How to Make a POV Narwal Mount

Want a creative perspective for shooting POV video? Check out Jay Trautman's Narwal mount. The footage is amazing. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make your very own Narwal mount.

Hello Everyone! Today we are going to take some time to learn how to make your own helmet mounted camera. This isn't your typical helmet mount, but a "Narwal" mounted system. This camera perspective captures your riding from a really cool angle in which you can see your facial expressions, body language and bike positioning while ripping down the trail or in the air! Here is my footage from the same mount you will be making today.







So here’s what you need to get started on your Narwal:

MATERIALS

1. Two Pieces of poplar wood that are 4' length x 1'' wide x 1/4 thick (You can use other woods but poplar tends to be light and really strong)

2. Ten 4mm bolts (over and inch long), 10 nuts and 20 washers.

3. Elmer's Wood Glue

4. 4''x4'' Square of double sided 3m tape (1/8''-1/4'' thick)

5. Counterweight: Can be anything about 2lbs in weight and that can be easily mounted to the rear part of your Narwal. (I used a BMX crank arm, spindle, and some duct tape- ghetto, but super practical and it worked really well.)

Last but not least you will need a full face helmet, a little bit of ingenuity, and a CONTOUR camera & mount.

PREP WORK

Once you have gathered your materials it's time to cut the wood to specific lengths. Cut your pieces of poplar wood so that you have 4 pieces that are 19'' in length and 1 piece that is 15'' long. Hang on to the remains because your will use them.

ASSEMBLY

1. Take your four 19'' pieces and lay them out so they look like this... (See diagram 1)

2. Pre-drill a 4mm hole a half-inch from each end of all four pieces right where they will connect (See diagram 2). Now you can put your bolt (with a washer) through and fasten the nut down (with a washer).


2B Now your structure should be looking like this... (See diagram 2b)

3. Now take your scrap and cut off a 1" piece and insert it at the rear of your Narwal, joining the two open pieces. You can use wood glue or pre-drill a hole and bolt it together (or both for maximum strength). (See diagram 3)

4. Use your scrap again to cut of a 3''-4'' piece that you will insert between the front two pieces of your Narwal (half inch from the end). Glue, pre-drill and fasten down with a bolt, washers, and a nut. This is the piece that you will attach your CONTOUR mount to. Doing this will give you infinite angles to achieve many different video/picture shots from your CONTOUR (See diagram 4)


5. Now you should be ready to create a base for the Narwal. The base is what you will allow you to attach it to your full-face helmet. I used scrap wood to create 2 squares about 2''x 2''. Use wood glue to attach the two pieces onto the middle of the rear part of the Narwal. Then put two bolts through from the top to the bottom to secure that the base will not separate from the rest of the camera mount. You may have to customize your bottom piece of the mount to match the contour of your helmet. For mine I cut two small pieces of wood on an angle to make the bottom of the mount sit flush on the helmet. (See diagram 5)


6. Next you want to create a support from the rear part of the Narwal to the front. Grab your 15'' piece of poplar and (See diagram 6)

7. Add a 2-pound counterweight to the rear of your Narwhal. (See diagram 7)


8. Install your CONTOUR camera mount. (See diagram 8 )

9. Install double sided 3m tape onto the bottom of your Narwal base. Then install your Narwal onto your helmet and let the tape bond for about ten minutes. Now take it for a ride to check out the angle of your camera to make sure it gets your face, body, and most of your bike.


After finding the proper angle I would recommend getting used to the added weight onto your head before hitting the trails. After you’re confident with your new Narwal mount, go shred your local trail and be prepared for amazing footage of your ride. That's all for now. Have fun and shred safely!

Bonus video featuring more sweet Narwal action on some old rowdy wood stunts: