SAIL magazine successfully introduced the new Innovation Station at the Strictly Sail Chicago boat show, which featured each of the sixteen products chosen for 2008’s SAIL’s Pittman Innovation Awards.

SAIL Announces 2008 Pittman Innovation Awards

SAIL’s annual Pittman Innovation Awards, named in honor the memory of former SAIL technical editor Freeman Pittman, who died in 1996 from ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, recognize the most innovative products in the sailboat market. Editors Peter Nielsen (Cruising Gear), David Schmidt (Racing and Safety Gear), Ben Ellison (Electronics) and Jay Paris (Systems) awarded sixteen new sailing products in SAIL’s February 2008 issue.

In the Cruising Gear category, the selections are:

EngineCheckUp tests for oil contaminants, including fuel, water, antifreeze and carbon or metal particulates.
Wichard’s Gyb’Easy enables a sailor to easily adjust the speed at which the boom will travel across the cockpit while gybing.
Waterbuoy keeps your keys afloat; plus its LED light flashes when the device is activated and it supports up to 2 pounds, offering protection to binoculars.
Tallon Accessory System offers an assortment of stainless-steel and polycarbonate receptacles.

In the Racing Gear category, the innovation honors are:

Ronstan’s Orbit Blocks utilize advanced polymer-and-fiber construction with a Spectra strop to improve a block’s ability to articulate under load, without adding weight.
Harken Rigtune Pro provides exact rig-tension measurements, making it easier to fine-tune a rig for specific wind conditions.
Harken Pro-Trim Traveler is a below-deck system that keeps the deck largely free of hardware; an on-deck control line turns a continuous-line driver sheave that powers a centerline shaft. This, in turn, connects and turns the drive gear that powers the system.

In Safety Gear category, the selection is: Spinlock’s DeckVest, an ergonomic PFD with numerous safety features, including a built-in high-intensity signal light, an inflatable orange bladder with multiple reflective strips, a rip-away zipper closure system, and an innovative harness made by Petzl.

In the Electronics category, the category choices are:

Garmin MFDS, the new multifunction-display incorporates ideas from their car-navigation system and certain features indicate an evolution in chartplotting. Garmin should continue to break new ground on this line—coming soon are more screen-size choices and simple, colorful NMEA 2000 instruments.
Simrad A150 Class B AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder, while not yet approved by the FCC in the U.S., will deliver a new level of navigation safety to recreational boaters when it hits the market. In addition to displaying information on a waterproof color LCD, it can both send and receive AIS data, and track a list of “buddy” boats, notifying you when they come into range.
Furuno’s FI-50 Instruments (including wind, close-hauled wind, depth speed and temp, course pilot, rudder angle and multi repeater) are NMEA 2000 compatible, use power-efficient OLED screens, and automatically adjust their backlighting to ambient light conditions.
Spot Satellite Messenger is not only waterproof; it contains both GPS and Globalstar short-message transmitters. With an annual subscription of $99, it lets users send unlimited email and text messages, which include lat/long Beta and a Google Map link.

Systems award honors include:

Offshore Systems Fuel Deck Filler Gauge and Digital Tank-Monitoring System from Offshore Systems is designed to prevent overboard spills when fueling. The fuel level is displayed on a blue LED display set into the deck filler surround, and the NMEA 2000-compatible unit can be linked via the network to Offshore Systems NMEA Fuel Level Sender.
Ragasco Composite LPG Cylinders-Ragasco (in partnership with Trident Marine) has created lightweight, composite propane cylinders constructed with three different layers, each with its own function. The cylinder also has a semi-transparent wall, allowing the user to monitor its fuel level
Hella Marine’s LED Mega Beam deck floodlight consumes far less power than its incandescent counterparts and has a power requirement of 7 watts, in contrast to a comparable 55-watt halogen floodlight.
Brunton Propellers longuard’s retractable electrolysis anode offers a minimal-drag solution for the racer and the performance cruiser and is available for boats built out of different hull materials.

New with this year’s Pittman Innovation Awards is SAIL’s Eureka! Award winner, a prize that goes to the brains behind a Pittman winner. Check out sailmagazine.com for a Q&A with this year’s winner, Lou Varney, of Diverse Yachts/Tropical Engineering, inventor of Harken’s Rigtune Pro and Pro-Trim Traveler.

Go Back