Tom351

Yes, I agree that a wakeboarder puts more load on the tower than wind at slalom speed..which is why I said "on a smaller scale"- but I bet that the wind resistance loading at 34mph acting at 8-10 feet above the propeller is not negligible.

Theory: the aero drag effect of a tower may be worse for the wake than the weight of the tower ...the drag force at the top of the tower has a lot of leverage on the hull- leverage that loads the stern of the hull.. I would bet that adding a tower is similar in effect to not only adding weight, but adding weight at the stern. This would be similar (on a smaller scale) to how a wakeboarder can make the wake slightly bigger while loading the line (if using a tower and speed control)...and the wake shrinks back to normal when the line is unloaded.

This is mine... Although way too dangerous for slalom course skiing:

Here is my version (simple PVC Tee)- I think there was a link to my slalom video a while back in this thread- here is a wake clip with slo-mo added: You can kind of see the setup on the rope in this clip taken from a tube:

A GoPro on a mini course turn buoy works well if you are not looking to see your entire pass (and can keep it pointed in the right direction) These angles that I have done look cool- but are not practical for everyday use or skiing at 100%:

I lost one in the same manner a few years ago....it flew off on first wake crossing...The impact when the ski hits the wake is just too great for a standard mount.

a few more:

It sure is a vintage CDX! I think a 2000 model- I think I am a few years overdue for an upgrade!

Basically I made one of these: Although mine had a longer arm on the camera side (shorter arm on counterweight side)- which is why it mostly trailed behind me and then caught up after the edge change/decel and then swung wide at each turn. And yes, it looked completely absurd on my head...but I think the footage is cool enough to warrant looking a bit silly...just glad that I gid not wreck with it on.

Just some easy open water pulls- cool camera angle...but nothing that I would even consider wearing in the course.

Many of these can be found online at google books- link to 1996 below...just search for "waterski mag" and "january" (since they came out at beginning of year) or "boat buyers guide": http://books.google.com/books?id=oic2AQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA202&dq=waterski%20%20mag%20january%201996&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=waterski%20%20mag%20january%201996&f=false

Those shots look great, for easier (and full resolution) frame grabs you may want to try using VLC Media Player (free): http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html It has a camera button that saves an image from the video to a specified directory every time you click- also you can pause and go frame by frame thru the video and capture the frames that you want- should be a lot easier (and look a bit better) than using the snip tool.

Those shots look great, for easier (and full resolution) frame grabs you may want to try using VLC Media Player (free): http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html It has a camera button that saves an image from the video to a specified directory every time you click- also you can pause and go frame by frame thru the video and capture the frames that you want- should be a lot easier (and look a bit better) than using the snip tool.

Agreed- the GoPro's wide FOV is more geared toward stuff like this (below) which would be great for breaking down position, but this setup is kinda high maintenence to set up and use regularly:

This is a frame from a windshield mounted HeroHD (not the new hero2) in R5-1080p (which is 127degrees vs R3-720p at 170degrees). I think the Hero2 lets you adjust FOV separately from resolution.

SkiJay is correct- the surf mount works, but is overkill because even the regular adhesive mount will hold (and the surf mount requires a larger flat surface). Also, what he calls "buckles" I call "tabs", but it is the same thing....and is the weak link when you hit the wake...picture of my mount with pieces of broken housing still screwed in- the camera is at the bottom of the lake in this pic, so be sure to tether and/or use floatation- my tether broke, but it could have been a lot better as it was tied in a knot that pulled out.

Yes, the surf mount is solid for mounting on a ski, but it just means that the tabs on the bottom of the camera housing become the weak link - I had a camera break at these tabs and fly right off of the ski on the very first pull (the impact of the ski hitting the wake caused the housing to break off at the tabs).I now use chest mount over ski vest and I have a hockey helmet with a mount on it as well.

Definitley use the floaty-backdoor. I had one on my ski using the adhesive mount (as linked above) and while the mount held just fine...the camera broke away at the little tabs on the camera housing where it connects to the mount- I had it leashed to the ski but that just popped instantly as well. This happened on my very first full speed wake crossing and I have not put my replacement on a ski yet (only have used chest-mount and helmet since)- It seems that the wake crossing impact is too much for the way that the housing attaches to the mount...although I have seen others mount on the ski with no problems (I was only skiing 15off/34mph, but maybe the solid 86SN2001 wake did not help). Photo attached...you can see the tabs of the housing are still in the mount.