Underwater inspection light

[Head Sail]

I have done the same to inspect my zincs. I thought I'd need a light too but most digital cameras today are pretty sensitive to low light conditions. I put my cannon point and shoot on the end of my boat pole encased in a waterproof case you can buy online for about $30. Put it in motion picture mode since I didn't have a real time monitor. Worked great without a light even on cloudy days.
Head

 

[hfngotsail]

You have a pricy underwater go pro and don't want to spring for a cheap flashlight, now that's funny. Get a $35.00 long selfi stick for the go pro and tape/bungee/strap a waterproof flashlight to the bottom mount, and shoot away. Your results will probably be very grainy images that don't reveal much. I would say get somebody with a scuba suit to go in and get a good look at it. My next concern, is that what if you need new bottom paint and don't do it in time? Barnacles can destroy your bottom.... I would get a professional inspection especially on that beautiful craft.

 

[Ken13559]

I suggest this:

lovely. Do they come in Pink?

 

[Mark Maulden]

You have a pricy underwater go pro and don't want to spring for a cheap flashlight, now that's funny. Get a $35.00 long selfi stick for the go pro and tape/bungee/strap a waterproof flashlight to the bottom mount, and shoot away. Your results will probably be very grainy images that don't reveal much. I would say get somebody with a scuba suit to go in and get a good look at it. My next concern, is that what if you need new bottom paint and don't do it in time? Barnacles can destroy your bottom.... I would get a professional inspection especially on that beautiful craft.

Hmmmm....well i have an old GoPro that cost me nothing. I have several boat hooks and poles. I have lots of duct tape, hose clamps etc etc... Even though I'm a pretty good photog, i dont take selfies at least to the extent to justify buying and hauling around a specific selfie pole. So, i thought I'd take a stab at what this might look like even with a small investment of a light. But, I have no idea as to how "bright" it should be. So maybe i should just stick the camera in and see what happens (When the 40kt winds subside). The boat has been hauled several times in the past few yrs for various reasons and each time with several coats of ablative paint rolled on. It has a lot of paint on it such as it wont be hauled next year. The diver stated in July that a good 80% of the saildrive ring zinc was still there and solid with a good look looking bottom. So, I think I can do some intermediate inspections if this works. If something serious crops up, i can haul within a few days easy....i used to go through a good size ring zinc in a year and half. Now, its a lot longer and will know how long when it's finally time. Maybe its cuz i tied the batt negative to the green wire....they must not have done that back in '79....

 

[Rich Stidger]

Here is a reply that I made on another thread- see reply #8 for my solution for an underwater camera and light.
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/diving-service-woes.175829/

Now my question here is: what can be used for an articulating pole that can be stored in a reasonable space, won't rust, and preferably be used from the deck as opposed to from a dinghy? Any suggestions or ideas?

 

[wufibugs]

what about this?
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=4&q=pool+light

 

[Daveinet]

Now my question here is: what can be used for an articulating pole that can be stored in a reasonable space, won't rust, and preferably be used from the deck as opposed to from a dinghy? Any suggestions or ideas?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Shoreline-Marine-Telescoping-Boat-Hook-53-inches-92-inches/45244613
Buy a replaceable end, so you can drill it out and bend a bracket to mount your camera. When your not using it for your camera, swap the end, so you can use it for its intended purpose.

 

[OffDuty]

Another argument against the high-tech approach - I tried using the GoPro remote control app. It shows a live feed on your phone or tablet screen of whatever your GoPro is looking at. Unfortunately as soon as I stuck the camera underwater it lost wifi communication with the remote.

Brad

Same thing happened to me. Haven't tried this method but here is a link to an inexpensive method of utilizing the GoPro app underwater. Hope it helps.

Dave

 

[Daveinet]

Funny why they chose to use coax. The shield isn't connected to anything, so the shield is irrelevant. There is no electrical difference between the water and the shield. the only thing you really need to to keep the water a specific distance from the wire, otherwise the capacitance will make the signal weaker, but that can be done with the insulation that is normally around the wire.

 

[jssailem]

Thank you "Offduty" I'll give it a try.

I was able to get the signal up to 1 foot under the water with the camera. Ok but not enough to get a clear picture of the boat bottom. When I let the camera venture any further no signal. Worth a try on a quiet day with nothing else to do.

 

[Mark FB]

How about a fiber optic bore scope camera you buy one at Amazon for less than 50$ with a led lighting I am not certain about the field of view but taped to a boat pole you should be able to get close to where you want to inspect.

 

[Ken Cross]

How about a fiber optic bore scope camera you buy one at Amazon for less than 50$ with a led lighting I am not certain about the field of view but taped to a boat pole you should be able to get close to where you want to inspect.

I tried it once. Not nearly enough light and impossible to see on my laptop screen in the sun.
Ken

 

[Mark FB]

It is good to know that Ken. I had considered buying one for inspection in difficult or limited access areas of my boat. I currently use my cellphone and a selfie stick then record video using a bluetooth fob. I am on a lake with limited visibility underwater tannic acid stained about 3 feet viability underwater. I Phil the boat to inspect. Thought bore scope idea could have helped. Thanks for the info though.

 

[Mark Maulden]

I shot a video yesterday using the GoPro with no light under pretty grey skies. Camera was set to record upside down for some reason. This is an experiment for Phil to see if an MP4 file will upload. Sun is making appearances today so I may shoot some more....

 

[Mark Maulden]

Trying again

 

[Mark Maulden]

from YouTube. maybe....

 

[jssailem]

Mark. When you process the raw footage with the gopro software you can flip the image.

 

[H30sailor]

For a strong and secure mounting pole try the Shurhold system .Found the fish phone for $199, plan to mount the fishphone on my telescoping Shurhold pole to which I've added a couple elbows Shurhold 102CH Shur-LOK Curved Adapter. Prefer to use iPad or phone don't need an underwater camera system with dedicated viewer. If you don't mind blindly videotaping with your GoPro and looking at the video later there's a secure inexpensive attachment Shurhold GoPro Camera Adapter. (Shurhold pole can be your boathook, etc etc. has many attachments. )Another option that looked good Aquabotix AquaLens Underwater Viewing System ~with 15' (4.6 meter) Cable.

 

[H30sailor]

Here is a reply that I made on another thread- see reply #8 for my solution for an underwater camera and light.
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/diving-service-woes.175829/

Now my question here is: what can be used for an articulating pole that can be stored in a reasonable space, won't rust, and preferably be used from the deck as opposed to from a dinghy? Any suggestions or ideas?

Check out the Shurhold system; one telescoping pole can serve as boathook, deck brush, fish net, has secure adaptor for GoPro...Shurhold GoPro Camera Adapter

 

[fstbttms]

For a strong and secure mounting pole try the Shurhold system. Found the fish phone for $199, plan to mount the fishphone on my telescoping Shurhold pole ...

Exactly what I did. FishPhone takes pretty good pix: