Underwater inspection camera

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pcatterall

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Years ago (8?)I bought an underwater inspection camera kit from Aldi ( one of their great special deals)

It was left on my last boat when I sold it.
I would like another!!
My immediate need is to inspect my prop which I belive must be heavily encrusted with crustaceans! (Boat is in the Med)
I was trying to get the marina interested in getting one as I have seen them messing about on various tasks where a camera would have saved a lot of time and effort.
I suppose I could get a waterproof vidio cam and put it on pole to ‘waggle around’ near the prop and hope to get some pics from that.
Does anyone remember the Aldi device ( only about £60 I think) or can anyone advise other alternatives ( other than a wet suit and goggles!!)
 
I have what I think is a similar kit with a battery powered CRT monitor and a bullet shaped camera on a long cable. There are a few threads on this and most people seem to be going for a waterproof USB boroscope these days which is cheap and plugs straight into your laptop. Search the forums for boroscope
 
Aldi have done a couple same /similar in 2011 and 2012

WedOct19142906UTC+01002011.jpg
TueAug7110002UTC+01002012.jpg



Lidl have also sold similar items

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No help, sorry. You just have to wait until these specials come round again
 
There are any number of GoPro imitations now on the market from about £40. Clamped on the end of the boat hook.....

https://flic.kr/p/om2RVJ This was shot on my GoPro last summer and proved my suspicions..... I then sent the cabin boy down with the bread knife to sort it out. It saved me putting him at risk unnecessarily.
 
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If it's in the marina, diving is the best way surely? If you haven't got a wet suit you can have mine, it seems to have shrunk and I can no longer get it on. How deep is your prop?
 
pcatterall said:
Thanks all. The Maplin kit looks good and (allowing for inflation) not badly priced. Perhaps those shown by VicS would be a little easier to store on the boat?
Click to expand...

Maplin kit comes in a small fitted case, easy to store. I'm well pleased with mine:encouragement:
 
ghostlymoron said:
If it's in the marina, diving is the best way surely? If you haven't got a wet suit you can have mine, it seems to have shrunk and I can no longer get it on. How deep is your prop?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the offer. To much of the brown stuff in that marina for my 'taste' and still too much room n your wet suit for all sorts of stuff!!
Also handy to have something on the boat for use, say, in rope around prop situations.
 
A couple of months ago while entering the marina I noticed someone fishing across the entrance and before I could stop, I could see that the line had already caught on the prop. I managed to get into the berth without any problems but could hear a loud tapping noise as the weight/tackle was knocking against the hull. I had a look in Maplins and online for a suitable underwater camera and there was quite a varied choice. However, after looking online I ordered an Endoscope camera from Amazon for around £12 with 7 meters of cable. The only downside is that it requires a laptop to be onboard to use it but I usually have mine with me on most trips. The following day I cable tied it to an extendable boat hook and sat on the pontoon holding the hook under the hull close to the prop. It's almost impossible to see a laptop screen in direct sunlight so you will need someone inside the boat to relay instructions for left/right/closer/out a bit etc. I use Windows 8 and the driver disc with a smiley face on it that came with the camera did nothing when run on my laptop. Luckily I had Windows movie maker installed on the laptop already (part of the free windows live essentials pack) so was able to view the webcam through that software and even record it for viewing later.

I was immediately able to spot the fishing line and managed to clear the prop without requiring a lift out. While the camera was there I had a go at finding the anode which I was also able to see clearly.

It served it's purpose perfectly and for the relatively low cost it was ideal for what I needed. It's also useful for other things on a boat such as looking down behind the engine and into the bilge where a hand can't reach/fit!

Matt
 
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