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**minaret** · 18-05-2013, 08:25

Been working lately with my systems guy on the new cam setup. We're doing a GoPro on a nice pan and scan mount for RC airplanes. It gets hoisted up the staysail halyard and attaches to the mast with a powerful magnet. Then you tilt and scan the camera to adjust. We won't be able to finalize the design till the rig is up, but it's fun and fairly cheap. I did a dash mount iPad in the pilothouse which will control the cam wirelessly. You can run up to 16 cams on your iPad. We're also doing two much cheaper very small wireless cams mounted on the hull side, so when you're parking the boat you can see over the side. It's awesome! I thought about doing a car cam, because they have a grid overlay with number of feet on the screen and you can get them to work wirelessly with the iPad for cheap too, but picked a different setup for better resolution in the end. Mounting point makes more difference anyway. I'll post on that when its all done, it's a fun little side project.

Exile · 18-05-2013, 08:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by minaret

Been working lately with my systems guy on the new cam setup. We're doing a GoPro on a nice pan and scan mount for RC airplanes. It gets hoisted up the staysail halyard and attaches to the mast with a powerful magnet. Then you tilt and scan the camera to adjust. We won't be able to finalize the design till the rig is up, but it's fun and fairly cheap. I did a dash mount iPad in the pilothouse which will control the cam wirelessly. You can run up to 16 cams on your iPad. We're also doing two much cheaper very small wireless cams mounted on the hull side, so when you're parking the boat you can see over the side. It's awesome! I thought about doing a car cam, because they have a grid overlay with number of feet on the screen and you can get them to work wirelessly with the iPad for cheap too, but picked a different setup for better resolution in the end. Mounting point makes more difference anyway. I'll post on that when its all done, it's a fun little side project.

I've been thinking about doing something like this since I bought my boat! My idea was a camera(s) up high on the mast to serve as an add'l "lookout" when I was short or single-handed. A 360 deg. view would be needed to be rigged somehow, and I was never sure how helpful the images would be. Last time I checked it didn't seem that GoPro was quite dialed in with wireless operation with the iPad but it sounds like they've surmounted that. Along with the nav programs available on the iPad, combined with the device which allows instrument data (incl. AIS & maybe even radar) to be wirelessly transmitted, you could theoretically have access to both real-time images, along with alarms and all your nav & instrument data, on one mobile device that could go with you anywhere on the boat.

Would love to follow how this project works out!

**minaret** · 18-05-2013, 08:53

Yeah, that's the general idea, though I'm not worried about displaying radar or AIS as I have a plotter or two for that (one at each helm).

The staysail halyard setup only gets me about 3/4 of the way up the mast, but it is a 79' stick. Genoa will be in the way under sail, but I'm expecting that there will be too much vibration to get good footage under way anyway, despite the RC mounts dampening. Should still be good for conning the ship under power, and general fun footage. The side cams will mean I no longer need the wife on the side deck giving me verbal feed back on how close to the dock I am.

Exile · 18-05-2013, 09:13

I also thought about the very top of the mast for camera placement to be out of the way of any headsails but that may or may not be realistic. In your case with 79', would that still be within range of the Wifi or Bluetooth, or whatever system they use to communicate to your iPad? Also not sure about interference with the VHF antenna.

Great idea to facilitate docking. I would also want as much help as I could get parkin' that one!

**minaret** · 20-05-2013, 16:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exile

I also thought about the very top of the mast for camera placement to be out of the way of any headsails but that may or may not be realistic. In your case with 79', would that still be within range of the Wifi or Bluetooth, or whatever system they use to communicate to your iPad? Also not sure about interference with the VHF antenna.

Great idea to facilitate docking. I would also want as much help as I could get parkin' that one!

It's Bluetooth. No problem. You can also have crew on deck with a Bluetooth headset talking to the helmsman. Since the iPad at the helm station is also connected to the stereo system so you can play music on it, you can even play their voice over the speakers or through headphones if its loud out. Many uses besides just navigation, I'm sure ill find many more. Just gotta keep the helmsman from surfing CF...

**minaret** · 20-05-2013, 16:19

How about a little boat porn to tide you over? Wish I'd taken pics of all the boats that have rolled through the yard this spring, it's been super busy, loads of real beauties.

Brand new Nordhavn 63 being commissioned.