Got a Gath off eBay, and I’d like to attach a GoPro to it.
Anyone done it before ? Or know how best to go about it ?
If not I will post my attempts.
Hi,
I used one of the mounts and drilled a hole in the top of the helmet. Make sure you put a bit of extra padding over the bolt hole. I cut mine as flush as I possibly could but it still stuck out.
In the end I felt the footage looked pretty ordinary, you move your head a lot when surfing and the camera follows. I think the best option is holding it in your hand ( I held the velcro strap in my mouth while paddling) or putting it on a pole and filming from behind you.
Pissed and broke… I was thinking of putting the cam on the side of the Gath so I think you’re right about moving your head and getting less than perfect footage…
I was hoping the Gath mount might give a better view than mounting the GoPro on the deck of the board…
I think I might have to put a lot of holes in the Gath and do a lot of tests to see which angle gets the best footage.
I’ve seen some good footage with those pivoting wrist straps that they make (not cheap for what they are though)
Hey surfoils, I bought the helmet mount for my gath, but needed an extra arm to get a good position. The arm adds 2.5” & another pivot point I then attach the go pro upside down & reverse/invert the recording position on the go pro’s menu! It works ok… But your head moves around way too much surfing and like others have said it is not condusiveto getting good footage. I got hold of a neoprene shoulder support(biggest size I could get because I already wear 6mm of neoprene for a big part of the year) Took the square plastic base and heated it to give me a curve, then aquasured/neo rez it over the shoulder support so it sits right above your deltoid muscle looking straight ahead, then added 4 strips of neoprene over the base and glued them over. After that it was just a case of adding a Velcro arm leash and strap. Just in case. I wrecked the prototype and the second attempt! But third time lucky as I have used it dozens of times now over the last year with no problems & interesting footage. Your shoulders and upper torso still move around a fair bit but it’s definitely more stable than the gath or wrist mount! Slanj
Thanks for that speysurfer, Ive view seen the carbon arms that add a bit of distance, and that looks good but you and other say mounting on the helmet will produce less that perfect footage so I’ll avoid that.
I too have thought about a shoulder mount as your shoulders are more stable than a swivelling head, your description is most helpful… Mount it on top of the deltoid of the forward shoulder but point the camera away from the face so its looking down the line. I wonder if a shoulder mount will get in the way of paddling ?
Most appreciative for your input , I’ll start searching for components to build my own. And I’ll post pics here and/or on the Hydrofoil thread.
These were the easy options I could find …
No problem surffoils, it can be a pain when it comes to paddling & does rub on the right side of my jaw sometimes (more so when I’m starting to tire) Takes a bit of getting used too. It’s a compromise like most everything else in surfing! I will have to take some pics of the set up. Im really busy with my main job @ present but will try to upload some in the next couple days. I have been following your other thread with admiration, really interesting research & development with the hydrofoil (mad surfer scientist stuff!) I have included a pic of my gath set-up which I do still use on occasion! Keep at it. Slanj
Had a go at building an arm strap for my GoPro which has been working quite well for me so far but still trying it out in different places and circumstances at the moment. It’s intended primarily as an arm strap, either on bicep or forearm, but have also tried it on my lower legs to get some different perspectives with some success. Will try and pull some footage into a short demo video at some stage but here’s a link to how I built it if you want some more ideas. If I was going to do it again I’d make the base a bit longer to make it a bit more stable. I’m also thinking of stitching some rubber sheeting to the bottom of the webbing to make it grip my wetsuit more to avoid it twisiting in use. Will be interested to see some other ideas though, anything that’ll make the camera less obtrusive and provide some good footage will always be welcome!
http://seasonalsurfcraft.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/how-to-make-gopro-arm-strap.html
i know its not a go pro but here is my sony set can be use on bicep or wrist work fine
https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/DSC_0061.jpg
Vangoo, do you have an issue with less than perfect video because of the sharp movements ? It seems when the camera is mounted on a mobile position like a helmet or an arm , the video is jerky and just annoying to watch…
is there a mount that slows down the rotational change of direction making the video smoother ?
IMO head is best, the head and neck are a natural gyrostabilizer! With a wide angle, 120 to 170 deg options as on most go pros, the head movements don’t usually make video look jerky, the eyes do most of the jerky movements… Plus you instinctively protect the head, may help camera enjoy longer life too…I use helmet gopro kitesurfing a bit and only have to make a small effort to hold my head steady…
…my 2c
Anyway,
I got my eBay Gath today…
Now to do something ingenious with it and the GoPro…
sony has a steady shot mode and 170 " mode so its not to bad the paddling for the waves is different story