DIY Extendable Go Pro/Camera Pole

Ive been using a fairly crude makeshift pole on which to mount my Go Pro HD Hero 2 for the last year but have finally got round to making a more suitable and versatile pole for the job. The idea isn't new with a few kayak fisherman having made their own so thought i would have a crack at making one suited to my needs - for use on the kayak and for use when snorkelling.....

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I purchased a cheap extendable monopod after reading that it was suited for the job on the saltwater kayak fisherman blog. The monopod arrived and did indeed look perfect for the job. At the base of the monopod there was a rubber foot incorporating a metal spike, i removed this (simply by pulling it out - it was only pushed into the plastic base) as this is where i wanted to mount the Go Pro.

Into the hole left by the rubber foot/metal spike bolt i used plastic cement to glue in a 1/4 inch - 20TPI (threads per inch) bolt - the standard thread size found on cameras/camera tripods - also the thread size found at the other end of the monopod but this end will be inserted into a flush mount rod holder. The cement went off in 20 minutes and is rock solid. I even managed to raid the other halfs' make up bag for some black nail varnish to paint the pink cement!!

To this i have screwed a small Skier flexible camera arm to allow me to put the Go Pro in pretty much any angle i want.

To the Bolt end of the flexible arm i have screwed on a Go Pro Tripod Mount and attached the Go Pro. 

I also made a small leash to attach the Go Pro housing to the pole incase for whatever reason it was to come off the pole. I attached a small clip, from a zip slider ,onto the metal bar on the hinge of the Go Pro housing to clip the leash onto.

The pole (without flexible arm and Go Pro) measures 54cm when closed and 170cm when fully extended. It fits in the flush mount rod holders on both my Teksport Xplore 330 and the Hobie Outfitter although i may invest in some more black foam to increase the handle diameter to make a tighter fit. My Olympus Tough TG-830 also screws directly onto the Skier flexible arm as will any other model of camera with the standard 1/4" 20TPI bolt in its base. 

Altogether the pole, flexible arm and tripod mount cost around £30 but hopefully it will enable me to get some awesome footage from a range of positions and angles. Now i just need to get on the water and test it out hopefully with a fish or two for it to capture!

2016 Update

The above camera pole lasted around 12 months before the clamps on the extendable sections began to rust and seize up beyond a useable state. Still not too bad for a cheap DIY camera pole!

I am now using custom carbon shaft Ram Mount camera pole. I made this using a carbon paddle shaft from a broken paddle, and 1" and 1.5" socket ends from a Ram pole. the 1.5" end attaches to a 1.5" ball base on the kayak, and a 1" Go Pro Adaptor Ball mounts the Go Pro and attaches to the other end of the pole. This can be seen in more detail in the following post: Rigging the RTM Rytmo Angler for Kayak Fishing.