Anyone else been glad they've had their lid on when things have gone wrong? I usually only wear my Gath helmet when it's really howling or its cold.It was cold so I wore it today 14 degrees and 20-25kt wind .. It's never happened in years of sailboarding but the mast hit me on the head twice today.. Maybe I'm getting senile..

Holy crap, how did that happen? Bought my 1st helmet a few weeks ago, considered it for a while with trying to go fast through the chop, was sealed when a head strap from a catapulting sail hit my ear when racing- stung a bit but alot better than the mast would have.

They certainly add a bit of warmth- seeing elmo's pics I might wear a bit more often.

back around 1995, i remember hearing that Emily Lockwood got wiped while racing in ocean,hitting her head on mast with no helmet on.

she got rescued by a boat then fell unconscious moments later,so don't think it can't happen.

remember sailing at peli-point around 5 years ago and someone hit a loose piece of floating wood,alot worse for wear.

it's a risk/reward thing. if you are confident in your skills and don't push the limit too far you will reduce risk.

getting wiped out by hitting chop hard while sailing fast is when helmet is most needed.

reward for not wearing a helmet,more comfortable and better sense of hearing.

That was the effects of getting hit by a big gust.
Was using a 4.5m Nth sail (sorry, ezzy's are too gutless and break for me) + a NP mast.
Slammed into the sail with my shoulder flicking the back of my head into the mast.

Have also smashed a helmet surfing as well.

I've never regretted throwing a smashed helmet in the bin and having to spend another +$100

PFD's are a good investment to

I'm all for protecting my head, but I just can't justify the price.. Luckily I am well travelled and have witnessed the the home made alternative head protection from Egypt.. Whenever its really windy, just drop by the bakery, grab some rolls and head to the beach..

I put my money on the helmet. I have an injured neck (got hit by a car), from 3 years ago and I don't find the extra weight to be disturbing me.

Gath helmets weigh very little, less than wet hair.
That's the kind of specious argument you get from lonely men with way too much time on their hands.
I've worn one pretty much since I started short-boiarding in 1994, and have had a few random cracks about the head, often in light wind, so I would not use 15kt as a cut-off. Always grateful to have it on.
As a bonus, you get very good sun protection for much of your face and ears etc, though nose and back of neck miss out a bit.

Windxtasy said...

I have toyed with the idea of wearing a helmet but I am told that if you have a long neck (which I have) the added weight of helmet plus head causes increased likelihood of whiplash injury which may outweigh the positives of wearing the helmet.
The last 2 times I have received head injuries whilst sailing it was my nose and my chin, which would be unprotected by a helmet anyway.

Have a Gath helmet with visor - best investment ever. Use it every time I go in the surf or if it looks a bit strong when on the bay/lakes, otherwise have a cap on to protect from the sun. If that blows off your head you know it's probably time to get the Gath. Wind noise can be a bit of an issue tho...

Before the Gath used a bicycle helmet which did the job but looked "dorky". Ah fashion....before that just a "nude scone" and a few cuts and bruises to go with it. One day my wife and kids were watching me shortboarding in Sydney when I came screaming into the beach, jumped off the board, put the rig on the sand, when the wind got under it and flicked it up and the mast hit me in the side of the head which required a trip to the doctors and a few stitches. Still got the scar. Needless to say my wife suggested I buy a helmet after that.

The Gath has saved my noggin quite a few times and even though you may still cop a knock you are almost guaranteed there will be no blood. Not a good look when in the surf or even some the bay/lakes venues.

The cracked Gath did its job and certainly prevented a more serious injury.

wbailey said...

Have a Gath helmet with visor - best investment ever. Use it every time I go in the surf or if it looks a bit strong when on the bay/lakes, otherwise have a cap on to protect from the sun. If that blows off your head you know it's probably time to get the Gath. Wind noise can be a bit of an issue tho...

Before the Gath used a bicycle helmet which did the job but looked "dorky". Ah fashion....before that just a "nude scone" and a few cuts and bruises to go with it. One day my wife and kids were watching me shortboarding in Sydney when I came screaming into the beach, jumped off the board, put the rig on the sand, when the wind got under it and flicked it up and the mast hit me in the side of the head which required a trip to the doctors and a few stitches. Still got the scar. Needless to say my wife suggested I buy a helmet after that.

The Gath has saved my noggin quite a few times and even though you may still cop a knock you are almost guaranteed there will be no blood. Not a good look when in the surf or even some the bay/lakes venues.

The cracked Gath did its job and certainly prevented a more serious injury.

If its 30kts + I wear earplugs with the Gath..usually on my own anyway..

When I first got the Gath, the wind noise bugged me, so I put some tape over the holes, and that fixed it. Eventually the tape peeled off, and I didn't bother to replace it. Haven't really noticed it since. With all this talk, it will probably drive me barmy next time I sail.

Get the Gath surf convertible helmet. detachable ear pieces - NO NOISE.

Go the GATH GEDI. Light, reasonable price and you can open/close ear piece or remove.Can also add a visor if you wish. The visor is good in the rain and offers more protaction for nose and forehead.Very comfortable.

i'm surprised noone has mentioned this yet, but i beleive the gath surf helmets that some people are talking about in this thread aren't actually properly designed to protect your head from serious impact.

the gath gedi helmet i believe is, as from the looks is the ion helmet that was linked. the helmets that are properly designed to protect your head from serious impact i think are typically the ones with the closed cell foam designed to crush on impact and absorb the energy of the impact.

windanza said...

been wearing gath since they first came onto the market, must be nearly[or more than] 30years.
had a lot of condescending comments from the macho too cool for school crew. but people have horrific ear operations for exostosis as the bone dam builds up to defend the ear canal from wind chill and water[ i also wear $2.50 ear plugs as well]. many have sun rust cut out of the forehead. its a personal choice but one worth weighing up with care. sometimes it feels like i am missing out on the fantastic free wheeling freedom feeling that comes with no helmet or head wear.
but most of time its just like putting a harness on, automatic, wouldnt go out without it.
the rose red coloured visor and the blue adjustable model is the best as you can have right back or down for late arvo sailing into the sun sessions. the red visor has good vision compared to the other dark grey or blue visors though.

so the red one is usable.. ok im going to buy one.. cheers..

Another variety of helmets are the Protec range which are supposed to be quite solid protection

www.protechelmet.com/products.asp?cat=11

elmo said...

Another variety of helmets are the Protec range which are supposed to be quite solid protection

www.protechelmet.com/products.asp?cat=11

So are the Gath ones strong enough to protect from impact? Weight is a big issue with my neck I couldn't wear any thing very heavy..I have a lightweight bicycle & horseriding helmets and I don't think I could wear anything as heavy as a motorcycle helmet anymore as thats one of the things that caused the neck issue in the first place....