Cameras on boats.

[Canibul]

Through a series of occurrences that I shant go into here, I find myself the owner of not one, but two of the new Kickstarter Pocket Drones, by Air Droid. I have one here with me in the islands, and the other waiting for my next trip to the USA. These are tricopters with a lot of issues to be worked out. I've been thinking of just stripping the new one here and using the parts to build a marine quad. It can be done, of course, it's just that the people who have been trying to do it don't know anything about working with electronics in the ocean. I happen to know a fair bit about putting electronics in the ocean. So I'm presently in the process of educating myself on the Arduino processor and the different flight modes. But I fully plan to fly a UAV from the boat. That's the whole point of it.

In the meantime, I got the chance last weekend to try out my "30 knot kite" in some real conditions. I have three kites, for KAP, and can put a camera up in anything between 6 and 30 knots. Gnarly.
This is South Side Marina, on Providenciales last weekend. It's a very small marina, and every slip was filled by cruisers ducking out of that weather.

I cannot imagine putting a drone up in these conditions. I had a 200 lb. test dacron line tied to my investment the entire time, and nothing on there that salt water would harm. Sometimes simple is the solution. Just a thought.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Through a series of occurrences that I shant go into here, I find myself the owner of not one, but two of the new Kickstarter Pocket Drones, by Air Droid. I have one here with me in the islands, and the other waiting for my next trip to the USA. These are tricopters with a lot of issues to be worked out. I've been thinking of just stripping the new one here and using the parts to build a marine quad. It can be done, of course, it's just that the people who have been trying to do it don't know anything about working with electronics in the ocean. I happen to know a fair bit about putting electronics in the ocean. So I'm presently in the process of educating myself on the Arduino processor and the different flight modes. But I fully plan to fly a UAV from the boat. That's the whole point of it.

Incidentally, I get a kick out of your blog, love the humour and your singular view on life and people.

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by weavis

It was a gopro 3/3 lens.

This is the video that helped me fix my unit.

Thanks for the vid. The issue is with the bezel that goes around the lens. The one on the GoPro must be thicker by about 2 mm (1 mm each side)

Thanks Weavis

[weavis]

After using the SJCAM 4000 and stabiliser in anger, Im impressed.
Not a lover of the wide angle view for distortion, I run my footage through ProDADDdefishr.

Great camera and results for the price.

I also have the SJ4000 profile file made for Defishr if required.

I have not done any colour correction. The SJCAM 4000 is very rich in saturation, and I like the depth of colour. For those who prefer less vibrancy, the colour can be toned down to neutral. Videos for me of places visited should explode with colour and memories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxmwcriJ3EY

[weavis]

Im wondering if there is a call for 2-3 minute walk through videos of boats for sale, and if so, what price would an owner pay for it?

[Azul]

I don't know about boats, but a realtor friend recently stated that video was becoming increasingly important to sell homes even though the MLS increased the number of still photos recently from 19 to 30. As far as pricing, a general rule in homes is .1% of the asking price with a $135 minimum- this would be the limiting factor for inexpensive boats.

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by weavis

Im wondering if there is a call for 2-3 minute walk through videos of boats for sale, and if so, what price would an owner pay for it?

I have found that well focused and composed photos are better than walk throughs for boats.

Even in real estate, a large portion of the "videos" are actually slide shows of still photos.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Greenhand

I have found that well focused and composed photos are better than walk throughs for boats.

Even in real estate, a large portion of the "videos" are actually slide shows of still photos.

Hmm. I personally go to YOUTUBE and look for the boat model in a video. If I see slideshows I move on. Photos are nice but.........(and Im an enthusiastic photographer from schooldays on.)

I like to see 'depth' perception via a video and see the layout in perspective as the camera pans around, Hear the water slapping, try to guess where its filmed through the windows, see bits and pieces of the marina or wherever its filmed..... It gives the boat a live feel.

Photos can be taken from the video if required for those that want them.

Saying that, if a prospective seller wanted photos, they can have them instead.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Azul

I don't know about boats, but a realtor friend recently stated that video was becoming increasingly important to sell homes even though the MLS increased the number of still photos recently from 19 to 30. As far as pricing, a general rule in homes is .1% of the asking price with a $135 minimum- this would be the limiting factor for inexpensive boats.

Thanks for that.

I reckon a walk through video that covered deck, systems and interior would take @ 2 hours. Post production following a formula could take 1-2 hours.

This for a 3 minute video.

I think the reasonable cost for a vessel priced under $50K would have to be @ $200-250 and a more expensive/larger/exclusive vessel starting at $500.

Greenhand mentioned Photos.... probably a shoot would take about an hour so ...$150.

These prices would also depend on distance traveled. I know of one guy who does about 6-10 in one day for a dealer and charges a day fee (one location).... and no, he will not tell me. (Its also in the States).

[Azul]

The way to make money at this would be to have a few boat dealers hire you to do their photos and videos (I think they are both useful) on a regular basis. But the dealer is going to want you to highlight the positives and obscure the negatives. In the US, if you work a $40,000 per year job you are only going to take home about $120 per day after taxes. It would be more fun to take boat pictures than most jobs. Most of the time spent would be post processing the videos, which many people find tedious.

OTOH, it would be a great service for potential out of town buyers to do previews on boats they are interested in. Not a full blown survey, but a cheap preliminary "this boat is worth driving six hours to look at" sort of thing. How many people are lucky enough to find their perfect boat in their home town? Nowadays a lot can be learned from high resolution pictures and videos taken by a person knowledgeable about boats. The "Weavis List" for boats could be the next Angie's List.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Azul

The way to make money at this would be to have a few boat dealers hire you to do their photos and videos (I think they are both useful) on a regular basis. But the dealer is going to want you to highlight the positives and obscure the negatives. In the US, if you work a $40,000 per year job you are only going to take home about $120 per day after taxes. It would be more fun to take boat pictures than most jobs.

OTOH, it would be a great service for potential out of town buyers to do previews on boats they are interested in. Not a full blown survey, but a cheap preliminary "this boat is worth driving six hours to look at" sort of thing. How many people are lucky enough to find their perfect boat in their home town? Nowadays a lot can be learned from high resolution pictures and videos taken by a person knowledgeable about boats. The "Weavis List" for boats could be the next Angie's List.

I lived in the States From 98-2011 so am familiar with the system.
One of the things about this idea, is that if a person locates in a major boating centre, then its something that 'should' work on paper, but is it something boat realtors want? Is it something a private seller would pay for?

Just a passing thought.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by weavis

Hmm. I personally go to YOUTUBE and look for the boat model in a video. If I see slideshows I move on. Photos are nice but.........(and Im an enthusiastic photographer from schooldays on.)

I like to see 'depth' perception via a video and see the layout in perspective as the camera pans around, Hear the water slapping, try to guess where its filmed through the windows, see bits and pieces of the marina or wherever its filmed..... It gives the boat a live feel.

Photos can be taken from the video if required for those that want them.

Saying that, if a prospective seller wanted photos, they can have them instead.

Interesting perspective. Personally, I skip the videos and look for the stills. I can download the ones I care about, skip the ones I don't, zoom in, and compare individual locations to other similar boats.

I especially dislike videos that are just stills stitched into a slideshow with "cute" transitions. It's a waste of my time. I don't need the transitions, and sometimes I want to spend more time looking at one thing, and less at another. Same problems with a "real" video. I'll decide what's important to dwell on, thank you. And a video with background music? Let's just say there's a very good chance your taste in music does not match mine

I'm also the type who would rather read a news story, than have a talking head read it to me. Based on what I see on the web nowadays, I'm probably in the minority on this. No big deal, just different preferences.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by weavis

What will you do to save your drone? (Also known as Why I wont use a drone on a boat)

I bought a waterproof quad for my boat. In the process of ironing out the kinks in the flying before I head to Greece. There will be a waterproofed gimbal available soon which I will get.

[Catalysis]

Hoppy,what brand did you buy?
What other waterproof models did you consider.
Paul



Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[hoppy]

I bought the Mariner basic kit as I have another quad that will be stored for the next couple of years whilst I sail, so I stripped all of its electronics for the Mariner.