picking up the Jetta Sportwagen

With all the driving I do for sailing and ECU football I’ve really wanted a new car with a little more space and better mileage than the focus was getting.  I knew a 2012 Diesel VW Jetta SportWagen with a manual transmission and a sunroof was the perfect car.  After a big of digging I found one in Charlottesville.  I’m really looking forward to being able to cartop the Laser to some distant regattas in Massachusetts and Long Island this spring and avoid the tolls.

This GoPro mast mount should work for all mast sizes from a Laser on up.  It was modeled after a mount seen on Layline’s website.  On a Laser the mount can be used to film what’s ahead, or by putting it to the side and using some extenders can point backwards towards the cockpit.  Obviously the mast rotation will result in some less than ideal shooting angles some of the time.

I used an Easy on/off bracket mast mount, but instead of using a stick-on or tripod mount, I drilled out the bracket part of a helmet mount and used two stainless steel bolts to attach it.  The other solutions are probably sufficient, but I wanted something that would be bullet proof as I see myself mounting this in some places that I couldn’t exactly get to in a pinch if something went wrong.

GoPro Mast Mount on a LaserMounted on a Laser mast pointed forward GoPro Mast Mount Laser forward viewView pointed forward
Parts Needed:

Tools Needed:

  • drill with 1/4 drill bit
  • needle nose pliers or wrench
  • screw driver
  • hack saw

Easy on/off bracket and GoPro Helmet Mount with an extra hole drilled in the v-mount for the mount.

GoPro Mast Mount easy on/off bracket and GoPro helmet mount

GoPro Helmet mount mounted to the easy on/off bracket.

GoPro Helmet mount mounted to the easy on/off bracket

From the back showing the screws cut to the proper length with a hack saw so they didn’t protrude toward the mast any further.

GoPro mast mount from above

*I used two 36″ Velcro straps which might be overkill for a Laser mast, but I actually found it to work quite well and be very secure.

GoPro Mast Mount Velcro

Finished bracket mounted on a Laser mast with Velcro straps which were wrapped around the mast 3-4 times.

GoPro Mast Mount on a Laser

GoPro Panoramic TimerA recent project of mine was to use a simple kitchen timer to build a GoPro Camera panoramic time-lapse mount.  This basically lets the camera spin 360 degrees to evenly film the surrounding area.  Either periodic stills can be taken or video can be recorded that can later be sped up into a time lapse.

I started with a basic kitchen timer.  It’s best to find one that doesn’t have a dial on it.  There are numerous egg-shaped timers that seem to work best for it.  Stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart should have them.  The first one I found happened to be shaped as a lady bug and cost something like $3.99.  The GoPro tripod mount is $8 so with the nut and washers the total was less than $13 to make.

Parts Needed:

  • Kitchen Timer
  • GoPro Tripod Mount
  • 1/4-20 half inch bolt
  • washer [optional]
  • finishing washer [optional]
Tools Needed:

  • drill with 1/4 drill bit
  • needle nose pliers
  • screw driver required
    to take apart (mine didn’t)

GoPro Timer Parts and Tools

I took the red top off the timer by simple pulling it apart with my hands.

GoPro Timer pulled apart

Next I drilled a hole slightly off-center.

GoPro Timer hole drilled

Followed by threading the bolt with the washer on it up from the inside.

GoPro timer bolt threaded through hole

On the outside I put an upside down finishing washer.  This isn’t a must do, but I think it made a better fit for the tripod mount.

GoPro timer added finishing washer

Finally the tripod mount was added.  The needle-nose pliers were used to turn the bolt from the inside while holding the tripod mount straight by hand.

GoPro timer with tripod mount

Complete assembly from the front and side:

GoPro Panoramic TimerGoPro timer complete from side

Gallery of images:

No ladybugs were harmed in the making of this mount.

A photo of mine from the 30th Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship back in October was selected for the cover of the International Laser Class Association – North American Region newsletter: The Laser Sailor.

Winter 2012 The Laser Sailor Cover

The photo features David Schoene and Keith Davids in a close finish during the 1st race on Saturday.