Mavic Pro Float legs with spikes

thingiverse

Warning: Use at your own risk. Over calm water, a water landing may be passable. However, over rough water, it will float but you're likely to suffer from water damage either way. In my case, I only use it for flying over water during recovery situations, and I don't intentionally do water landings. To create floating supports, I combined two legs with spikes. One front leg requires printing two units. For the materials, I utilized Styrofoam balls obtained from a craft store. Ask for the foam balls used in solar system school projects. I opted for the type with a smooth exterior and 3in diameter. Feel free to choose any size you're comfortable with and test it in a tub filled with a few inches of water. Keep in mind that larger sizes will experience more wind resistance. I must reiterate my warning: I only use this setup when I'm over water and have lost connection. It doesn't fly exceptionally well, but it's not bad for the extra insurance it provides. To attach the balls to the legs, drill a hole down the center of each ball, making it smaller than the spike and closer in size to the shaft or a bit smaller than it. To secure the balls to the legs, I employed 5-minute epoxy. Apply some epoxy to the drilled hole, then push the leg almost all the way in. Finally, pour more epoxy into the hole and push the spike home to the bottom of the leg. For added stability, I use rubber bands on both the front and back legs. For the front, wrap the bands around the leg and landing gear where there's an opening. On the rear, attach a band to the section near the clips. The rear clips function adequately, but I trust it more with a rubber band in place. I will soon post pictures showcasing the rubber bands installed on the legs.