Loon kayak

[Randy Stout]

People have asked in the past about my loon photography setup.  I use several different boats, depending on the lake.  This is a NuCanoe Frontier kayak, with Minn Kota 55 ft lb trolling motor with hand held remote.  The seat I am sitting in  pivots about 50 degrees total from side to side, and the Wimberley sets on top of a pedestal that moves with the seat as it rotates.  Since I use a right angle finder to get the lowest possible POV, I need some form of support, rather than hand held.  I don't have to paddle, so that helps to not disturb the birds, and it is very quiet.

This photo was just sent along to me by my loon buddy, who happened to be out on the lake at the same time.  We normally don't  work the birds at the same time to reduce stress, but we hadn't seen them for 3-4 days and were excited to check them out.

Cheers

Randy

[FredCrowBear]

Thanks for posting.  I was curious!!!

[bobfriedman]

very nice.. looks much more comfortable than my setup..  native watercraft ultimate 12,  low seat, just paddles and handheld.  quite the workout though.

[Seapy]

Very interested in these craft,  I live right next to an estuary, ~100 Metres to the HWM.

I long to be able to go out there and photograph... Plants, birds and to easily get to other parts of the shore which are normally pretty inaccessible, especially if the tide is in.  It's only a small estuary, about two miles wide where I am.  We have a fast running tide, I have been advised by local fishermen and experienced boat people that flat bottom is out and I need at least 10 horsepower outboard, better 15.  Else I am liable to find myself half way to the Isle of Man when the tide ebbs. 

We have lakes a plenty close by but many restrictions.  Some lakes you have to register any craft with an engine and carry a large registration number on each side of the boat about 750 by 300mm. Also, carting a boat around needs a suitable trailer.  Here I can leave it moored on the shore for free.

I have looked at bait boats, small barge like model size boats up to about a Metre long which have bilge pumps for propulsion, like a slow jet ski, remotely controlled, capable of carrying a camera easily.  With something like a Go-Pro, light and waterproof it might get me where I want to be without great expense or risk of drowning.  Also it's something I could make myself.

In a way this thread should be in "What The Nerds Do"?  Although it's a little beyond the Dremel stage!

[ArthurDent]

Seapy- No flat bottom because it gets too choppy?

[Seapy]

Seapy- No flat bottom because it gets too choppy?

That's what I am told, I am no expert, in these sort of matters I listen to my experienced neighbours.  The stakes are high out there, the weather can change at the drop of a hat, I have been lucky a couple of times out on the estuary, quicksands, very fast tides, wild currents and it gets very windy out there while it seems calm on-shore.

Probably a large inflatable would be OK, they are quite wide.  That's what the lifeboat use, but that's about eight foot wide...  They need a shallow draft because of the sands, very often there is very little depth.  Recently most of the sand wasn't even covered as the tides vary.

It just arouses my interest, the prospect of being able to get out there and explore.

[Randy Stout]

Thanks guys for the comments.

This is a very broad beam kayak, which was chosen for stability more than speed.  Cruises around 2.5 -3 mph, bit more if wide open.  It is stable enough that some  fisherman stand in them while fishing.
The same trolling motor fits on my jon boat, so I just move it to whichever boat I am using that day.  Small battery for the kayak, versus much bigger for the jon boat.  The setup allows me to go forward or backward as needed.

This trolling motor is GPS enabled, and can follow tracks, go to marked spots automatically, etc., but I am looking at an upgrade that adds an electronic compass to the GPS to allow holding headings more accurately.  I want to be able to parallel the loons as they swim along, and maintain a constant position in relationship to the bird.  It won't be perfect, but should improve my photo yield.  Part of the fun of course is the tinkering!  I have several friends who are engineers and do high end GPS work , so they are giving me advice and the details of such an implementation.

Because of what I am shooting, I am not out on windy days, or choppy water, so essentially flat bottom vessels are a good trade off, better stability for worse ride in rough water.

A vee hull boat definitely  would be a better choice if in rougher water, and a gas motor is needed if you have to get back to shore in a hurry.  When I shoot on larger inland lakes, I use a small gas motor, 5 hp to move me about more quickly to find the birds, and then use the silent trolling motor while taking pictures. 

It really does change your photography in a major way when you can get out on the water.  Even land animals such as deer seem to be less  threatened by a approach from the water, as they don't see it as such a threat.  Must be because we have no crocodiles  in Michigan!

Randy

[bobfriedman]

This trolling motor is GPS enabled, and can follow tracks, go to marked spots automatically, etc.,

now that is a nice capability!

[Peter Connan]

That looks a very nice setup!

[Seapy]

Many thanks for the info, had no idea a motor could be trained to navigate!  Amazing.

Would greatly appreciate some more pix, of the kayak and the jon boat if appropriate.  There were some pix of a metal flat bottomed boat with a rotating seat platform a while back but I can't find them.

It's a good point about a floating photographer, perhaps the animals see boats as inanimate therefore not a threat?

I believe in times gone by hunters used to mount a shotgun to a punt in the broads of Norfolk (and probably elsewhere) to shoot Ducks and Geese.

[Randy Stout]

Robert:

Here are a  couple of phone pics of my jon boat.  12 long, flat bottomed, same seat as used in my kayak.

Randy

[Mongo]

Great rig !  Love the custom features - armchair, lens swivel mount, 90 degree eyepiece, beamer flash setup.......very interesting and inspiring for dedicated photography. Big thanks for posting this.

[Seapy]

Great Randy, those were the pix I remember.  I will pull them off just so I can find them when I want to consider how I can do this.

I reckon I could make something like that with stuff I have lying around.  Perhaps twin hulls would make it more stable in rougher water?  Perhaps even two plastic canoes lashed together.

I need to look up the GPS trolling motor...  Ouch!  ££££ 

[Randy Stout]

It may not be obvious from the pictures, but the pelican case sits in a little sled that I made, which can be slid along the seat to tune the weight distribution.  The battery and trolling motor are mounted on the opposite side of the boat from my seat, for the same reason.

Randy

[ArthurDent]

Randy-Thanks for posting your set-up. Do you use the Better Beamer to illuminate the loons or just to get some highlights in the eyes? I was talking to another photographer awhile back when I was out shooting egrets and he told me he used his at 1/128 power just to make sure he got a catchlight in the eyes. He was shooting a D4 and what looked to me to be a 500mm lens. I think his flash was an sb 900.