PVC camera stand part 2

The stand is designed to use parts that are already available at home.  Using more or fewer of the commonly available PVC fittings from the hardware store, the design could be made simpler or more complex, and there are probably hundreds of variations on this design that will work.  And with extra parts, I could add a paddle rest, for instance, or a cup holder, or a small water cannon (connected to the bilge pump), or a soap bubble generator, or a beer dispenser (since the white PVC is food-safe), or some kind of Rube-Goldberg contraption that's completely impractical but looks cool.

The two tees in the center\right in the photo and the pipe that joins them aren't going to be glued.  The tees have to be able to rotate to adjust the camera's position.  I expect to be able to remember to check the stand when I adjust it to make sure the upright tee is sufficiently tight.  The parts could be joined internally or externally (with elastic cord, thick string, whatever) to make sure it all doesn't come apart at some inappropriate time.

The latest stand with the invisible camera tilted up.

The stand in the above photo has a glued crosspiece to keep the two halves from separating.  The end caps (on the left side) are there because using caps was easier than gluing foam into the ends of the fittings.  A pair of right-angle elbow fittings would have worked better, but I didn't have any extras to use.

The right-angle elbow fittings on the aft end of the stand (near the cockpit) are there to raise it enough that the lower center tee isn't resting on the lengthwise ridge on my kayak's deck, which would keep the thing from being level.

The stand on the kayak.

The plug has been improved slightly: a wide, small diameter rubber band (from a bunch of broccoli) is wrapped around the lip on the outside end of the plug (it probably should be glued on), which makes it a lot easier to grip with wet hands.  Something like the cap of an aspirin bottle, or some other plastic disk with knurled edges, glued onto the end might serve the same purpose.

On the adapter, the nylon screw is pushed thru a tight-fitting rubber bumper, which provides a good grip for putting the screw into the camera.  A wing nut secured with a regular nut would also work.  There's a nylon washer between the bumper and the bushing so the screw can be turned without turning the adapter.  The inside of the bushing is filled with neoprene and sealed with RTV to keep water out, and there's a nut on the screw to keep it from sliding out of the adapter.

The plug and the adapter.

 On top of the bushing is a rubber gasket that I found in my toolbox--it provides a much better grip on the bushing.  There's a rubber washer at the end, which fits tightly over the end of the screw so that it won't fall off when I'm not looking.

The camera-to-stand adapter, and the tee plug.

The adapter works pretty well: there's enough friction to keep camera from twisting on the adapter when it's help sideways, but not so much that the camera can't easily be turned by hand.  The bumper makes it easy to take the adapter on or off the camera with wet hands, and the rubber gasket makes it easier to get out of the tee.

The stand worked pretty well on it's trial run.  I made some changes to the plug and adapter (as above), and I'll probably leave it at that.

A still shot with the Optio WP on the camera stand.

 I'm going to upload a few trial (and low-quality) videos to youtube, like this one:

From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLjYMbWFl9U.