Should we wear helmets?

[Pikey Dave]

Interesting thread. I've been toying with getting a couple of Geckos for a while, but just can't bring meself around to the idea. Like Biff, I like to hear the sounds of the boat & the sea. I think that part of the fun is having the wind & spray in your hair (or what's left of it) I don't want to be detached from that in an armoured cocoon. We're having the same debate as a family, over skiing helmets, we've noticed that over the last couple of years we've become the minority that don't wear helmets. I think it all comes back to the old "Risk" chestnut & your attitude to it, if the reason you ski/boat etc is to enjoy the thrill & feeling of freedom, then anything that takes the enjoyment away negates the reason for doing it in the first place. Just IMHO of course, each to their own. I've still not made my mind up

[Trimix]

Skulls are pretty hard, I can imagine you would be sore by face planting your consol, but not dead if you didnt wear a helmet.

Goggles for spray and a helmet to keep warm sounds sensible, but just how your going to crack your skull open does seem quite unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikley.

[Chris Caton]

there are plugs you can remove in the Geckos so that you can still hear what's going on, main reason I wear one is to keep the wind n rain out of my eyes, hay fever makes them very sensitive and soar for days after, especially when it's cold. I always feel overdressed when I put mine on, but at the end of a long wet day I've been glad of it over the last couple of seasons

Gecko have an ebay site and sell slight 2nds occasionally, that's were we got ours, still can't find what was supposed to be wrong with them

[indaba1991]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Interesting thread. I've been toying with getting a couple of Geckos for a while, but just can't bring meself around to the idea. Like Biff, I like to hear the sounds of the boat & the sea. I think that part of the fun is having the wind & spray in your hair (or what's left of it) I don't want to be detached from that in an armoured cocoon. We're having the same debate as a family, over skiing helmets, we've noticed that over the last couple of years we've become the minority that don't wear helmets. I think it all comes back to the old "Risk" chestnut & your attitude to it, if the reason you ski/boat etc is to enjoy the thrill & feeling of freedom, then anything that takes the enjoyment away negates the reason for doing it in the first place. Just IMHO of course, each to their own. I've still not made my mind up

Good observations - one of the minus aspects of the Protector is that the covering canopies / bimini shield the wind and wave effects. Great when it is raining and cold - but a bit like swimming in an indoor pool or wearing a helmet in an open top car.

[kerny]

Does me...

NEW WARM ACRYLIC BOB HAT - BLACK - Beanie, Benny, Watch Cap, Fishing, Hiking | eBay

[biffer]

I have a Bimini and a windscreen on my boat so weather isn't an issue, but I do know of a bloke who had a helmet on and didn't notice what was behind him, nearly got run over by a battleship on one of the big rallies in the Solent, had to get over to him fast and throw a few FFFFF"s at him

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Trimix

Skulls are pretty hard, I can imagine you would be sore by face planting your consol, but not dead if you didnt wear a helmet

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources...ea%20snake.pdf
http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources...oty_Report.pdf

Obviously other factors were the cause of the accidents which could have been preventable and there is no certainty that a helmet would have saved their lives it is quite clear that the solid structures within a powerboat are far from minor risks when they stop your body from rapid deceleration. With 350HP on tap you could quite easily face plant the console just by getting the throttle / waves wrong.

You might argue that the gecko saved this guys life (although he still received very serious injuries).

Marine Accident Investigation: Kinghorn

[Cookee]

We have to race in a helmet and in the current race boat blocking out sound is an advantage! Of course we don't get overtaken very often at speeds approaching 70mph, with the canopy boat we use an open face helmet and full face for open boats - We did use Gecko's in the RIB but they banned those - we found them lighter and more comfortable than road crash helmets that are approved.

[tonymac]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Interesting thread. I've been toying with getting a couple of Geckos for a while, but just can't bring meself around to the idea. Like Biff, I like to hear the sounds of the boat & the sea. I think that part of the fun is having the wind & spray in your hair (or what's left of it) I don't want to be detached from that in an armoured cocoon.

Yea I agree Pikey. Been doing the same thing - looking at Geckos but just not jumping for one yet. (Do they do a try before you buy scheme?? )
I like the idea of being warm and dry but would hate the looks I'd get from the ol' timers on the pier where I launch News of it would be around the area before I got back to the bar!!

BTW Happy New Year everyone (my first post of 2014) and Willk what happened your avatar?

[Ian M]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Interesting thread. I've been toying with getting a couple of Geckos for a while, but just can't bring meself around to the idea. Like Biff, I like to hear the sounds of the boat & the sea. I think that part of the fun is having the wind & spray in your hair (or what's left of it) I don't want to be detached from that in an armoured cocoon. We're having the same debate as a family, over skiing helmets, we've noticed that over the last couple of years we've become the minority that don't wear helmets. I think it all comes back to the old "Risk" chestnut & your attitude to it, if the reason you ski/boat etc is to enjoy the thrill & feeling of freedom, then anything that takes the enjoyment away negates the reason for doing it in the first place. Just IMHO of course, each to their own. I've still not made my mind up

I bought s slight 'second' Gecko off the Ebay shop. LIke Jambo, it seems OK to me. But for a long time I did not use it much, to be honest it was uncomfortable. Then a friend on here pointed out that as well as inflating the bladder, you can also suck air out Er, never thought of that.
Now perfectly comfortable.
On a certain cross channel trip I found the face protection invaluable, to the extent that I would not consider a similar trip again with out it. However, if the conditions did not require it, the Gecko would stay in the locker.
The removable ear plugs - horrible. The wind noise and draught in the ear with them out NO if the Gecko is on, the ear plugs stay in, so my crew will always have to shout

[Nos4r2]

For what it's worth, last time I took a decent ride without a helmet on the biggest risk was car drivers waving their arms around like epileptics and not looking where they were going to tell me I didn't have a helmet on.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by MustRib

on RI, I managed to smack the visor of my Gecko into the wheel. It happened sooo fast and was quite a bang.
In bad weather, and when going at any speed I always put it on.
The full visor gives great protection from spray and wind fatigue.
But I dont want anyone telling me I HAVE to wear one.

I would agree...have avoided a Bloody Nose (at least) a few times thanks to the Ghecko..don't find the weight any problem,they are designed to be pretty light weight after all.
Rough and or Wet straight straight ON...comfortable warm and Defiantly Safer IMO.Would'nt be without ours!
As to compulsory...Nah.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Interesting thread. I've been toying with getting a couple of Geckos for a while, but just can't bring meself around to the idea. Like Biff, I like to hear the sounds of the boat & the sea. I think that part of the fun is having the wind & spray in your hair (or what's left of it) I don't want to be detached from that in an armoured cocoon. We're having the same debate as a family, over skiing helmets, we've noticed that over the last couple of years we've become the minority that don't wear helmets. I think it all comes back to the old "Risk" chestnut & your attitude to it, if the reason you ski/boat etc is to enjoy the thrill & feeling of freedom, then anything that takes the enjoyment away negates the reason for doing it in the first place. Just IMHO of course, each to their own. I've still not made my mind up

You just need a LONG ROUGH and COLD Passage somewhere and you'll soon change your mind Mate...Guaranteed
....Hope its not on the Scillies trip

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by willk

I know one member who face planted his console and smashed the visor off his Gecko. I'd imagine that it would have smarted a touch had he not been wearing the lid.

I know of another member on here who lost ALL his front teeth when he slammed into a wave in his SR5.4 and took them all out on the nice shinny grab rail over the steering wheel.
Oh how we laughed despite the amount of blood and his obvious pain and shock. A Visor would have limited the damage at the very least and most probably saved any injury.

We where ours in bad weather, like others have said more to keep the rain and wind off your face than anything else.

I found that when the smaller Nashers were younger the cold wind and rain on their face put them off going out in the RIB during the winter until we brought the helmets. They found it much more comfortable with them on and the visors down.

This image has been on here before, but having brought Ex RNLI and SBS ones, I had to refurb them a little and added a bit of fun for them.
Now they are 15 and 17 they don't appreciate the graphics so much.
Mrs Nasher refused the graphics on hers.
We have the longer visors on them as we feel the shorter ones would allow rain etc onto the lower half of your face.

Nasher.

[tony t]

Originally Posted by kerny

Does me..]

Like I said before this will do you Sent from my iPad using Rib.net

[tony t]

look good on you

[Nasher]

Go on Nos - Post a pic of yours

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Go on Nos - Post a pic of yours

I've got a video of Nos's helmet

[m chappelow]

Lightweight Bump caps with a hard shell & neoprene inner liner like the pre Gekos RNLI crew used to use are another alternative . A major industrial suppliers were still selling a slightly heavier version up to a few years ago .

[kerny]

Originally Posted by tony t

Like I said before this will do you Attachment 88782 Sent from my iPad using Rib.net

Bring it to Ullswater with you Now go and polish yer crampons

Originally Posted by whisper

I've got a video of Nos's helmet

Post the video whisper we want to see Nos's helmet