Anyone use the Go Pro mount and had good success?

[Hamboats]

Curious if buying a Go Pro is worth it. We’re sorta tired of holding our phones to video every time someone is boarding. I am considering purchasing a Go Pro for the factory mount on the transom but wondering if it’s worth it. I’m concerned that it’ll be too shaky given the location and/or not provide a good enough angle to get good video. 
 

Anyone have good luck with one?

[PNWoke]

The new go pros are amazing.  Anything past the hero7 has internal hypersmooth stabilization features built in.  Result is near 3 axis gimbal looking 4K+ video.  I recommend going with the hero10 or 11 to get the best performance and upgrade-ability.  The video quality from a hero10 is far superior to most any phone.  Pay the $50/year for the go pro membership and all your video uploads to the cloud automatically and you can access it and edit it whenever you feel like it.  That membership also gets to 30%-70% off their accessories so the membership really pays for itself I have found. 
disclaimer: no I don’t work for go pro.  I have just been using them since hero2 for mostly snowboarding related activities.  I found that they do equally as well out on the boat.

Edited June 5, 2023 by PNWoke

[NorCalSurfer]

Where do you all mount your GoPros? Sadly, as the boat owner and captain, no one seems to video me so I need to do it myself via my GoPro. My biggest problem with GoPro is the file size and editing, it takes forever. 

[Skithemidwest]

I only filmed a few things but had some success mounting it on the handrail in the back with the "bike mount".   Only video I have available to show right now is when I forgot to turn speed control on and overshot by quite a bit haha. 

 

https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/mounts-accessories/handlebar-seatpost-pole-mount/AGTSM-001.html

 

 

 

 

 

[PNWoke]

7 hours ago, NorCalSurfer said:

Where do you all mount your GoPros? Sadly, as the boat owner and captain, no one seems to video me so I need to do it myself via my GoPro. My biggest problem with GoPro is the file size and editing, it takes forever. 

When I’m not holding it for action shots I usually have it suction cupped on an adjustable mount to the area between the rear seats and the swim platform.  Makes the wave look pretty awesome from that angle.  

[bboozer]

My question is if you are wakeboarding, won't it be too far away? I have a newer one, the Hero 10 (I think) but I always have a hard time getting my settings correct. I know that my older ones with the fish eye lense, you almost had to be 10' or less away to get good up close images... 

[Skithemidwest]

I agree it will be difficult to use a go pro for longer distance shooting.  Probably better off to rig up something to connect to the rope or see if there is a lens addition/ mod that would improve long distance shots. I have a hero11 and it has the 360 stabilization meaning it can spin around and keep the image straight. I connected it to my handle while slalom skiing, and it did good with the stabilization but the camera was just a little too close to capture a decent clip. 

[PNWoke]

Most action shots for pro wakeboarders are taken with go pro + bite mount, same with snowboarding.  The new lenses that can mount to go pro help to extend the distance.  You can mount them on the ski rope where it connects to the tower and still get better video than with a cell in my opinion.  Most phones heavily rely on digital zoom which is basically the same thing as you do zooming in during editing.  You can also easily rig them up hanging a few feet down the rope from the handle.  If you’re going to do that a lot I would recommend the go pro 360 cam.  They make a big orange float that mounts to go pro should it get lost during an impact.  You just get a ton of versatility with the go pro.

[Hamboats]

Okay. I think I’m sold on the Hero 11.  The stabilization part is key for me. Seems anyone on the boat gets tired of holding their phone to video after just a minute or so and end up cutting out. 
 

Anyone use the transom mount that comes from the factory?  It’s on the port side just above the remote audio controls. I’m thinking it’s a good spot for someone surfing off the left but I’m worried the size of the wake is going to block quite a bit of the ‘show’ for someone surfing off the right side. 

Also, are you guys running a power cord from anywhere or just relying on the battery?

 

[PNWoke]

No need for the power cables.  The supplied batteries will be more than enough to get you through the days on the water.  If you’re ever going to use it in cold weather or for really extended filming sessions you can consider getting the higher performance “enduro” white batteries.  I really like the max lens mod upgrade.  It makes it really easy to get vertical footage oriented for smart phone viewing.

[Hamboats]

4 hours ago, PNWoke said:

I really like the max lens mod upgrade.  It makes it really easy to get vertical footage oriented for smart phone viewing.

Are you able to fit the Max Lens with the Floaty case?

[PNWoke]

2 hours ago, Hamboats said:

Are you able to fit the Max Lens with the Floaty case?

Yes.  Because of the design of the max lens, the floaty mate-up is essentially unchanged from it mounting to a GoPro w a stock lens.  Due to the larger lense it is slightly more difficult to push the floaty on but it’s still pretty simple.

Edited June 7, 2023 by PNWoke

[footndale]

I mounted my Akaso camera on top of the tower last night. It actually did better than I thought on longer line runs.

 

[Hemmy]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:00 AM, NorCalSurfer said:

Where do you all mount your GoPros? Sadly, as the boat owner and captain, no one seems to video me so I need to do it myself via my GoPro. My biggest problem with GoPro is the file size and editing, it takes forever. 

I have used the tube mount https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/mounts-accessories/large-tube-mount/AGTLM-001.html and mount it to the back ski pylon.  Works pretty good.

[uk_exile]

I use https://theskidoc.com/Orbit--Camera-Mount_p_13.html for slalom. Works great with Hero 11 Black

[Hamboats]

On 6/7/2023 at 7:36 AM, Hemmy said:

I have used the tube mount https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/mounts-accessories/large-tube-mount/AGTLM-001.html and mount it to the back ski pylon.  Works pretty good.

Looking at that but decided against it but only because it appears the mount wouldn’t rotate/bend the necessary 90° to get it to work on a vertical pole. But that must not be true if you’ve used it that way. I like the idea of a very secure mount (ie ‘bolted’ on rather than ‘stuck’ on). 

[Hamboats]

On 6/7/2023 at 4:25 AM, footndale said:

I mounted my Akaso camera on top of the tower last night. It actually did better than I thought on longer line runs.

 

Pretty sick barefoot 

[Hemmy]

On 6/9/2023 at 3:30 PM, Hamboats said:

Looking at that but decided against it but only because it appears the mount wouldn’t rotate/bend the necessary 90° to get it to work on a vertical pole. But that must not be true if you’ve used it that way. I like the idea of a very secure mount (ie ‘bolted’ on rather than ‘stuck’ on). 

I will have to take a look at mine to see exactly what I did, but it definitely worked.

[TomH]

On 6/9/2023 at 2:30 PM, Hamboats said:

Looking at that but decided against it but only because it appears the mount wouldn’t rotate/bend the necessary 90° to get it to work on a vertical pole. But that must not be true if you’ve used it that way. I like the idea of a very secure mount (ie ‘bolted’ on rather than ‘stuck’ on). 

I used to use the suction cup mount a ton with my old go pro, especially for filming boom runs, and never had an issue.  That being said, I also kept it leashed to the boat just in case the suction ever gave up (it never did), but it's nice being able to easily move it around and get different shots.

[cowwboy]

We used to use the suction cup mounted to my rev 410s. It made for a great view behind the boat and never had an issue with it falling. 

When I had the 360 camera it was an cool seeing the rider and  the occupants of the boat at the same time. 

[HollywoodBall]

On 6/7/2023 at 4:25 PM, uk_exile said:

I use https://theskidoc.com/Orbit--Camera-Mount_p_13.html for slalom. Works great with Hero 11 Black

I don't ski, but this is pretty cool!

[whiplash]

This is what I use. Clamp it to the bimini.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4PC4STS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details