Thirteen marine manufacturers were honored in mid-October at the 2011 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX) Innovation Awards presentation in Louisville. Organized by NMMA and judged by BWI, products are recognized that are distinctly innovative, benefit the marine industry and/or consumer, are practical and  cost-effective. A total of 65 new products were entered in this year’s Awards program.

“One of the motivators for writers involved in the Innovation Awards is the ability to see and touch the future. This is our Discover Boating, and this year’s product submissions didn’t disappoint,” stated Alan Wendt, BWI’s committee chair for the IBEX Awards. Other members serving as judges included BWI President, Zuzana Prochazka, Frank Lanier, Susan Canfield, Roger McAfee, Brady Kay, and Patricia Kearns.

IBEX Innovation Awards were presented to the following companies in these categories; also provided are brief comments from the judges:

Deck Equipment & Hardware

Nautilus Marine Group, Windlass V500: “The well-engineered windlass tension band keeps the rope and chain splice in constant contact with the chain wheel easily handling knots and hackles of life at anchor.” Honorable Mention: Ameritex Fabric Systems, Four-in-One Boat Cover

Electrical Systems

Charles Industries, Intelligent Marine Charger: “The IMC 40 eliminates the need for multiple onboard battery chargers. The built-in redundancy will get you home.”

Furnishing & Interior Parts

Thetford Curve, Porta Potti: “Serious thinking time was spent addressing multiple ways to improve and innovate one of life’s basic necessities.”

Inboard Engines

Indmar, 5.7L Assault 345 Inboard: “Wakesurfing is rapidly growing in popularity and Indmar has a workhorse for these rugged watersports.”

Mechanical Systems

Attwood, Universal Sprayless Connector: “This Connector stood out in both simplicity, ease of adaptation and global application.”

OEM Electronics

Raymarine, e7D Multifunction Display: “Where Apple iPad integration, pop culture and intuitive operation meets useful maritime technology.”

Outboard Engines

Two Awards: Mercury 150 FourStroke Outboard and Honda Marine BF 250 Outboard Engine: “Mercury found a way to trim 24 pounds of their new 150 FourStroke, while helping to satisfy the growing need for superb fuel efficiency and performance;” “Honda offers the first dual-circuit induction system that provides improved combustion.”

Propulsion Parts, Propellers

Powertech Propellers, Power Stop Propeller: “Brilliantly crafted reverse thrust propeller, providing new levels of control without harming overall performance.”Honorable Mention: Livorsi Marine for its improved Raw Water Flow System.

Safety Equipment

Protomet Corporation, Panoramic Mirror System: “Provides a second set of eyes on your kids while towing them in any variety of watersports.”

Environmental

US Marine Products, EFOY Fuel Cell: “A green solution to providing on board power with a fuel cell that converts methanol into 12 to 24 volt power.”

More detail on the Awards and products can be found at www.nmma.org/news.aspx?id=18041.

Three members of BWI selected the winner of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Technology Award for 2011 presented at the International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo held in early October. From a field of 13 entries they chose Digital Yacht Ltd.’s BOATraNET, a wireless server for onboard navigation networks, based on innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality, and value. Ben Ellison, who writes the marine electronics blog Panbo, served as BWI Awards Chairman at the NMEA event. He was joined in judging by Tim Queeney, editor of Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager magazines, and Bill Bishop, who writes the blog The Marine Installer’s Rant.

Said Ellison, “We saw many amazing technologies that will be making boating better for years. But one product seemed to define a new category in marine electronics. It’s a small power-efficient server designed to deliver information and services to any platform on a boat with WiFi and a browser or app that understands HTML5. It can, for instance, store and serve a yacht’s entire set of owner’s manuals. It can also control multiple media being output from the server to a marine stereo or serve the same media to the individual device in the boater’s hand.”

Also presented at the annual conference and expo were the NMEA Product and Manufacturer of the Year Awards for 2011. For this series of awards, marine electronics dealers from around the country select winners in several categories through a mail-in voting process. For details, go to www.nmea.org/Assets/2011-nmea-awards.pdf.

Standard Horizon’s Matrix AIS GX2100, a fixed-mount VHF radio with built-in Automatic Identification System receivers and display, took top honors as winner of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Technology Award for 2010.

Three veteran marine journalists and editors from BWI selected the winner and two honorable mentions from 10 entries based on innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality and value. Read more »

The National Marine Electronics Association is accepting nominations from manufacturers for the prestigious Technology Award.

Presented during the NMEA International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo, held this year in Seattle, the Technology Award singles out the best new marine electronics product. Read more »

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) announced the judges for the 2010 IBEX Innovation Awards, being presented during the upcoming International Boatbuilders’ Exhibition & Conference later this year.

Award winners will be recognized during the annual IBEX Industry Breakfast on Tuesday, September 28 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Celebrating its 20th year, IBEX 2010 takes place September 28-30 in Louisville, with pre-conference workshops scheduled to begin Monday, September 27, followed by three days of educational seminars, new special sessions, outdoor demonstrations and hundreds of leading manufacturers and suppliers showcasing the boating industry’s newest innovations from around the world. Read more »

Ten marine manufacturers were honored for innovative achievement by the NMMA and BWI at the Miami Boat Show.

“We had an outstanding group of entries this year with a total of 50 products entered in 10 categories – a 20 percent increase over last year’s entrants,” said Zuzana Prochazka, BWI president and Miami Innovation Awards chair.

BWI members rounding out the judging panel included: Mark Corke, Alan Jones, Frank Lanier, Darrell Nicholson, Lenny Rudow, and Peter Swanson.

Innovation Awards were presented in these categories to the following companies and their products:

Consumer Electronics & Software

Standard Horizon Matrix AIS: a compact, affordable combination of Class D VHF and AIS brings two important safety and communication features into the hands of the average boater. Honorable Mention: Simrad’s NSE12 Multifunction Marine Display.

Docking and Fendering Equipment

EZ Dock / EZ Launch: provides ease of entry and exit, as well as allowing quick launch and recovery for kayaks and canoes.

Consumer Installed Non-Electronic Hardware

Hunt Adjustable Table: The table allows user to change the shape and location of the table, while adding versatility to the furniture and space.

Consumer Personal Gear

Sailology’s WinchRite cordless electric winch handle designed to allow for easy cranking at an affordable price.

Cruisers 25 to 140 Feet (including fishing craft)

Boston Whaler 370 Outrage: an amalgamation of features including the elimination of the motor well, forward sun pad with storage, retractable shade top and molded in bow thruster. Honorable Mention: Rinker’s 310 Express Cruiser.

PWC, Jet Boats & Pontoon Boats

Sea-Doo RXT-X 260 digitally controlled fly-bywire system adds functionality and adjustability to give control of this 260 horsepower water bike.

Runabouts & Fishing Craft to 24 Feet

MasterCraft X-25: A digitally adjustable wake system, tracking camera and variable seating configuration combine to make this a unique 22-foot wake surfing platform.

Safety Equipment

FLIR Systems First Mate: Aportable and affordable thermal imaging handheld device heightens safety and security when boating at night.

Water Sports and Equipment

BRP TEC iCATCH PWC Trailer: It allows the rider to launch while seated on the PWC and walk around the trailer without getting in the water.

Environmental Award

Torqeedo Travel 503/1003: A display integrated into the tiller GPS receiver provides information on remaining range at current speed, power consumption and state of charge.

For the complete release, go to www.nmma.org/news/news.asp?id=17815&sid=3. Contact Kelly Kaylor, kkaylor@ nmma.org, 312/946.6262.

Nine products were recognized for innovative achievement by NMMA and BWI on October 14 at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference in Miami Beach, Florida. Read more »

A panel of BWI judges named Simrad’s BR24 Broadband Radar the first recipient from a field of 14 nominated products for a new National Marine Electronics Association Technology Award. Read more »