Anyone here use a floating hide?

sk66 said:
I'm thinking of making one and would like some ideas/feedback.
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I don't recall floating hides being discussed hereabouts, possibly because most bodies of water for bird/animal photography are private in one way or another and going into or on the water is not permitted?

However if I find it I recall floating hide usage & building was discussed.

Will post it/when I can find it:)
 
Ones I have seen pics of Steve , involved a half submerged floating platform while the photographers back end wearing a wet suit was in the water . Cold will soon get you like this though , back in the early days of wildfowling they used to use punt guns ,massive shot guns attached to large canoes . In this day and age surely a medium sized inflatable dinghie with a wooden floor would be ideal ,work out a way to fit a tripod to the front on a gimbal . Rig it with camouflage netting over you and camera .if you have to travel a fair way over water a electric outboard would do the trick .
I would suggest investing in a waterproof housing though !
 
I'd love to build one but sadly I've got absolutely nowhere to use it...
 
The American guys one looks buildable , or a hybrid of that and the commercial one , you can get quite thin 3mm I think marine ply the only thing I would advice is go over the seams with fibreglass tape as this will give a totally waterproof seal . Also paint it with two pot p.u paint again totally waterproof . Roof or cover supports can be made from flexible GF rods that they use for cheap tents . Good winter garage project
 
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the black fox said:
The American guys one looks buildable , or a hybrid of that and the commercial one , you can get quite thin 3mm I think marine ply the only thing I would advice is go over the seams with fibreglass tape as this will give a totally waterproof seal . Also paint it with two pot p.u paint again totally waterproof . Roof or cover supports can be made from flexible GF rods that they use for cheap tents . Good winter garage project
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I figure I can make it from a single 4x8 sheet of 2" foam board insulation (probably something like 3'x5' and 4.5" thick finished). I would recess wood anchor blocks in areas as needed between the laminates (hinges/gimbal head mount/webbing handles/etc). And then one or two layers of fiberglass/resin.

Because it will be something that doesn't get much use, I want it to be as light and compact as possible for storage/transport... a lot of storage ;). But it needs to be stable enough that it's not a major risk to the gear.

I'm also considering possibly adapting something like this dive float (28" x 36"), but I'm concerned it might be a bit too small and what would happen if it had an inopportune leak.
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Another way to do it , would be to get some 6 inch poly drain pipes and make them into sealed flotation tubes if they keep water in they will keep it out , then use pipe clips to attach to a marine ply comfort / lay on board with gimbal mount attached . There’s totally no need for the raft to be boat shaped or have a foam filling which tends to be heavy . Again heavy duty plastic sealable boxes could be polywelded to the top sides of the plastic tubes to store items in ( or pelicases ) .. .simplifed components list 4 x 6 ft x 6” drain tubes . Plus pipe fixing clips . 1 sheet of 4ft x 4ft marine ply , couple of dozen stainless steel screws , poly glue two sealable poly boxes . Cut u shape out of ply for your body , fit 1 pipes to ply with clips , you might have to fit a spacer for the next pipe fit to ply glue plastic boxes to pipes at tail end to keep rigid , fit gimbal to ply deck .if you think it needs more support glue foam to underside of ply ?

If you were near me I have a pretty good workshop ,could make this in a weekend . But stateside is a bit to far
 
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Depends what you can get locally , you really don’t need anything thick walled .or heavy duty . Light as possible you could even make two separate sides and join at the waters edge same idea as mikes . It’s not like a boat it’s not going to take your full weight
 
sk66 said:
That is rough and ready LOL!
What is the overall size, about 2'x4' ? Stable/secure enough?
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Size is about 3' x 3'.

I was concerned about stability at first but I'm 16 stone and I can put all my weight on it and it floats with virtually zero displacement, meaning I can go into deep water, rest my arms on the sides and paddle around.

Looks crap, works perfectly, the most important part for me is the low leading edge where the gimbal attaches.

Mike
 
the black fox said:
Depends what you can get locally , you really don’t need anything thick walled .or heavy duty . Light as possible you could even make two separate sides and join at the waters edge same idea as mikes . It’s not like a boat it’s not going to take your full weight
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Sch 40 is the only stuff commonly available locally...
 
pooley said:
Size is about 3' x 3'.

I was concerned about stability at first but I'm 16 stone and I can put all my weight on it and it floats with virtually zero displacement, meaning I can go into deep water, rest my arms on the sides and paddle around.

Looks crap, works perfectly, the most important part for me is the low leading edge where the gimbal attaches.

Mike
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16 stone and a bit , best laugh I’ve had all week mike :exit::exit:
 
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