suction caps on plastic boats

hurray - my first (mildly) 'technical' post (thanks dunneryak)

Suction cups, such as made by GoPro and Kayalu give you the option to mount phones, cameras, lights, etc on various places on your kayak.

The suction caps won't stick on the dimpled plastic surfaces of kayaks (even good ones like the delphin and nordkapp) so you need to rig up a smooth surface.

I use a smooth surface plastic sheeting which is about 2 mm thick and I cut to size. Sorry, but I'm not sure exactly what type of plastic it is. but I will try to find out. Pics below show a few different configurations....

a smooth plastic sheet attached to kayak with shock cord and olive cleats (not shown in pic)

another smooth plastic sheet attached to kayak with shock cord and sturdy cable ties  and olive cleats (not shown in pic)

smooth plastic round sheet showing drill holes ready for shock cord

smooth plastic round sheet showing for shock cord and olive cleats with kayalu C ball screwed to sheet.
Also shows a neoprene mat as shock absorber to reduce vibration

I suppose the use of shock cords does lead to a 'busy' deck but i like the versatility it gives you in positioning and a easy way to adjust and tighten using the olive cleats. Give yourself time to adjust it on land before launching and I would place it somewhere where you can reach it from the cockpit. I use 2 leashes because sometimes the suction cap can release, especially in rapidly moving water such as waves.

Kayalu makes a number of options - i initially bought the "RAM Mounts Locking Suction GoPro® Hero Camera Mount with Toughbar® Extension Arm" and have added bits and pieces over time. With a kit you're OK, but be careful that all your pieces fit together (especially the B and C balls and sockets) if buying extras.

Moving the suction cap (and plastic sheeting) to different positions and adjusting the arms and sockets gives you lots of different angles. Usually I have a plastic sheeting secured behind the cockpit and another in front. Two leashes comes in handy here as you can always have one leash attached as you carefully move the mount from back to front.

Sometimes the most interesting shots are those accidental ones when the camera is knocked 'askew' by you or a wave!