Yeah it was the Gator, he left it here at Hamo after a visit and Moolooaba ORC bought it. It only just recently broke after someone abused it.
Rambo

Just thinking about what you said Onnopaddle, it would be good if you could insert the 2 bulkheads joined together thru a hatch and tack them in place, remove the bolts and then cut the hull. You could then do all the added strengthening with perfect hull alignment.
Also rather than internal bolts, a single locking lever recessed into the top of the deck and a two piece interlocking device at the hull floor level, would eliminate the need for access hatches and would snap together in under 30 seconds.
Similar setup as the old barrel vacuum cleaners, where you split the barrel to access the dirt bag.
Sounds like a project for Eckhart ..!!
Rambo

Ecky, this is what i shot the underwater shots at Vaka Eiva with.
It's a Dolphin brand water proof torch case with a new low iron glass window inserted. The Canon HF 100 fits perfectly in place of the 6v battery with a little foam on the sides and has room for a wide angle lens adapter. The LCD can be closed and the remote will still work if fired thru the window. If you look at the LCD infra red pickup it has a little window on the inside AND OUTSIDE of the flip out screen.
Cost..... i had the case $0
Low Iron glass $20 bucks to have cut to size.
Immersed for 1 hr in a bucket ... no leaks.
But i only go down 1 metre for short periods of time.
If you want a pointing device mount a little rectangle on top of the case calibrated to the view thru the LCD screen.
If you want more control with the remote, water proof a small fiber optic TOSLINK cable thru the case and point on end at the remote reciever window and the other at the remote control LED.

Cheers Rambo

And while i'm giving all my bloody secrets away, this is what i'm using to shoot Karel with from the Jet Ski. Purpose built for shooting Hi Def from a Jet Ski, with 7" external framing monitor, remote control zoom/record with TOSLINK fibre optic extender,1080i Hi Def Cam 2hr recording to SD Card, 4 hrs external battery pack. Comes with waterproof covers for the cam, monitor and remote.
Don't be fooled by the little cam, it's basically just a big Hi Def Bullet Cam, no moving parts.
Enough techo babble for today .. i need a paddle.... over to you Mahatmark ....hahaha

Ecky, you can see the little TOSLINK cable attached to the camera LCD screen.
Ramboscie

Just some thing to remember about the design of the "O" ring seal. I found out the hard way. Water pressure will try and push the ring into the case, so it needs to have seals at 3 points 90 degrees to each other.
Like this one

The other option Ecky, is an Ewa Bag made in Germany. I have an early model one i use, the latest ones are awesome, but expensive. This is the one made for the Canon HF 100, will go too 10ft underwater and you have access to all controls and the LCD screen


http://www.ewa-marine.de/index.php?id=617&L=0
This is the old one i have $20 bucks on ebay, it has access to the controls thru an internal/external rubber glove.and is huge. Will take a full size SLR with zoom lens and room for 3 cans of Kona Lager or 5 packets of TIM TAMS ...hahaa

Rambo

If you want a cheap fibre-optic extender, just nick one of the stems out of those "pot plant" lights that change color.... hahaah.
The monitor is already splash proof, the cam has a clear WP bag with glass port and the remote has just a clear bag. It's not for IN water only ON water. The cam bag had to have a breather as it generates heat, but that's no problem. It's definitely more versatile than a shoulder mount and more stable.
That is about prototype 10, i keep changing it all the time. I have clip on mounts for duel lights, external shotgun mike and a laser pointer and the best thing is, all the cam controls are available with both hands on the wheel and that is important for steady footage.
Cheers Rambo

You could just buy a cheap reprogrammable aftermarket remote and replace it when it's rooted.
Or hack the Canon one, unsolder the infra red LED from the Canon remote and replace with 2 wires coming out in it's place, then solder the LED to the other end and point in the vicinity of the cam. This works better than the fibre optic extender because the LED is more powerful and disperses wider. Call this one the hard wire extender.
I recon a Ziploc bag is all you need and push the buttons thru the bag.
What's a bloody Arduino? ... Sounds like something Fuzey does when he talks about his canoes.... ... Argue..eno... get it....... hahaha
Rambo

It looks like an interesting project if you have the time Ecky. What about place the remote inside the cam housing and operate with proximity sensors on the inside of the case, like a touch screen. I think they work on capacitance changes when your finger is near.
Gee we must be boring everyone with all this stuff?? ...hehehe.
Rambo