Is there any way to get or make water floats for my P4? I fly over water all the time and if anything goes wrong, i have a service contract but I need to be able to recover it.
Water floats?
- Thread starter Phantomix
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Just purchased Water Strider from DroneRaft. It's a little pricey, but in the long run it's worth it.
I live in San Diego and over 75% of my flying is over water. With this addition I'll be able to take some awesome shots while on the water and taking off. Going to the desert and taking shots of quads and long rails and landing on the sand.
Good luck! Happy flying!
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I live in San Diego and over 75% of my flying is over water. With this addition I'll be able to take some awesome shots while on the water and taking off. Going to the desert and taking shots of quads and long rails and landing on the sand.
Good luck! Happy flying!
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I like the water strider, but a bit too pricey for me. I wouldn't use it to take shots off the water, as I don't think those are decent shots. I would use it for if something goes wrong over water or if the craft decided to land on the spot (battery error, etc). I would think they would keep the craft floating if you went flying into the water. At least you can still recover it, for what it's worth.
@Streetmagus Thanks for the feedback. We're very serious about price and we have even reduced the price since our Kickstarter campaign (and refunded the difference or offered additional stuff for our backers to compensate). I really appreciate you providing input, though.
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For people that just can't afford a professional set of floats, Here's what I came up with for less than $5.
I used the wood just as a template to get the balance right. Took 3 different tries with the wood and the bottles. But I also kept in mind keeping the whole setup out of frame, and prop wash. Even when you point the camera straight down it don't show up... Finally, success. And, it don't interfere with the downward facing sensors.
I'm going to take that template and build it from aluminum rod, or perhaps graphite. I can get the rod at my hardware store for about $5 a stick, taking just over 1 to build.
Those bottles.. super floatation. Maybe 1" in the water if that much. Super stable. Had to offset a little off center to balance because the weight of the battery. You don't realize it's heavier in the back until you center it directly, then put it in water. Notice how the striders back legs are positioned.
Even though I used hot glue on this template, I was completely surprised how strong that stuff is. And yes, I did test this. Very stable.
Easy installation.. 4 cable ties to the legs of the phantom and your off.
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Yes they slow the phantom down, but any other floatation will too. The results are the same and this really don't weigh much. Don't have a gram scale so I don't know exactly.. but do know the bird still fly's like it should. Not as attractive but get the same results as the rest. Take off and landing is simple. When I can, I will make a short vid and post.
I used the wood just as a template to get the balance right. Took 3 different tries with the wood and the bottles. But I also kept in mind keeping the whole setup out of frame, and prop wash. Even when you point the camera straight down it don't show up... Finally, success. And, it don't interfere with the downward facing sensors.
I'm going to take that template and build it from aluminum rod, or perhaps graphite. I can get the rod at my hardware store for about $5 a stick, taking just over 1 to build.
Those bottles.. super floatation. Maybe 1" in the water if that much. Super stable. Had to offset a little off center to balance because the weight of the battery. You don't realize it's heavier in the back until you center it directly, then put it in water. Notice how the striders back legs are positioned.
Even though I used hot glue on this template, I was completely surprised how strong that stuff is. And yes, I did test this. Very stable.
Easy installation.. 4 cable ties to the legs of the phantom and your off.
Sent from my XT1585 using PhantomPilots mobile app
Yes they slow the phantom down, but any other floatation will too. The results are the same and this really don't weigh much. Don't have a gram scale so I don't know exactly.. but do know the bird still fly's like it should. Not as attractive but get the same results as the rest. Take off and landing is simple. When I can, I will make a short vid and post.
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@Johnny Bellew Pretty cool! Have fun with it. It's a blast flying off of water!
For those that are interested, we're running a holiday special on the WaterStrider. It's $99 and shipping is free in the United States.
For those that are interested, we're running a holiday special on the WaterStrider. It's $99 and shipping is free in the United States.
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Thanks Adam. I actually built this before hearing of you guys. When I seen the strider, I was wishing I had one! And some day I will! I know maneuverability would be easier as yours is much more built for its attended use. I like testing my McGiver skills..lol
When I seen yours, I even googled water strider. Your setup matches the striders legs perfectly. Pretty cool to take a form from a insect and apply it.... Good stuff!
Thanks for your reply.. nice guy! Come tax time I'll have to give you a shout.
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would love those prices after the holidays, I will be unwrapping a P4 on Christmas day, will be flying over water eventually and your product looks good
Seen floats on Internet, but cheap and effective floats are the kiddie floaties called "noodles" strapped to landing gear.
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Love it, I am all in. I am going to work on this, going on vacation in February and will be flying over the ocean quite a bit.
I also have a service contract but must be able to recover it.
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I did try this and if you don't want the floats in the vid, and you cut to be out of vid, then they're not stable enough. Wants to tip. I tried in the bathtub of course. Good thing too. But just to keep it from sinking.. sure. Or if you don't care having noodles in the shot. I tried to find noodles instead of bottles for my setup but no luck.
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I wanted something that would enable retrieval if I lost it over water during a video shoot. These "floaties" are not meant to allow water landing and will not keep the unit upright, simply allow it not to sink. I test flew it today in mild wind and it performed well and did not interfere with the camera unless I went full down on the gimble. Tie wraps allow it to swing in up position for take off and landing then drop down for flight.
$99 Shipped is not too bad but at $139 it starts making me consider alternatives.
@ngsd1 Thanks for the comment. We do occasionally run sales at the lower price points. We also give a small discount to those who sign up for our newsletter and help spread the word about WaterStrider. As the sales numbers continue to grow, it will become easier for us to offer the product at a lower price.
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