Wouldn't mind getting a bit of footage/pic of myself Kiting.
What mounts do people use? I had a quick look on eBay, but didn't really know which one was the go.
Ive seen some unreal shot's of the centre line mounts.
I use Camrig ($80) for the centre line mount, you can also buy a helmet strap for your Gopro and put it around the main strut of your kite. Can get one for under $10.
I used the lid off my go pro box, drilled some holes, and two 20cm lengths of 6mm nylon cord.
Take the plastic lid the gopro is mounted on when you get it, drill a hole in each corner (approx. 10mm from each side), I filed off the corners to make them round and not pointy. then put the ropes through the holes and tie this to main strut or around each of your inside lines. I've used this heaps of times, crashed my kite hard and still been fine.
Footage from my first go at mounting it up with little wind:
get the line mount its the best outcome for a photo...the go pro wobbles around too much for vid it makes you sick watching it but you set the vid on 1080/30 for the highest quality then rip the photo from the vid.the lines do get tangled/crossed up on the mount quite regularly and water droplets on the camera lens is a major problem even if you use every trick in the book to stop it..%90 of my shots are no good because of the water on the lens you..
Line mount definitely, son made his own (laser cut) at school in year 10 plastics class
Thanks Fella's, Appreciate it. Camrig looks like the go. Thanks for the setting info Pigdog. I was actually wondering about that also.
Nice Vid Jake, looks like a nice quiet arvo down at the pond for yourself.
First saw this mount being used by Sir Rowdy, and I think most of his recent gopro footage would be shot using this new mount called a Beastmount and I suggested Kitepower stock them.https://www.kitepower.com.au/collections/other/products/beastmount-kite-line-mount?variant=33672243983
What I like about this mount over the Cam rig unit is how easy it is to mount on your lines and how the flagging or safety line is still completely functional. Cam rig requires you to fit those green "wedges" to hold it on the line and they stop your safety line from working properly. I think the footage from Beastmount is more stable too.
The slightly modified box mount I made from the packaging, the bottom photo shows how I mount it to my lines, same mount I put on the strut of my kite above,simply wind the cord around my lines a couple of times then back through the other hole. Mount doesn't slide and sat very stable, just need to get it to the right height before you put your kite up so it doesn't get caught on your back lines.
Quick to make, stable and feels quite strong, crashed my kite hard a few tim s but haven't lost it. Also nylon on dynema will lead to minimal chaffing of the lines.
I've got a camrig line mount... two problems
1) single line flagging doesn't work with green plastic plugs fitted on both lines. I just use the mounts on the none-flagging line (and it holds).
2) as highlighted above, if you get slack in your lines they can get wrapped around the mount (particularly if you don't put the green plugs in). I streamlined mine a bit with some tape to stop the lines getting caught.
Its a bit of a faff, and the novelty wears off.
I prefer the kite mounted pictures, here's one of mine from Sandy Bay (Exmouth).
I have 2 GoPro line mounts... and they both have their faults. I wouldn't recommend either. The camrig is on the left with the GoPro in it and a DKS dan kite mount on right.
Here's the + & -.
The DKS holds camera upright and is less tangly. It has has wider arms meaning it can go higher up lines which suits my bar kite set up. (Ozone). It holds in place with wedges and your flagging line can run freely. The things I don't like are it's heavier & bulkier than the camrig with more wind resistance. It is cut out of hard plastic which could chaff lines especially with the way it wedges. Also the hard plastic makes them more susceptible to vibration, however this is negated with new GoPro session with image stabilisation. The red twist mount screw needs to be replaced with Phillips head to avoid tangles.
The camrig is their universal model. I'm surprised they haven't come up with a new one that holds the camera between the lines. It has its faults but I prefer it because it is low profile, light and has the least wind resistance. You can feel them in your lines and are better off using them slightly overpowered. Although fiddly the rubber grommets dampen vibration and hold the camera securely. You can see by above pic I have cut one green rubber wedge down on flagging line side and deepened groove underneath slightly so it holds but easily flags if needed. I have removed back wedge. With all these mounts you are better off getting assisted launch and land. It has narrower arms but I place it higher than I should raising my vee in fronts. Slightly higher gets a better frame and keeps camera drier. Because it is smoothly moduled and rubber mounted it is line friendly to wear. I've never had to come in but do pull my steering line from around it occasionally.
They are not just for the hero shot but a good tool to see your errors. It's interesting to see how often you are disconnected from your board you are at times, and recovery. They do however give a distorted image on edges of frame.
Here are all 3 mounts. beastmount at front easiest quickest and works well with front lines that split down lower. Flagging runs freely on non camera mounted side
Select to expand quotesnapback said..
does the beastmount hold onto the lines when they are slack after a crash?
Hi snapper. If your lines are thick it holds ok when connected on both sides. But I just add an ear plug for stability and vibration dampening.
The thing is.. all these mounts could be improved and all have pluses and minuses. If you have a high split in your fronts the narrower camrig may suit. But it sits the camera high and is tangly. It also only takes the session 5 upright in mount otherwise you can see frame.
The beastmount is easiest to put on and suits my low split bar. It is gentle on lines, there are no wedges but could be refined. It can take the camera any way up. I'll post some photos underneath to show.
In this unedited shot on beast mount camera is dry. You still get that 45 degrees of horizon that is skewed on edge of frame. i still could put camera higher. Distance is arms spread above chicken loop. Even there it changes the natural vee of my fronts. Notice how rectangular the frame is. If you have the camera the wrong way in mount you miss a lot of the spray.
In this sequence on camrig the camera is lower. It distorted the vee of my fronts and the kite flew differently. I can spray the lens, and the water droplets ruin the shots. The droplets move frame by frame. Even though the shots are crap; you can still get an idea of your errors or things that work. On this day I felt ho hum on the water. I was trying to mix up arm positioning and push as hard as I could through turns and then give it an extra kick. It has added a bit of interest to my kiting. It's just a bit of fun! Happy days
