUP it feels good.

[WhatsSUP]

I continue to love watching your vid's Clay!!! And I really like the narration as well...very nice touch.  Would love to see a pic of your latest set up (from the vantage point of you as the rider)....that'd be cool!  I have this image of some sort of tinker toy looking contraption....not saying that in any sort of derogatory way....I just imagine its gotta look a bit weird(?)

Also, I think I may have asked you this before, but can you/do you run your rig in relatively shallow water (like thigh to waist deep water) at the end of a ride - or is it way deeper where you ride?

Best,     

[dns]

Very nice, although with the pole off the right side of the board I definitely like the view on the lefts better.