How to Build a GoPro Water Ski Rope Mount



One of the best views of water skiing is to mount a GoPro to the ski rope. Here is how to build the rope mount.

Parts needed:
  • 2-foot piece of 3/4" PVC pipe
  • Duct tape
  • GoPro bicycle clamp
  • Foam noodle
  • Wrist strap
  • Zip tie
Since the 3/4" pipe won't slide over the knot on the ski rope, you will need to cut the PVC pipe down the middle. (like a clamshell) 

Fit the two halves over the rope and duct tape them to the rope and the V part of the handle. Duct taping to the V section is key to keeping the camera upright. 

Attach the GoPro bicycle clamp to the pipe. Make sure you have a safety leash hooked to the camera and rope so it doesn't end up at the bottom of the lake or river.  I used a wrist strap from one of my still cameras and threaded the thin end through the GoPro latch and zipped tied the other end to the rope. 

Add a section of a foam pool noodle to the rope to ensure good floatation. Duct tape the noodle closed. Add some duct tape on each end of the rope next to the noodle to prevent it from sliding.

Below is a video with multiple views of water skiing using a GoPro, including the ski rope mount.



Comments

Anonymous said…
Nice shots mate...Just got me one of these little beauties. I like the rope set up, might try that one but a bit worried about the drag it will have on the camera when I let go of the rope....I guess the driver will need to be watching and pull up asap. Where did you put the cam mount on the ski? I'm finding the curve of my ski may impact how far forward I can get it.
October 23, 2012 at 2:07 AM
Jeff and Diane said…
I also was worried about what would happen after dropping the rope. So I had the driver slow the boat until I couldn't stay upright on the ski and then I let g of the rope. Not sure what would have happened if I crashed.

As for mounting on the ski, I put it just below the curve of the tip to give it enough room to point the GoPro upwards with the floaty on. Wasn't a great shot but worked OK.

Post a link if you shoot any video. It would be great to see it.
October 30, 2012 at 8:10 AM
Anonymous said…
Great videos! I love the ski line invention. But I too would be extremly worried about my Gopro when it drags through the water. A fall is pretty much inevitable; so I will probally just attach a bunch of key-chain floats to my Gopro and have a very good spotter.

I mounted my camera on my ski but it fell off! I was using the regular stickey attachment, so this year I'm going to use the surf attachment for more strength and have a saftey tether. This happened twice, lost the first camera but had a float on the second and got it back.
December 11, 2012 at 6:17 PM
Jeff and Diane said…
Glad you liked the video! The key chain floats sound like an affordable way to keep the camera from sinking. Hope to see some of your skiing video.
January 1, 2013 at 9:01 AM
Unknown said…
Great video. It does an excellent job of showing the different camera perspectives. I have a contour roam2 on order and this is giving me lots of ideas for mounts. I hope to build something that can withstand barefoot speeds.
April 11, 2013 at 8:55 PM
Jeff and Diane said…
Ben, Can't wait to see the barefoot shots with your new camera.
April 19, 2013 at 5:13 AM
Anonymous said…
Wow amazing video thanks for sharing with us

Water Skis
May 29, 2013 at 1:01 AM
Unknown said…
Nice Post, Thanks for sharing with us.

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July 8, 2013 at 7:07 AM
Michael Cuthbert said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
February 5, 2014 at 4:22 AM
Trump Tight said…
So ideally i am looking to do this on multiple ropes (Wakeboard, Skiing, Tubing) all i would really need to do is the same set up and just move the bike mount correct?
June 9, 2015 at 9:10 AM
Todd said…
I have not tried the ski rope mount yet. I recently did a ski mount run and posted on you tube. Here is the link. http://youtu.be/qh5uhHQF2pU
July 19, 2015 at 1:05 PM
Diggler said…
Built a similar mount and lost my camera. The top buckle popped free and the camera was gone! Suggestion for next time: Get a silicone cover to prevent this.
September 18, 2015 at 8:43 PM
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