Head and face protection

jools · 02 September 2001, 21:56

<moved from Cruise from Teignmouth thread. John Kennett>

One thing we could do with is a face mask as we get covered in spray when its a bit choppy! Does anyone have any experience of the Gecko helmets?

Bye for now....

John Kennett · 02 September 2001, 22:13

Sounds like a great day out!

After a certain amount of trial and error, this is my choice of head/face gear:

Musto peaked cap (with ear flaps)
Dirt bike goggles (like ski goggles, but with clear lenses)
Fleece "snood" (tube) to cover mouth and neck

This has the advantage that you can wear as much or as little as the conditions demand.

I haven't tried a Gecko helmet, but I can't find anyone who likes them very much. They seem like a great idea, and the RNLI obviously rate them, but all the ribsters I've spoken to who tried them said they were uncomfortable and noisy. Helmets in general seem to be much less popular than they were a few years ago.

John

Allen · 04 September 2001, 17:06

Someone in RNLI headquarters rates Gecko helmets, but crews don't !

This is our experience here in Peel, and indeed I happened to notice last Saturday that the Lymington ILB crew were wearing Laser crash helmets.

The concept is good, but design inadequate. Gecko say that a helmet must be worn for about ten minutes for it to adopt the shape of your head and become comfortable. In actual fact what happens is that your head becomes numb in 5 minutes !

Brian · 04 September 2001, 20:43

Alan W. and I wore Geckos on the RB4 event (over 9 days).
My personal opinion is:

Good things-warm, comfortable (3 diferent thicknesses of linings supplied as standard. I must have the biggest head in the world, but mine fitted fine), great in rain/hail (and keeps your hair dry(it takes me hours to get it to look like this!!)), I tend to bonk my head against the A-frame sometimes so good protection there.

Not so good-visor mists up inside when I breathe heavily (i.e. am panicking about something), rain "streaks" on outside of visor because you dont have windscreen wipers!! Both problems fixed using 2 Halfords screen products.

Bad things-my helmet does not have ear-holes and sponge plugs hence listening to radio channels and conversation dificult. (solution-get ear-hoes cut!!).

Alan · 05 September 2001, 10:28

I can vouch for the fact that Brian is deaf as a post when Gecko'd up!!

My personal experience was that the bloody thing gave me a headache after about 30mins of use. It was excellent in the driving rain - which is the only time I wore it!

My personal preference for head/face protection is a woolly hat and skiing goggles. The skiing goggles I use have yellow lenses so still work in gloomish conditions and cost about a tenner in a ski shop so if they fall apart afer a seasons use then its not a problem.

Alan

batfalcon · 05 September 2001, 10:33

Rain, mist, fog, bad weather, cold.......Ts ts ts ts ts....

Michael

Grey C · 05 September 2001, 12:27

I, as Brain and many others (as they were on the extensive kit list) wore a Gecko on Rb4, I found it to be comfortable if I wore a woolly hat underneath. This is only possible due to the fact that I have a very small head, (Nick-named Pin Head and Skittle as a child!!). Vernon However, as you have read form Tiger Shark's story has an extremley big head (That's me dun for). And had to scrape out the padding just to get it on, That's true no sarcasm, which in turn didn't make for comfort at all.

I believe the latest helmets are far more padded and have holes cut out etc, etc, ours date back to the 2/3 year old model.

I also had press stud failure on one side of the visor which did not render it unusable until I looked up and the visor ripped of at 30 Knots somewhere in the Solent, I did at this point understand how effective it was at keeping the rain off which hurts like hell!.

Just thought you'd like to know.#

Russ.

Powerboat · 05 September 2001, 23:40

We bought some Geckos here a year or so ago to try out for a season with a view to selling them once we were happy that they were suitable for RIBs .

I have found the latest ones to be very comfortable once you play around for a day or so with the adjustable pads .

One problem that we did identify was that the full face visor does fog up . We replaced these with half face visors from Gecko and the result now is quite comfortable head gear that both protects the noggin , keeps you warm and also allows you to see through the rain sleet and hail with having the eyes skinned off you .

We now sell the Ribster package that we spec'd from Gecko and have many happy customers ( nearly all professional users ). Details and prices on our website www.powerboat.org

Best wishes ,

Stuart

Allen · 12 November 2001, 22:09

Just thought you might be interested in an update on this topic from the distant past.

Gecko have at last recognised that the "one size fits all" Mk9, doesn't.

The RNLI is currently collating crews' head measurements to determine what size helmet will be practical.

Almost certainly a larger shell will be required to relieve pressure on the cheekbones, and some redesign of the insert pads in the mk9 may be undertaken to prevent the helmet sliding forward on smaller heads.

Watch this space ..........

Alan Priddy · 13 November 2001, 08:26

Hairdresser, when they do develop a new helmet will it mean that we will not be able to see your ugly mug and stupid hair style?

Allen · 13 November 2001, 16:30

Ha ! It's just as well I know you're only jealous !

Reading this months MBY, I assume all you need to wear is a "night-cap". Falling asleep on-the-job indeed.

Allen

Alan Priddy · 13 November 2001, 19:05

And your sickly grin? something you would like to share with us?

Allen · 13 November 2001, 20:59

No chance - I seem to remember that we had just discovered a way of spicing up a potentially tedious trip through the Caledonian Canal.

We're not all narcoleptic you know.

Allen

Alan · 14 November 2001, 09:19

Handbags at dawn then?

Another Alan! (Too many Alans on this board!)

Allen · 14 November 2001, 20:30

"Too many Alans".... reminds me of a Monty Python sketch which Alan P no doubt saw first time round. We younger types have to rely on repeats!

Alan Priddy · 15 November 2001, 20:58

You bitch!!

Allen · 15 November 2001, 21:16

Ooooh, come on now Alan.

I know that our MBY journalist enjoyed himself, whilst pot noodles and your sleeping arrangements didn't agree with the journo on your trip to Bangor, but hey, that's life.

You'll get over it in time - maybe !

Alan Priddy · 16 November 2001, 14:06

At least I got soemone to sleep in my bed on the trip!
Can any of your passengers say that not only have they had the oportunity to dine with the Captain, but sleep with him as well?

graham morris · 18 November 2001, 19:51

jools, the Gecko Helmets are a real asset,particulary in poor weather they are light ,comfortable and provide valuable protection and allow safe navigation in the worst conditions great value for money,so good even my kids like to wear them! apparently now available in different colours, we own six of them must be good!, they become part of every trip once you've got over the stigma of feeling like an RNLI crew member.

gaelforce · 27 November 2001, 18:20

graham, i am grateful that you have brought this discussion back to the original subject. obviously some of the contributors regard this site as somewhere to engage in bitchy / cliquish behaviour driven no doubt by some sort of sexual dysfunction.
however i fear you are greatly mistaken in recommending that ribsters don motorbike type helmets while skimming the seas and if you worked in the hampshire coroner's office as I do, then you'd know why.
Over the past number of years, we have had to try and determine the cause of death of seven bodies washed up on the Hampshire coast. The cadavers in question were all wearing motorbike helmets. We assumed they were suicidal motorcyclists copycatting a disturbing scene in the film 'Quadrophenia' starring Gordon somebody. We are not stupid though, and we often wondered why someone bent on suicide would take the curious step of donning a crash helmet - habit perhaps. One rather romantically - inclined office girl speculated that perhaps the corpses belonged to ejected fighter pilots who had abandoned their parachutes. However I now strongly suspect they are ribsters and would recommend the Kennett rigout. Otherwise, please carry ID.