Mount gopro on kayak

5 Awesome ways to mount your GoPro for Kayaking[Extra tips]

In this post, I’m going to show you how to mount(set up) your GoPro on your kayak and at the end of the post I’ll share some firming tips for improving the quality of your kayaking video.

Nowadays, GoPro cameras are everywhere. These small, composed cameras are widely used for any occasion. People love to bring their GoPro outdoor to capture footage of their memories.

Do you want to go kayaking with your action cameras?

The impact in kayaking sometimes is pretty big especially when you go on whitewater kayaking. So, how to set up your GoPro camera properly is pretty important. You want to take a good shot while protecting it from falling into the water. And I can almost guarantee that your camera will drop into the water at some point.

 

How to set up your GoPro camera


 

Front Middle Mount

Front middle mount is to mount the camera onto the bow of your kayak. 

In this way, you can get the awesome shot facing forward as you padding, capturing the bow of your kayak or you can flip the camera around and face it at you an get some really cool self-portrait shot while kayaking. This set works well for both videos and photos.

Check out this Video. It shows you how it works step by step.

In this solution, you need to get the GoPro Vented Helmet StrapMount. The concept is by using straps run through the eyelets(designed to hold the bungees that people stove stuff under.) to stick the mount onto a kayak.

Here is the step by step (from video) on how to mount the GoPro onto your kayak.

  1. Get one end of the strap run through the eyelet on the bow
  2. Hold the strap, bring it back to the mount and clip it into the Vented helmet strap mount.
  3. Make sure you had very little tail on your first strap because you want it to be very tight on distance across the kayak to the total reach of the vented helmet strap mount
  4. Repeat the process for the other strap.(passing the eyelet and back to the mount.)
  5. Pull the strap as tight as you possibly could. Because it’s this tension on the strap that will stop the camera from moving around
  6. After all steps you were completed, you can mount your GoPro camera onto the mount

Additional Tips:

  • Using the floaty backdoor kit. If your mount comes off or your camera comes off the mount for some reason, it will still float. You will thank yourself to have used this $20 investment to save a $400 camera. 
  • If you want to make it more secure you can tie it on. You need to add a little piece of rope to the loop(could be forward or back.) and take the rope tied it onto the eyelet of the kayak. When the camera falls into the water it will still be attached to your kayak.

 

Over the shoulder mount

The over the shoulder shot is good if you not a fan to see yourself in the camera shot.

It only shows your back plus the beautiful scenery you are looking at. If you shy from the camera, This mounting position perfectly solves the problem.

 

PanFish Camera Pole

For a over the shoulder shot go with the YakAttack PanFish.

It can attach easily onto the existing tracks on many sit-on-top kayaks.  Or simply add a Yak-Attack Mighty mount and your PanFish will hook onto your kayak in seconds without any tools.

Here are written instruction if needed: To tighten the PanFish, first pull back the foam grip at the pivot on the end of the base to reveal tape. Remove tape. Locate the access hole, and aline with the second access hole. Insert a 1/16″ pin or nail through both access holes. Rotate the PanFish clockwise to tighten and counter clockwise to loosen. When received the desired amount of friction, remove pin or nail from hole and re-apply tape to water seal the access holes. Slide foam grip back to original position. 


source:https://www.yakattack.us/ 

 

Shoulder Strap Mount

If You don’t to mount your GoPro onto a kayak, here’s an alternative solution. Go with Stuntman Pack Mount.

Pack Mount turns the shoulder strap of your backpack into a stable, comfortable mount for your action GoPro.It designed exclusively for outdoor activities like kayaking, surfing, and motocross…etc, the combination backpack and camera mount allows you to easily capture footage wherever your travels may take you. 

It Works on left or right side. 360 degree ball joint allows you to point your camera in any direction. Three mounting points to fine tune camera height.

Check out the video to see how it works.

 

GoPro Helmet Mount

The GoPro Helmet Front + Side Mount is GoPro’s official mount and offers incredible value at an affordable price. It allows you to mount any GoPro to the front or side of helmets. With the included Swivel Mount assembly, easily adjust, rotate and aim while the camera is mounted.

It works great for my whitewater kayaking, I use this on my helmet. And it doesn’t move even in a rapid river. I believe you will never go wrong with an official GoPro mount.

Product features:

  • Versatile front and side helmet-mounting solution.
  • Offers maximum adjustability for a variety of shots and capture angles.
  • Includes easier-to-use integrated mounting buckle.

Check out this video

 

GoPro Suction Cup Mount

This solution is by using the GoPro suction cup mount. I have found this a very secure mount, it moved but never came off.

You can find many suction cup mount in the market, but I’ll recommend you get the official one. You can’t go wrong with an official GoPro mount – they hold up longer and are much more secure than their counterparts. 

On the plus side, it’s light, has a slim profile, and comes with a dedicated GoPro fitting. On the negative side, its hinges each works only on one plane, so if you need to adjust the angle by rotating, you have to undo the suction and reattach it. I use this suction mount when I need a quick solution, and it’s very small so you can bring it anywhere with ease.

Product Info:

Attach your GoPro to cars, boats, motorcycles and more. This industrial-strength Suction Cup mount is proven at speeds of 150+ mph and engineered for stability and a broad range of motion. Adjustable arms allow for ultra-compact mounting. Includes a standard base and a quick release base for moving conveniently between shots and locations. For maximum holding strength, attach to a clean surface. 

Check out the video

 

Improving Your GoPro Video


 

One more thing before I wrap up this post. I want to share some quick tips for improving your GoPro video. If your video is not for sharing, you can skip it. These tips will make your videos more engaging for the audience.

Try some Creative Angles

People want to see more than just the bow of your boat. Try to get as many different shots as possible. Everything that catches your interest is obviously worth looking at, maybe shot the same stuff from a couple of different angles, to add more flavors to your video.

Try to Do the Voice Over

Sometimes the footages look great in your eyes just because you’ve been experienced and you know exactly what happens at that moment. For audiences, it is always tricky to understand what happens behind the scene. Don’t be shy of doing a voice-over. Tell us what’s going on. Share your feeling about it. People will love to hear your emotion.

Keep it short

Again, these tips are for people those who want to share their videos. (If it just for yourself, make it as long as possible to save your memories.) People nowadays have a incredibly short attention. You have to make sure to grab your audience’s attention in 3 seconds. And all the videos for the social media need to be short. 2-5 mins will be the perfect length for any kind of footage you share on the social media.

This video will give you more ideas!

 

Conclusion

Hope you find this post helpful, I’m not an expert in video filming.

Most of the information was based on my research on the internet and I revised them into my words. If you find any information wrong or outdated, please  leave your comments below. I will update it as soon as possible. 

Thanks for reading. Happy Kayaking.

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Sam Bryner
Sam Bryner
4 years ago

Thanks, some great ideas for a beginning video kayak guy like me.

Sam Bryner
Sam Bryner
4 years ago

Thanks for putting this together. Great info!

Jill
3 years ago

Hi there, thanks for this video! I’ve been shopping for some kind of waterproof camera to mount to my pfd or my kayak because I’m tired of missing the good shots – of stopping to take out my phone, or never getting the harried moment when a swell crests out of nowhere! I only ever ended up with calm water photos of people smiling.
Can I ask your advice on gopro style cameras vs other options? I recently bought a Gopro hero7 black for a week-long trip on the west coast, and I’m trying to decide whether to keep it or not. I found it a bit finicky and difficult to use, although to be honest I didn’t spend enough time with it before leaving on the trip. (I kept saying “gopro take a picture” when the phrase was “take a photo” and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working!) But at the same time… the battery life drove me crazy. I’m wondering if I could get the same hands-free filming from a good waterproof camera with better battery life? Honestly i ended up using my phone more than the gopro and so I’m wondering about the investment.
Thanks for any thoughts! Feel free to reply off the site if you have time.

Ron Paley
Ron Paley
2 years ago

Thanks for the tips!!!!! Awesome.

Doug Roberts
Doug Roberts
1 year ago

I do not own a GoPro, but a modded waterproof Nikon S33 (with home made lens hood capped with an ND4x filter.) The camera has a mount hole on the bottom. I the past, I have just used my neck strap, but this gives me some ideas. Thanks.

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