DOT out?

[tylorechols]

@ Greg- Just because your strapped into a capsule does not mean you cant hurt your head, now if you are wearing a Hanz device then I would agree with you.

[Robert M Keogler]

Full Face Helmets

Back in the '70s when quite a few people where against full face helmets. I was run over after I fell out in the turn. I can thank quick thinking boat racers and a Bell M-1 full face helmet, that i am still around today.

Don"t cheap out on the best helmet you can afford!

[runabout333]

Years ago,, the Seebold racing team sold a helmet brand that I think was
spelled Araei... Full Face,,, fit like a glove.... Best X-mas present I ever got..

[Danny Pigott]

Bell

I don't know how many of you were around in the mid 70's but full face helmet's were not legal in apba. They were dangerous due to bucketing an still are. I saw about 3 or 4 helmet's come off the driver during a crash in the last year or two. If you want to test this put your full face helmet on an jump off a dock feet first I think Bob N. of Power boat mag tested this and came up with his own helmet very small an form fitting . You can see him driving his inboard enduro tunnel in some of the old mags.. I always wore Bell i had a Bell on when i was run over in the first turn in DMH in 1978 at Ravenwood WV. The prop cut all the way in to the stirafoam i was very lucky as no helmet can stop a prop. It even bent the prop on the boat that ran over me. It was not the other drivers fault i should not have hit the bouy an got threw out in the middle of 12 boats. Joann Ellis was the Ref. she showed this helmet to everbody at the drivers meeting on Sun. a lot of drivers bought Bell Bell helmets after seeing that including her. I still have that helmet today and some time look at it and think how close it was.

[john527]

well its time to get the snell stickers printed to stick on my old Bell helmet!!

[john527]

I loved the 70s and 80s when we raced like men...Bell helmets, short sleeve t-shirts and Gentex jackets, but then came all the rule changing and down went the membership!

[Greg Jacobsen]

What?

@ Greg- Just because your strapped into a capsule does not mean you cant hurt your head, now if you are wearing a Hanz device then I would agree with you.

I never said that you should NOT wear a good quality helmet in an F1 Boat - you should. My point on helmets was that a lot of these F1 Drivers have really expensive paint jobs that promote their sponsors or match the color scheme of the boat etc... Now because of this rule change they basically have to ruin all that custom work. Any on this point why is it that APBA did not make this also manditory for other divisions such as Offshore, H1 and Jet Ski's. Seems like a double standard - that in a lot of legal corners can spell trouble.

Further - all you really pro APBA types that have your heads in the sand and continue to follow along like lost sheep - really need to open up your horizons and really look and listen to what folks are saying here and on other threads like this - that question what APBA is doing. You can say - just spend the extra $25 or buy a new helmet or paint over your custom paint job - or just put in the six point harnesses etc...

The reality is - that despite the fact that you disagree with the reason people get frustrated and leave - THEY ARE IN FACT LEAVING! Membership has been on a rapid decline for years in APBA - you do not see those kinds membership and race losses in NBRA, SBI, AOF, Lucas Oil Outboard Drag etc... There is a common thread here and those of you pro APBA guys if you really want to see APBA remain the dominant Sanctioning body - had better really take these frustrations seriously or someone else will assume that position.

Not trying to argue here at all - but the facts are the facts - people that still could financially continue to race in APBA are leaving!

Period!

[ram95]

The point is, do you think you are smart enough decide what helmet you want to wear? Or do you need another rule to help you along?

And, regarding "painting your helmet".... A long time ago, Bell helmets instruction papework explicitly stated that their helmet should NOT be painted, as the paint could affect the integrity of the shell. Back then Bell helmets were silver or international orange. I don't know if paint bothers todays helmets or not.

Alex

[DiGia54D]

Keep in mind that HJC does sell Snell approved fiberglass/kevlar/spectra helmets. They just cost more. I have a FS-15 that I wear when riding. How about this one? http://www.amazon.com/HJC-Solid-Moto.../dp/B005I4CJUM

So I looked at my new HJC last night after reading these, it says snell and dot approved.

[larry terzinski]

Why not

I always had to chuckle when ever I saw George in his helmet/stocking cap. maybe we should make them manditory. safety rule 6 padding must be applied to the outside of your helmet!
Makes for a softer bump don't you know.

Gene: Send it in. BOD might jump on this. Almost makes more sense then there last move. New plastic $100.00 head and can of paint sounds like a dandy safety move.

[krazy karl]

Helmets

Many years ago when I was in the army I had a part time job working in a motorcycle rental shop in Denver. We mainly rented to air force zoomies at Lowry field. Every Saturday and Sunday mornings were mob scenes. One particular Saturday the last bike was being rented by a young airman and we only had one helmet left. It was a funky white old thing, all the nice looking metal flake ones were gone. He left, but about 20 minutes later we got a call that a bike had been dumped at an intersection. It turned out that he had ridden down a street that tee'd into a major parkway. He slammed on the rear brake as he was running into the tee at a pretty good rate of speed. It locked and he went down. He slid through the intersection and hit head first into the curbing. It turned out that the funky old helmet was Fiberglas and probably saved his life. The helmet resembled a hard boiled egg that had rolled around to break the shell to be peeled. The shell had maintained it's integrity and his head. I immediately went out and bought a Bell Magnum and have worn nothing but fiberglass helmets since.

By the way if you are worried about paint destroying the integrity of the helmet, there is a paint made especially for plastic, it comes in a rattle can and goes by the brand name of Fusion. I may be wrong but at one time I read that paint won't affect Fiberglas helmets but could affect plastic ones.

My 2 cents.
kk

[thepiranhabros]

Both my son and I wear carbon fiber/Kevlar composite full-face helmets (we wouldn't wear anything less) that came from the factory solid yellow in color. They are Snell M2000 certified, well-ventilated, cost less than 100-bucks apiece, and fit like a glove. There is a difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive." Just as with cheap plastic helmets, high quality, inexpensive helmets are out there. You just need to do your homework and a little digging on the Interwebs.

[RKO]

If this was a safety discussion why wasn't the snell 2010 mandated. Who determined that any snell rating was sufficient for the impact forces experienced by a boat racer. The 2010 testing is incompatible with all earlier test. So what criteria was used to come to this discussion and why one month before the season.

[blueskyracer]

If this was a safety discussion why wasn't the snell 2010 mandated. Who determined that any snell rating was sufficient for the impact forces experienced by a boat racer. The 2010 testing is incompatible with all earlier test. So what criteria was used to come to this discussion and why one month before the season.

I am sure it was all done by professionals with lots of there own DATA gathering process..

[Affholter66]

I have a Bell Race Star 5 Full Face...The Racestar 5 helmets are a great deal for drivers who don't need a ... They give you Snell M2000 protection

I going to hope its legal????