Hull down, slide it over my own front deck (actually a bit of my own cockpit too) then flip it to dump the water. It varies a bit whether the other cockpit is clear enough to actually dump the water well unless I pull it well up. So in some cases you'd be correct that it'd work, in others no.
Actually slide with hull down is what everyone has done in any training and in our core group for a while now - I'm not clear how it's creative. It's a hell of a lot easier than the older hull-up-gotta-break-suction approach.
I can't count on maintaining good control of the other boat at a "nearly-over" stage - up or down tend to work more securely and efficiently.
I don't "blame" the limitations - I recognize them and where I am risking injury if I ignore that. I'm 57 yrs old, and have prior decades of activities that were a lot more physically demanding than kayaking and left a few momentos behind that take maintenance to keep at bay.
I'll see if any coaches I work with put their helmets up front this coming season... so far I haven't seen that. Those guys know a lot more than me.
Rick S’s method. Rick has a simple and effective method of stowing his helmet on the aft deck alongside the day hatch. With luck he will see this thread and describe it.
BTW, my helmet does not fit through my day hatch, so thus far I have worn it all day at sea on days it is/maybe needed. Stowing it on the foredeck seems to be asking for trouble.
I plan on setting my boats up in the manner that Rick has so I can stow my helmet if necessary.
Helmet Stowage from Rick S. From another forum, Rick’s solution:
some of the shred ready and pro tec helmets have those holes in them…notably, one on the top just about centered?
on the rear deck, tie off a piece of short bungie to a dowel that is wider than the hole in the top of the helmet…attach the bungie by drilling a whole in it and tying that off. to secure the helmet to the back deck, stretch the bungie and then feed the dowel through that top hole and have it lie flat/horizontally across that hole…the pressure from the bungie will secure it.
to release, pull up on the dowel and fit it back through the hole vertically…it will snap down from the pressure of the bungie and your lid is released.
haven’t tried this on a big and ugly day…but by that point you oughta have your lid on anyways.
If I read you right, the thing you describe is a short bungie (by short I understand like 1" or so.
What I thought was that a piece of wood or plastic that is about 4" long and 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide with two relatively closely spaced holes in it can be used on one of the existing deck bungies. The piece would look like so (just as thick as the hole of choice on the helmet would allow):
=============O======O=============
Thread the bungie thru the holes so that the piece rests on top of the bungie while not in use. E.g. thread one from under-over-under again. The holes should be spaced about the width of the hole in the helmet that you will use or just a bit narrower IMO to minimize helmet flopping around.
Then just lift the thing and push it thru the helmet hole from outside all the way into the helmet. It will flop sideways once it is inside.
The piece can be slid to one side of the deck for easy mounting, then the attached helmet can be slid back in the middle - the tension from the bungie should keep it in position but I see where strong waves can cause it to move sideways but never fall off. Plus the piece would not dangle around when not in use but would lay flat on the deck and the bungies can still be used for other purposes ...
A variation would be if the piece is installed on two (initially) parallel bungies that now form an "X" with the piece in the middle (both bungies can be threaded thru the same holes or have their own holes). Could be parallel in either direction across or alongside the hull. Or even in the middle of "X" - crossed bungies that some have instead of parallel...
This would secure the helmet squarely in the middle of the two bungies and would also keep it in the middle of the deck. Or the thing may come with its own bungies to attach to fittings or existing webbing already on the rear deck or the deckline there (And yes, I read the posts against using deck lnes for this. Noted). There - this can't be patented now since it is publicly shred here -;)
Or - instead of all that threading and, do yet a simpler thing - use the helmet's straps around one of the two parallel bungies. Stretch and plop the other bungie over the helmet and "hook" it under it and you get a similar attachment of two bungies in an "X" position. Since the helment is being pulled by the straps on one sire by one bungie and to the other side by the other bungie, it won't move about too much or make clanking noises...
Bungee netting… …is commonly sold for securing bulky items on bicycle and motorcycle racks. It should be a simple matter to attach it to the perimeter lines on a kayak, where it would make a good hold-down for a helmet. The ones I’ve seen have clips that would allow removal when you didn’t need to secure a helmet. BTW, Prijon uses this type of netting on their boats.
