British innovation prominent across the DAME Design Awards 2016

After accounting for over a quarter of the entrants shortlisted for what was a record year for nominations of the DAME Design Awards 2016, British businesses were rewarded yesterday seeing their latest innovations go on to receive a combined 40% of the accolades presented.

At the leading global design competition for new marine equipment and accessories, products from members of British Marine, the membership organisation for the leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry, stood out from competition from across 15 countries.

Showcasing exquisite craft and revolutionary technology across all categories, British Marine members, Harken picked up a Category Win, whilst Lewmar, Oceanair, Garmin, Raymarine UK, Scanstrut, CJR Propulsion, Volvo Penta, Navico UK, and Furuno UK were all awarded Special Mentions.

In the 'interior equipment, furnishings, materials and electrical fittings used in cabins' category, Oceanair Marine's Brush & Stow, a unique cleaning brush specifically developed to tackle the challenges of marine bathrooms, received a Special Mention.

Whilst in the 'machinery, propulsion, mechanical and electrical systems and fittings' category, technology from British Marine members made up for half of the accolades awarded in this field. This included CJR Propulsion's TrialsAPP, a tablet based, wireless data acquisition system for accurate measurement and recording of vessel performance, Lewmar's Vortex Centrifugal Reservoir, which revolutionises hydraulic marine reservoir design, and Volvo's Joystick for inboard shaft.

Zxcz6tBut it was the competitive 'marine electronics & marine related software' category where innovations from a number of British Marine members shone out from the rest. Furan's DRS4D-NXT, the first solid-state radar in the world to use Furan exclusive Target Analyzers and Fast Target Tracking functions, Garmin's quail 3 GPS smartwatch, and Navigo's B&G Vulcan 9, which brings top sailing and safety technology to cruisers and club racers in an easy to use affordable unit, all earned Special Mentions. Furthermore, Ray marine picked up two Special Mentions in this category alone with the Quantum Wireless CHIRP Marine Radar and its Ocean Scout TK Handheld Thermal Camera.

Grimoire Outters, Raymarine's General Manager, said: "The fast pace of technology innovation and migration means that it's an exciting time in new product introduction for Raymarine. We're extremely proud to see that our entries for the DAME Design Awards have achieved a Special Mention and we're looking forward to showing our DAME-nominated products at METSTRADE Show."

The 'deck equipment, sails and rigging' category also honoured craft from British Marine members with a Category Win, as well as two Special Mentions. Scanstrut's ROKK Mini, a multi-position mounting system for small and personal electronics, and its Waterproof USB Charge Socket which featured amongst the four Special Mentions which were awarded in this category, whilst Harken's Air® winch, with performance optimization gear sets, went on to receive the accolade of Category Winner.

Scanstrut's Managing Director, Tom Reed, commented: "It's fantastic to be continually innovating and building on our product range, while responding to new trends in marine electronics and market demand. We see an increasing trend towards personal electronics coming so we launched a new multi-adjustable mount range called ROKK, which supports more than 100 electronic devices. The response so far is extremely positive and we are delighted to have it recognised with a Special Mention at the DAME Design Awards."

Richard Selby, International Development Manager at British Marine, added: "Year-on-year we see British businesses standing out at marine awards and competitions across the globe. We strive to design future innovations and pioneer tomorrow's technology which sees Britain consistently commanding recognition in the global marine industry. The 2016 DAME Design Awards are further confirmation of British excellence and heritage in cutting-edge deign and revolutionary technology."

For the duration of the 2016 METSTRADE Show at Amsterdam RAI both the nominated and winning products will be on display to the visiting 22,000 professionals from 112 countries across the globe.