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Inspire "The Pond Skater"

View attachment 5318
Having fun was the last thing in my mind when I decided to slap 6K for my Inspire 1 PRO. Again and again, I do not intent to use this mod in less than perfect weather conditions, nor to perform fast flying. Perhaps this photo will explain better what I'm trying to achieve.

That is truly making much more sense....

I do not know how much the 4 styrofoam balls will come into the picture, but as you say it might not be a big problem dependent of how you use the camera.

Another way you also could fly from that boat could be to make a wooden platform that could be fixet (maybe with clams of some sort) at the corner of the railing. If you make it around 40x40 inch I don't think it will be a problem to take off/land from such a platform if you only flys in calm wind/water.
 
I would put a board on the roof and take off/land from there.

Regarding the balls why not, but it looks like I'd want them significantly lower. Even on perfectly calm water downwash from the props will create its own waves and splash, I wouldn't expect your camera to stay dry that long unless it's really far away from the water.

But then you get the other problems of high CG.
 
Regarding the balls why not, but it looks like I'd want them significantly lower. Even on perfectly calm water downwash from the props will create its own waves and splash, I wouldn't expect your camera to stay dry that long unless it's really far away from the water.
There is a significant range of adjustability in my design, but with optimal configuration the X5 camera should stay no less than 5" above surface, maybe 4.5" for a moment of less than perfect landing. Occasional few drops of fresh water should not harm the camera much anyway.
 
View attachment 5318
Having fun was the last thing in my mind when I decided to slap 6K for my Inspire 1 PRO. Again and again, I do not intent to use this mod in less than perfect weather conditions, nor to perform fast flying. Perhaps this photo will explain better what I'm trying to achieve.

The machine will be controlled from front deck of the boat, and this is one man operation (my grandson is 4 :D). As you can see there's not much space for safe take-off , having 3' high railing around. Landing on this seems much more challenging even for the best of us. Consider difficulties with maintaining stable Home position, unreliable over water sonar and vision positioning system etc., and you will see some benefits of being able to land manually on water.

As for self-deployable buoy systems ... by far none of them is developed for drones exclusively. They're merely capable of marking the position of sunken fishing rod on very limited depths, and their reliability is questionable, to put it politely.

That's a great looking pontoon.
 
View attachment 5318
Having fun was the last thing in my mind when I decided to slap 6K for my Inspire 1 PRO. Again and again, I do not intent to use this mod in less than perfect weather conditions, nor to perform fast flying. Perhaps this photo will explain better what I'm trying to achieve.

The machine will be controlled from front deck of the boat, and this is one man operation (my grandson is 4 :D). As you can see there's not much space for safe take-off , having 3' high railing around. Landing on this seems much more challenging even for the best of us. Consider difficulties with maintaining stable Home position, unreliable over water sonar and vision positioning system etc., and you will see some benefits of being able to land manually on water.

As for self-deployable buoy systems ... by far none of them is developed for drones exclusively. They're merely capable of marking the position of sunken fishing rod on very limited depths, and their reliability is questionable, to put it politely.
Heck with your idea for floats on Inspire... Nice boat mod mate!

So I read every word of every post and my Inspire flies at least 50% over water (fresh water mostly). Few things rise up out of the thread for me:
First off, nice idea and a great CAD of the concept by Dobmat. You know, if the mod does what you need it to, then end of story and show us how you have adapted your craft to meet your needs. Thats model aviation at it's best!

Not sure if I'd want to land on water in any situation given how unpredictable that can be and the cost of failure should something happen. Water is unpredictable right? I do however like the idea of flotation of some sort for reuse of the craft and chip in the camera. I had a bird go in not too long ago. Thankfully it was at the waters edge so got the thing back, got the video and actually got the bird dried out and working again... even the camera shook off a 30 second dip with no lasting effect. the only casualty was the battery which, after a week developed a lovely belly (fresh water mind you). So... get the bird back, hell yes!

Flying from and returning to a swaying craft is a big deal and no matter how you mod you craft, its a high risk maneuver. People do it all the time but still, high risk.

I've been reading more about water repellant sprays, looking at flotation that minimally effects the bird (cause you do want it to perform in wind or at reasonable speed). Dobmat, with your CAD skills and imagination, I'd love to see you keep working on an elegant water recovery system, perhaps aided by water repellant, you might just come up with a workable solution to mitigate risk over water.

Again, with all respect and appreciation for your original post.
 

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