Hi.
You can purchase a floating hide at the seaside......they are yellow (you may have to change the colour) and they also have the head of a dummy duck (just cut it off) It will look great.
Good luck
Frederic
Posted by Pete Etheridge on January 23, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Niall Benvie outlines the use of one in his book "The Art of Nature Photography". But that's homemade too (the hide, not the book!). If you're coming to the conference Lewis, I can bring the book along for you to take a look at? Let me know.
Posted by Dave Courtenay on January 23, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Have a look at this-A swiss nature photographer who has a small shop as well
http://www.nature-photo.ch/pages/affuts_1pag.html
Posted by Andy Astbury on January 23, 2008 at 11:20 AM
I've made mine based on this link and mine floats so...
good luck!
Posted by Andy Astbury on January 23, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Oh Sam that's BRILLIANT
HMS GET-ME-CLOSER is now officially underway
Once finished you can call me Cap'n Pugwash
Hey Tom - we could all build one and then have a UKNPN floating hide race
Posted by Mike Smith on January 23, 2008 at 4:06 PM
I've not used one, but knowing someone who built one, his feedback was that these things are very senstive to catching the wind which makes shooting troublesome in the lightest breeze, so my immediate thoughts would be to use a more porous and a much lower profile cover - the link above is building a full dome hide on a platform which will act like a full blown sail -if you are anywhere near deep water rather than shallow margins, using the above design could quite dangerous or at the very least hair raising
Mike
Posted by Ian Mason on January 23, 2008 at 4:46 PM
As a regular dinghy user, I'd be more that a little concerned about sticking a tent on top of a little rowing boat. Some are inherently unstable and the thought of a capsize without a means of escape doesn't bear thinking about.
Just a small word of warning,I have a friend who made a floating hide, and on the second outing the whole thing tipped over and put him and all his camera gear in the drink,and guess who was not insured,so be careful!!!
Stewart......
Posted by Mike Smith on January 24, 2008 at 3:57 AM
Ian - you don't actually sit on these things, the U shape is for you to fit inside wearing chest waders without having to get a dunking if the float were a full ring shape.
The point about wind resistance is that if it is blowing at any speed manoevering and keeping the rig still enough to take a photo becomes difficult. - if you are struggling to control it you may venture into deeper water than you first anticipated
On A Serious note
BEFORE building a floating hide you have got to ask yourself "where am i going to use it"
You have got to find a place where you have your feets on the ground!!!! Otherwise you are asking for trouble.....Do not say I did not warn you....
Frederic
Posted by Elliott Neep on January 24, 2008 at 4:27 AM
I too was surprised at the size of the dome hide on top. I'm looking at using poly tunnel supports for a low-profile hide. A question regarding support. I can't help but think a large beanbag would be best, rather than a tripod head? I would have thought that the whole aim of a floating hide is to get close-up water level shots and a tripod head on a block would elevate your camera 8-10 inches. With your feet on the lake bed, could you not pan the entire hide, or is it too cumbersome? Also, where can you buy the polystyrene sheets or blocks?
Interesting thread, as I too am planning similar aquatic exploits this year!
Posted by Andy Astbury on January 24, 2008 at 5:28 AM
I know the hide on the web page does look really dangerous with that high dome on, you don't need that high a profile, and I'd use a couple of layers of leaf-cut scrim for covering to help avoid too much windage - not that I'd be using it in anything but flat calm or the gentlest of ripple - I'm too much of a coward.
Also, in the hide on the website it looks like some sort of epoxy fibre board he's used for the deck - knowing how the edges of that swell when they get wet I'd use marine ply.
Bean bag has got to be the way to go support-wise.
But it was the polystyrene that got me excited, I'd never have thought of that in a month of Sundays - it's got to make the hide a lot lighter than using plastic barrels. One problem I can see though is that using polystyrene you might use too much and the hide isn't low enough in the water, at least with barrels you can let a bit of ballast in if it's needed.
The other thing to look at is the width - I think I might make it a bit wider as the wider it is the less chance there is of it tipping. Frederic and Danny, how wide are yours guys?
The one big safety thing I did think of a while back was trailing a safety line anchored to a tree on the bank just to be on the safe side. I used to use a belly boat when I had me fishing head on years ago, and it's astonishing just how far you can drift in virtually no wind and with your feet still touching the bottom - suddenly there's nothing there
Perhaps my comments on this thread yesterday had an air of brevity - for me that's fine, but to be brutally honest anyone undertaking the use of a floating hide should realise one thing above all else - you are entering the realm of SERIOUS RISK just to 'get the shot' - and you could so easily end up paying the ultimate price; please guys - BE CAREFUL
I think we should give a money prise to the first person who drop his 500mm in the water
Frederic
Posted by Paul King on January 24, 2008 at 11:10 AM
A really interesting thread,
The polystyrene blocks can be bought as a single block cut to your design from any number of suppliers there is one near Brum. Google it. have it cut slightly over cut, adjust with breadknife.
The hide supports I have found best are the relacement fibre tent rods from millets cheap and very easy to adjust for length etc, elasticated fold up to nothing.
A double layer of scrim reduces the wind loading and is again light and easy to get, attached with reusable zip ties as are the poles at junctions.
Bouyancy! relative to photographers displacement (when leaning on, not sitting in) hence the amount need not be large. but enough to remain stable when extra weight moved to the fore,
so best cut is a slightly raised front end allowing for levelling rather than nose diving.
The only reason for the wooden raised block for mount could be that bending down to facilitate viewfinder presents big chest opening for water to enter?, which changes your function from photographer to anchor!!
Finally check your insurance, it might not cover water sports!!! and if you can work as a pair or at least have someone nearby, a pair of plastic radios work great about £15.
Discussion
18 repliesmaking one? Transporting one?
Nice post Lewis!
Danny and Frederic currently seem to be the guys with the answers
You can purchase a floating hide at the seaside......they are yellow (you may have to change the colour) and they also have the head of a dummy duck (just cut it off) It will look great.
Good luck
Frederic
http://www.nature-photo.ch/pages/affuts_1pag.html
The other one looks okay too http://www.nature-photo.ch/pages/affut_intropag.html with the dinky little Minn Kota on the back.
Either looks very feasible, but jeeze that water's got to warm up a bit
Here you can see a full instruction page by Anthony Migeon:
http://www.nature-sauvage.com/makingoff_affut_flottant.php
I've made mine based on this link and mine floats so...
good luck!
HMS GET-ME-CLOSER is now officially underway
Once finished you can call me Cap'n Pugwash
Hey Tom - we could all build one and then have a UKNPN floating hide race
Mike
Stewart......
The point about wind resistance is that if it is blowing at any speed manoevering and keeping the rig still enough to take a photo becomes difficult. - if you are struggling to control it you may venture into deeper water than you first anticipated
Mike
BEFORE building a floating hide you have got to ask yourself "where am i going to use it"
You have got to find a place where you have your feets on the ground!!!! Otherwise you are asking for trouble.....Do not say I did not warn you....
Frederic
Interesting thread, as I too am planning similar aquatic exploits this year!
Also, in the hide on the website it looks like some sort of epoxy fibre board he's used for the deck - knowing how the edges of that swell when they get wet I'd use marine ply.
Bean bag has got to be the way to go support-wise.
But it was the polystyrene that got me excited, I'd never have thought of that in a month of Sundays - it's got to make the hide a lot lighter than using plastic barrels. One problem I can see though is that using polystyrene you might use too much and the hide isn't low enough in the water, at least with barrels you can let a bit of ballast in if it's needed.
The other thing to look at is the width - I think I might make it a bit wider as the wider it is the less chance there is of it tipping. Frederic and Danny, how wide are yours guys?
The one big safety thing I did think of a while back was trailing a safety line anchored to a tree on the bank just to be on the safe side. I used to use a belly boat when I had me fishing head on years ago, and it's astonishing just how far you can drift in virtually no wind and with your feet still touching the bottom - suddenly there's nothing there
Perhaps my comments on this thread yesterday had an air of brevity - for me that's fine, but to be brutally honest anyone undertaking the use of a floating hide should realise one thing above all else - you are entering the realm of SERIOUS RISK just to 'get the shot' - and you could so easily end up paying the ultimate price; please guys - BE CAREFUL
Frederic
The polystyrene blocks can be bought as a single block cut to your design from any number of suppliers there is one near Brum. Google it. have it cut slightly over cut, adjust with breadknife.
The hide supports I have found best are the relacement fibre tent rods from millets cheap and very easy to adjust for length etc, elasticated fold up to nothing.
A double layer of scrim reduces the wind loading and is again light and easy to get, attached with reusable zip ties as are the poles at junctions.
Bouyancy! relative to photographers displacement (when leaning on, not sitting in) hence the amount need not be large. but enough to remain stable when extra weight moved to the fore,
so best cut is a slightly raised front end allowing for levelling rather than nose diving.
The only reason for the wooden raised block for mount could be that bending down to facilitate viewfinder presents big chest opening for water to enter?, which changes your function from photographer to anchor!!
Finally check your insurance, it might not cover water sports!!! and if you can work as a pair or at least have someone nearby, a pair of plastic radios work great about £15.
Happy splashing