Boom mount
Also known as: tower camera mount, wakeboard boom camera, boat tower mount
An arm that holds a camera off a wake boat tower or training boom, filming the rider from the boat for a steady, repeatable angle on every set.
Updated
What it means
In wakeboarding, wakesurfing and waterskiing, a boom mount is a camera arm fixed to the boat - usually clamped to the wakeboard tower, sometimes to the side training boom - and pointed back at the rider. The rope keeps the rider at a fairly constant distance, so the camera works like a follow cam that frames every set without an operator.
It replaces the old method of a friend filming from the back seat. The result is consistent footage of every pass, which is great for coaching and for catching the one landing that finally worked. Arms that reach out beside the wake give a side angle that shows the height and pop off the wake far better.
How it works in practice
Clamp the mount to a solid point on the tower with a clamp sized for the tube, and add a secondary tether in case it slips. Aim at where the rider usually sits - around 18-23 meters back on a typical wakeboard rope, much closer for wakesurfing - and use a medium field of view so the rider is not a speck.
Shoot 4K or 2.7K at 60 fps or more so you can slow down spins and grabs, and switch on HyperSmooth or similar stabilization, because engine vibration and chop shake the arm. Run the camera from boat USB power with a big card; each set is short, but the camera usually keeps recording between runs.
What to watch out for
Spray is constant. Droplets on the lens ruin more boom footage than anything else, so treat the lens cover with a water-repellent coating and check it between sets. A long arm also turns vibration into rolling shutter jello; shorter arms, stiffer clamps and rubber dampers help.
Make sure nothing on the mount can touch the rope, the pylon or passengers when the boat turns, and that the arm does not block the view of the driver or spotter. The sun also moves around the frame as the boat changes direction, so plan the filming passes with the sun behind the camera when you can.
How RawClip handles it
A boom camera left running for an afternoon produces hours of open water, wake and waiting. Upload those files to RawClip, together with clips from the rider's own camera, and the AI finds the jumps, spins and crashes, drops the empty water and builds one highlight cut to music.