I got a great question this week from 420 sailor Renee Torie and I thought I’d share my answer with the world.
What is the best spot to mount a GoPro on a dinghy like a 420 or an FJ?
The cleanest solution I’ve found is to get a tripod mount for the GoPro and mount it to the bolt that holds the boom on the gooseneck. (Thanks to Georgetown coach Mike Callahan for this suggestion.) If it’s a pin and ring-ding on your boat, you would have to replace it with a bolt. Then just screw on the tripod mount and attach the GoPro upside down. It might rotate during the day, so you have to check on it to make sure it’s pointing straight back. Set to a wide angle, it looks like this:
One popular spot for analyzing your sailing, but not necessarily the most flattering angle, is put it on the transom, with enough extension that you can see over the tiller. Like this:
You can also put it right on the tiller, but then it moves when you steer. It still looks pretty cool:
I like variety for my videos, so I also do things like put it on the transom facing back, to see other boats:
And also on the spreader facing back:
You can also tuck it into lots of other spots that will give you limited visibility most of the time, but some pretty cool angles on certain points of sail.
Like the boom:
The spreader:
The tank (just make sure to tape it so the jib sheets don’t get caught):
You can see these shots and others in these videos:
Good luck! If you’ve got any other great spots to put a GoPro on a sailboat, please let us know in the comments.
