Through Hull Video

[Kern O]

If any of you have one of the new displays that will accept external video, a thru hull camera is fun. Several people sell them, but at stupid prices. When I set up the ill-fated Jupiter 31, I used the highest resolution (540 lines) bullet camera I could find. The one I bought was intended for use as a helmet camera, so it had a little control for tilt pan and zoom. I also bought the cheapest Aqualights unit. They are 35 watt halogens and sell for about $110.00. Take the bulb assembly out and throw it away. What you have left is a $110 through hull camera housing.

Now, go on eBay and pick your camera. Anything under an inch diameter drops right in the housing. Last time around, I bought color. They look like a good idea, but when the light drops, they go grainy. The black and white cameras just about don't need any light to work and the resolution is great. The best part is that almost all of them run on 12 volts DC. I'll report in detail once I get the boat in the water, but at the price of cameras (about $125) it is hard to go too far wrong. I have the Garmin 4212, which will accept 2 external video inputs. Let's see, one is thru hull - how about one on the anchor pulpit?

[glen e]

I bought one of those kind that fits on the end of a boat hook...works pretty good in less than 60 feet of water when it's sunny and in clear water. Got it off ebay for all of 75 bucks delivered to my house. Plugs into the video input of my 3010C....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll..._promot_widget

[offshore]

Guys I am going to be installing two cameras on my boat this winter. I was think of the Speco waterproof cameras and a Sony GV D1000 recorder editor. What are you guys using as a recorder. The Sony GV D1000 is HI 8 tape but would really like a digital recorder. I would really like a digital recorder but have not been able to find a portable 12v recorder. Any advice on recorders or cameras?? Has anyone used the Sony GV-HD700 ....Thanks Mark

[Kern O]

Mark:

I can't help you since I am not recording the video. I use it while fishing at night to see what is swimming under the boat and for watching the bottom during the day. We do a lot of diving, so it is very handy for watching divers doing their safety stops or decompression. I always hang two 25 foot lines over the stern with hooks on them for dive gear and 15 pound weights on the end of the line. When you get back to the boat, you can hang anything you are carrying on the line and hang there for your 3 minute stop. If someone is decompressing, or in trouble, they can signal a lot easier if I can actually see them on the video. I've also seen some very large sharks pass under the boat at night.

[offshore]

I think I will go with the HI8 recorder after doing a little research it seems to be the way to go. Now I just have to get everything together to do the install....Mark

[oceans brew]

pretty sure i wouldnt be able to see much in the cloudy waters of the james river but sounds cool for clear and calm offshore

[Kern O]

When it gets under a hundred foot visibility on Maui, everybody starts talking about how murky it is. I grew up diving of Los Angeles. 8 feet was the usual.
Want to find something in murky water? Find a fish and scare it. it will head right toward the nearest shelter.

[yachter55]

I was wondering did you have to pack anything around the camara in the tube to stop vibrations? at night do you use thru hull lights? thanks

[Kern O]

I put a couple o-rings around the camera to keep it from flopping around in the housing. I do use the lights at night. A good thing to remember is that the light and the camera should be a couple feet apart to keep the light from showing all the "backscatter" If the light is too close to the camera, it shows all the crud in the water.

[Ironwoodtuna]

Originally Posted by offshore

Guys I am going to be installing two cameras on my boat this winter. I was think of the Speco waterproof cameras and a Sony GV D1000 recorder editor. What are you guys using as a recorder. The Sony GV D1000 is HI 8 tape but would really like a digital recorder. I would really like a digital recorder but have not been able to find a portable 12v recorder. Any advice on recorders or cameras?? Has anyone used the Sony GV-HD700 ....Thanks Mark

Mark,

I am in the security business and if your going to record more than one camera you will need a quad recorder, a dual splitter take 1/2 of one camera and 1/2 of the second camera. A quad recorder will record up to 4-cameras.

I just put a IP mega-pixel camera on my tower to record both the daytime tuna trolling and night time chunking action on my boat and years ago I had a Silent Witness Night Hawk B/W camera with built-in infrared illuminators connected to a time plase VHS recorder. I mounted on my hard top light mast and got many great nighttime and day time striper trips over a three year span.

Now, I have my IP mega pixel camera recording to my 15" Gateway laptop in my cabin, but will probably change to a 4-camera digital recorder with a removeable hard drive.

Dependng on the digital recorder, I would recommend spending the extra dollars to buy a shock absorber mounted DVR with a built in DVD burner or a removable hard drive and a nother unit to load it into at home. This will cost more the built in DVD burner is probably better. If you set up a button to cause an alarm on the unit, you can program the DVR to record PRE ALARM video for 15-30 seconds before a crew member hits the alarm button.

This 15-30 second buffer if your crew hits the button within a couple of seconds will then keep and show you the fish hitting the lures on the troll. You could add the third camera as an underwater camera .

I also had a Laroue Microphone to record all the great language and excitement on the trips.

You can contact me through my website at Intelli-Tec Security
Good luck, Marty

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