Float Kit for Mavic Pro

AlanTheBeast · May 1, 2017

Best float system I've seen for the Mavic Pro.

... just can't get it into my head that I'd want them unless I had access to a boat to go retrieve the MP ...

Edit: grammar.

newnan3 · May 1, 2017

Dang $45 tho....Curious if the floats are attached solidly enough to where they would stay on if the quad lands upside down.

sonof40 · May 1, 2017

newnan3 said:
Dang $45 tho....

Ya but the printed instructions are only $5 extra!

Mike_Flys · Nov 29, 2017

sonof40 said:
Ya but the printed instructions are only $5 extra!

Free to download

BigAl07 · Nov 29, 2017

I'll admit I'm VERY interested.

@Mike_Flys how securely are they attached? Friction fit or a mechanical fastening system? This would also be GREAT for winter time snow/ice flight I would imagine. Yes? (you're welcome LOL).

Mike_Flys · Nov 30, 2017

The Smooth Styrofoam floats are attached to the plastic brackets with plastic bolts.
The front brackets slide onto the front legs and stay on with retention bands. The retention bands are made out of a material similar to rubber and provide enough tension to keep them from slipping off even if the drone is floating upside down.
The rear bracket has a sliding latch and attaches to the Mavics rear skids.

Mike

Mike_Flys · Nov 30, 2017

BigAl07 said:
I'll admit I'm VERY interested.

@Mike_Flys how securely are they attached? Friction fit or a mechanical fastening system? This would also be GREAT for winter time snow/ice flight I would imagine. Yes? (you're welcome LOL).

The Instructions can be viewed here.

Mike_Flys · Nov 30, 2017

BigAl07 said:
I'll admit I'm VERY interested.

@Mike_Flys how securely are they attached? Friction fit or a mechanical fastening system? This would also be GREAT for winter time snow/ice flight I would imagine. Yes? (you're welcome LOL).

I did a live video a few months ago discussing the kit.

okw · Nov 30, 2017

I bought a set from Mike a couple months ago and while I haven't used them much, they have worked very well. They attach plenty secure enough for normal flight and they should stay on during a fairly rough landing on the water. Though a hard crash might cause one or more to come off. Most of us have seen the video of the guy that crashed into the boat and the floats came off. A quick calculation shows that the Mavic would stay near the surface with 3 floats, and maybe even with only 2, so at least you could retrieve it.

I'm liking the idea of using them on snow.

Matt · Nov 30, 2017

okw said:
I bought a set from Mike a couple months ago and while I haven't used them much, they have worked very well. They attach plenty secure enough for normal flight and they should stay on during a fairly rough landing on the water. Though a hard crash might cause one or more to come off. Most of us have seen the video of the guy that crashed into the boat and the floats came off. A quick calculation shows that the Mavic would stay near the surface with 3 floats, and maybe even with only 2, so at least you could retrieve it.

I'm liking the idea of using them on snow.

When i did my test at WOT crashing into the water the back legs snapped off. you need something strapped to the body of the craft if you want something to survive in a hard crash. you would be lucky to have one ball left.

Mike_Flys · Nov 30, 2017

okw said:
I bought a set from Mike a couple months ago and while I haven't used them much, they have worked very well. They attach plenty secure enough for normal flight and they should stay on during a fairly rough landing on the water. Though a hard crash might cause one or more to come off. Most of us have seen the video of the guy that crashed into the boat and the floats came off. A quick calculation shows that the Mavic would stay near the surface with 3 floats, and maybe even with only 2, so at least you could retrieve it.

I'm liking the idea of using them on snow.

Thank you, and you are 100% correct. I believe you are referring to No Fish Nicks video where he hits the fishing poles on the boat causing a crash which broke the front mounts off if memory serves me correctly. It was my kit on Nicks Mavic. He also has one were it gets flipped in the water by fishing lines and floats upside down.

This kit was designed for flying on and off the water from my kayak. Not really intended as a crash safety device. However if it lands in the water for a low battery it will be okay. It possibly could take a fall into the water it would depend on how and how it hit. I fly with the float kit for water operations and getterbacks for recovery.

I put a lot of work into this and it's a fine line between light and strong. While this kit was not designed for crashing I did take crashing into account.
While I can't predict every scenario. In non float kit crashes I have seen the legs break. My intent was that if you hit a hard object the front brackets would break away vs breaking the Mavic front legs. I had a beta tester fly his drone into a tree and fall 40 feet. front mounts broke off he cracked a rear arm.
I have thought about designing them to stay on if they impact a hard object but.

You are also correct about it floating on 3, or maybe 2. If you do the math it will float with 1/2 the amount of Styrofoam. However to keep it above the water, and able to fly off the water with a similar thrust to what it uses to lift off the land it needs to displace more water. Which is why it has 4 inch (99mm) floats

I welcome any input, design changes, or even if you want a custom designed/printed/molded part just let me know.

Mike

Mike_Flys · Nov 30, 2017

Matt said:
When i did my test at WOT crashing into the water the back legs snapped off. you need something strapped to the body of the craft if you want something to survive in a hard crash. you would be lucky to have one ball left.

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Does Nick know your using his video?

Matt · Nov 30, 2017

Mike_Flys said:
Thank you, and you are 100% correct. I believe you are referring to No Fish Nicks video where he hits the fishing poles on the boat causing a crash which broke the front mounts off if memory serves me correctly. It was my kit on Nicks Mavic. He also has one were it gets flipped in the water by fishing lines and floats upside down.

This kit was designed for flying on and off the water from my kayak. Not really intended as a crash safety device. However if it lands in the water for a low battery it will be okay. It possibly could take a fall into the water it would depend on how and how it hit. I fly with the float kit for water operations and getterbacks for recovery.

I put a lot of work into this and it's a fine line between light and strong. While this kit was not designed for crashing I did take crashing into account.
While I can't predict every scenario. In non float kit crashes I have seen the legs break. My intent was that if you hit a hard object the front brackets would break away vs breaking the Mavic front legs. I had a beta tester fly his drone into a tree and fall 40 feet. front mounts broke off he cracked a rear arm.
I have thought about designing them to stay on if they impact a hard object but.

You are also correct about it floating on 3, or maybe 2. If you do the math it will float with 1/2 the amount of Styrofoam. However to keep it above the water, and able to fly off the water with a similar thrust to what it uses to lift off the land it needs to displace more water. Which is why it has 4 inch (99mm) floats

I welcome any input, design changes, or even if you want a custom designed/printed/molded part just let me know.

Mike

Mike
That s my point. the balls are great for landing on the water and have a nice clearance. Great setup you have how ever i am not interested in landing i want something that will actual still be on in a crash.

Yes we are at two ends of the perspective. I wanted to have survivability first. landing second. The ability to pull it out of the water quickly. I keep a bottle of isopropyl alcohol on board to dissipate the water in the event of a crash. I worry to much with the gettrback getting caught on any structure (weeds or coral) and it not deploying The pontoon design has a lower profile and does sit lower to the water but landing is not a issue in calm water. like with any other ball or float design it has to be calm water. a wave will just get it wet with any design

Yannie · Feb 11, 2018

I was doing a lot of coastal mapping so I bought a float kit from here as an experiment:
FLOAT KIT DJI MAVIC PRO Skid WATER legs foam balls Riser high quality ORYGINAL! | eBay

My experience: The weakest part is the clips to lock the two rear balls on. One of these clips snapped off the first time I put it on.
I tried supergluing the clip back on, reinforcing the whole thing with superglue. I left the glue to set for a few days before re-attempting anything.

The first time I tried using it, the immediate impression is that it makes the drone blow around in the wind a lot more. As the autonomous mapping software was taking each photo, the drone was blowing off course with even minor wind gusts.
The drone frequently rolled to the side to maintain course across the wind, which led to one of the front white balls being captured in many shots.

I wouldn't bother with a float kit again, it dramatically affects the performance of the drone too much for me. I'm just more careful around water these days.

LivinLarge · Feb 11, 2018

I have tried all kinds of home made float kits on drones in the past. While they would allow landing and taking off from calm water, they affect flight time and performance and few designs would really survive a crash from any altitude.
If your goal is to launch and land on a lake, they will probably work OK. On the ocean or other moving water, you are likely to to get the camera or other electronics wet and possibly tip over.
If your goal is to survive a crash from altitude, good luck with that. Your best hope is to recover the aircraft for insurance purposes. The camera will get wet. The gimbal will be destroyed. The arms may break. It will probably land upside down (buttered side down law.) If the floats remain attached, and you recover it and dry it out, you will have an aircraft that you cannot trust because it has been wet. This is especially true for salt water. Perhaps your money would be better spent on insurance that will cover a complete loss.
I think it would be entirely possible to make a quad from Mavic parts, that was completely waterproof and floating. It would probably not be easy to make it folding. Cooling the inside parts and venting the barometer to atmosphere would be a challenge but not impossible. The downward facing sensors would need to be turned off as they would not work anyway when wet. The biggest problem for the Mavic design would be the gimbal. It is much too delicate. The Mavic Air gimbal design is much better.
I wonder if there is a market for such a design.