Wintertime thought project - Christmas Idea

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rpmerrill

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Joined
Feb 5, 2016
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608
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Vessel Name
BAY RANGER
I continue to see more and more tv shows and youtube videos where drones are used to make some pretty outstanding video shots. My brain keeps going to getting a drone and making some videos of my tug running down the Chesapeake Bay of even sitting at a peaceful anchorage. It could even be useful for scouting a tight anchorage area. Looking for any ideas on the subject. Has anyone else done this?

A couple questions/considerations come to mind:
Simple vs complex drones? ($$$$?)
What kind of flight time can you get with a simple model?
What kind of transmission range can you get.... how do they connect? bluetooth, wi-fi or radio?
I understand that they can automatically return to "base" at the touch of a button (or low battery?)
Does that mean they can come back to the transmitter, if it is moving in the boat?
Can you land it on on the cockpit deck, or maybe on the solar panel landing strip? .... or bring it close enough to catch by hand?
 
A very small drone is in final development that will launch and simply follow the wearer of a wristband or similar. Other drones may have a follow me function with a distance and altitude setting. Not sure. Make sure you do the research and keep the final decision away from aircraft and crowds!
 
Wish I could be some help; but...

I too have been thinking about getting a drone to get some of those amazing photos! Look forward to hearing a response from someone who knows the details.

Appears as if some of the Ranger and Cutwater Rendezvous photos were taken with a drone.

Gary
 
My brother in law has a Phantom 4 and happens to be beside me. Here are his answers.

Simple vs complex drones? ($$$$?) $1200 for Phantom 4. Don't go cheaper for what you want to do.
What kind of flight time can you get with a simple model? 20 mins.
What kind of transmission range can you get.... how do they connect? bluetooth, wi-fi or radio? 1 to 1.5 miles, modified wifi.
I understand that they can automatically return to "base" at the touch of a button (or low battery?) yes
Does that mean they can come back to the transmitter, if it is moving in the boat? Yes. Can also be set to follow any target.
Can you land it on on the cockpit deck, or maybe on the solar panel landing strip? .... or bring it close enough to catch by hand? yes on cockpit deck, doesn't recommend using solar panel, too easy to slide off. Yes can be caught by hand but difficult to do with one person.

There are a bunch of examples of YouTube videos. Just search for drone following boat.
 
I have a Yuneec Q500 4K quadcopter. It has a simple mode and a pilot mode for faster performance. Battery life is around 20 minutes or so, per battery. Yes, you can "hand catch" them, but I would practice that on land before trying it on a boat. With eye protection. Those blades can cut!

One issue with the landing is "ground effect"... they generally don't just "plop down," there is a bit of "float" as they get close to the landing surface. Like docking a boat, a lot depends on how you practice.

The Q500 4K has a great camera for both stills and video. If you let off the controls, it will stop and hover in place. You can press a button for "follow me" (where the drone moves as you move) and "watch me" (where the camera stays on you as the drone moves around).

DJI has more followers, and likely a higher performance. My research led me to the Yuneec because it seemed to be a better camera platform (based on 30+ years as a professional photographer).

There have been incidences of both brands having "fly aways," where the drone does not respond to user input. You have to know going into it that you may, through bad flying, gusty winds, or loss of signal, lose your investment. I have not had any issue with that (knock on wood).

Flying with these types of drones should be line-of-sight, not flying just from the video screen on the controller. There are fun to fly and provide a perspective you can't get any other way.

Here's a shot I did for friends who just built a new house on the canal just over from ours...

MikeMJ1House.jpg


MikeMJ4.jpg


I haven't tried landing ours on a boat... maybe next week?

Jim
 
The "drone following boat" videos are great. Exactly what I'd want to do. AND there are a bunch of tutorials on operation and safety aspects (how to prevent water landing disasters). These drones are pretty clever machines. I suppose it is just a matter of money. But, hey, no big deal..... we own boats. We're used to it.

Is TugNuts equipped to allow video posts. We could start a whole new movement.
 
I bought a drone before last summer's trip to Alaska. Not wanting to dunk an expensive drone, I purchased a DJI Phantom 3 Standard (found it on sale for $399). This drone takes great video and is easy to fly. Automatic flight modes include "follow me" "circle a preset point" and "fly a route." Normally I just flew it manually, and if I ever got confused I took my fingers off the sticks and the thing hovered in place.

This drone flies for 20-25 minutes, takes 2.7k video, and 12mp stills. It has an awesome three axis gimbal for smooth video. Top speed is around 35 mph and it has a useful range of about half a mile.

I've had no problem taking off/landing on an 18" x 18" bow hatch when at a dock or anchored. When I'm shooting underway, I catch the drone rather than try to land on a moving target.

One warning about using it on a moving boat...if you lose contact or "return to home" the drone will land where it took off from. Since the boat has moved, it will land in the water. These things are not waterproof and don't float. My strategy was always to fly the drone ahead of the boat. That way it would have to fly back over the boat to get to the "home" point, and hopefully it would give me a chance to regain control.

I shot video at all the "gates" along the Inside Passage last summer...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1N1EaoUGNo
 
That's what I'm talking about.
 
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