We take a look at some of the more impressive and promising kit launches coming tov a chandlery near you in 2026
The marine industry continues to prove that even the most standard piece of equipment is ripe for a revolution. And during the tail end of the 2025 season many innovated new products where launched across various boat shows.
In this guide, we dive into the standout winners and nominees from the DAME Awards and beyond, highlighting the essential gear – from high-performance sails to heated helm seats – that is set to redefine your time on the water for the season ahead.
From the integration of automotive-style interfaces to sustainable breakthroughs in hull construction materials, this year’s crop of kit focuses heavily on making life at sea more intuitive, comfortable, and eco-conscious. Whether it’s through award-winning electronics or safety gear that thinks faster than a human operator, the boundary between ‘smart’ technology and traditional seamanship is blurring in favour of the sailor.
At the heart of this year’s innovations is a clear trend toward integration. We are seeing a move away from isolated gadgets toward cohesive ecosystems where your chartplotter, bilge pump, and even your AC distribution panel speak the same language.
E360 Round Chartplotter
Circular instruments have long been commonplace on car dashboards and in aircraft, so why not use that format for marine chartplotters?
‘The world’s first round chartplotter’ was seen as a novel and logical enough approach by the jury to scoop the overall DAME award, albeit a surprise to many. Seen up close, the E360 is undoubtedly a neat unit, intuitive to use with a very responsive screen for its 4in size. The touchscreen MFD (multifunction display) has integrated charts and the ability to show most instrument and engine data.
Yet, for those who are slightly puzzled about who it’s for, its Slovenian developers LXNAV Marine tell me that it should suit all sizes of boats, but particularly as an all-in-one solution for small consoles. So it is more applicable to smaller powerboats and RIBs, and the classic design will also suit high-end retrofits to classic designs.
The E360 comes preloaded with OpenSeaMap charts and can display NMEA 2000 data from modern marine instruments. It can also display Navionics charts via SD Card and has Fusion music control.
A neat optional extra for €300 is a jog wheel controller, as used in cars, to provide easy one-handed use while bouncing around at sea.
Slovenia continually sets a high bar in the marine sector for the country’s small size, whether in yacht manufacturing (Pegasus, Elan, Seascape, Ocean tec), or electronics systems (see SiMarine, page 84).
LXNAV is a world leader in glider instrumentation and, having tried an aviation-inspired round gauge in a Sunseeker, it decided to develop the E360 into a more multifunctional touchscreen device. The DAME Jury praised the “easily integrated compact, cohesive design, matched by an intuitive user interface, broad range of functions and responsive screen” at a market realistic price.
The E360 is waterproof to IPX6 and includes built-in wifi and GPS.
Find out more about the E360 Chartplotter
Ocean Scout Pro
While it wasn’t quite like the view from a pitching cockpit, watching the crisp thermal outlines of bodies walking towards me in the darkened superyacht halls of the Metstrade show in the RAI Exhibition centre did serve to show both how clear this tech now is and how easy this little monocular is to use.
It sees heat rather than light, and provides an affordable aid to day and night time navigation. It’s also ready to use in seconds: pick it up one-handed, power it up, and you have a 32° field of view to identify a navigation aid or MOB in the water.
The Ocean Scout Pro can detect human or pet heat in the water up to 500m away. It’s also durable, with a 2m drop rating and IP67 water resistance.
Find out more about the Ocean Scout Pro
Garmin OnBoard
We wrote about this new MOB and safety tag system in our December issue, and it has since gone on to win a DAME in the Safety & Security Aboard sector. It allows you to identify who’s on board – and, crucially, who’s not – by using wireless MOB tags, which are worn on the wrist or via a carabiner.
These link to a Garmin chartplotter, so when a MOB is detected, it will sound an alarm and save the waypoint. The OnBoard system can also replace an outboard’s traditional kill switch, cutting the engine if the operator falls overboard. Tags can be used on crew and pets, with up to eight per vessel.
Find out more about the Garmin OnBoard
OneSails Softstep
Have you ever wanted to climb your mast, even just the lower portion, solo, without needing someone to man a halyard? I’m sure most sailors will have. When a Golden Globe Race competitor put this challenge to OneSails, its product designer, David Chevalier Herrero, developed this high-strength, zero-maintenance SoftStep.
The SoftStep is described as a mast workstation or safety system, allowing for the inspection, maintenance, repairs and cleaning up a mast in comfort. It combines mountaineering/climbing techniques with traditional mast steps to solve an age-old problem. By incorporating an eye on the underside of the step, which can take 150kg load, you can clip on a carabiner, clipping on to each step as you climb.
The ‘soft’ part is because OneSails also wanted to ensure you could climb barefoot, and that you could comfortably bear your weight on these steps for 10 minutes (traditional narrow mast steps with metal or plastic teeth are notoriously uncomfortable). So the wide, top part of the step incorporates soft-touch padded foam. It’s a neat, functional design, with a magnetic opening/closing system.
The steps are 3D printed from various materials, including titanium (for anti-corrosion), while other materials, such as carbon, and potentially the pellets from OneSails recycled sails, could be used.
Find out more about the SoftStep
Smartdeck HEAT
Yachting World readers will know that one of my favourite sail trials in recent years was on the Dragonfly 36 last June. And when I first sat at the helm station of this tri sensation at its Düsseldorf boat show premiere, the idea of a heated helm seat seemed a bit gimmicky. Then we tried it in earnest, short-tacking up the confines of a narrow fjord late in the evening. Trust me, a warm derriere makes for a happy sailor!
Smartdeck manufactures soft decking, an anti-slip teak alternative that’s lightweight, comfy underfoot and heat-resistant. It’s made from PE Polyethylene, which is harder density and more durable than EVA foam decking, and it’s recyclable, says SmartDeck, who offers a five year warranty. The closed-cell structure encourages water to bead off so it’s easy to keep clean.
Its ‘HEAT’ product adds a 12/24V powered heating element sandwiched into the decking. The company manufacturers signs and logos too, so offers plenty of customisation.
Bilge IQ
Is your bilge pump mounted in an obscure location and hooked up for auto activation? How do you know how much it is operating, or indeed if it still works?
It can be a real cause for concern if you don’t know how much water might be leaking into your bilges. Here’s an intelligent solution from British brand Digital Yacht, which uses the NMEA 2000 protocol to link your pump to your main plotter/MFD. So you can see how much current your pump is using, if it’s running dry, or even how much water is running through filters so you know when to renew them.
The wireless interface allows for remote monitoring, so you can even keep a check on bilge levels from your phone while away and set customisable alerts. Bilge IQ is compatible with any 12/24V pump up to 10A with or without a float switch.
CSX Refrigeration System
At a time when many will be looking to make upgrades, to improve or even retrofit their yachts, one thing most sailors like to have more of is cold storage. But where to put that extra fridge/freezer? What if you can use a redundant locker? That’s the premise Dometic has taken with this new CSX system, which turns any compartment (from 60-400lt) into an efficient, energy-smart fridge or freezer.
Ideal for galleys short of space, it combines compressor, fan-cooled evaporator, LED lighting, and digital temperature control in one space-saving unit.
Find out more about the Dometic CSX Refrigeration System
Seldén Ratchet for CXr Code furler
Watching a Code sail unwind and disappear again in the spin of a furling drum is art in motion – when it works. When it doesn’t, it can lead to a lot of flapping sail, breakages and heightened stress levels.
Designed for improved handling on its new generation CXr Code sail furlers, this ratchet works in both directions to help prevent such accidents. The drum is unlocked with a distinct pull of the furling line in the same direction you want it to turn, and the ratchet is strong enough to pause the furl and hold the load and torque from the sail without it unwinding further, Seldén claims.
Find out more about the Seldén Ratchet
Supersede Marine Board
A sustainable replacement for plywood? We featured Supersede’s plywood alternative at length in our December 2024 issue – it’s billed as the world’s first modern, scalable, and cost-effective like-for-like replacement for marine-grade plywood. Where marine plywood has been considered a wonder material for boatbuilding for the last eight decades, and most yachts built today still incorporate a high amount of it, Supersede offers a rot-free, non-hazardous replacement at a similar cost.
Marine Board is an engineered extruded sheet crafted from plastic waste, is 100% recyclable, waterproof, and rot-proof, and does not splinter, split or warp. At its end of life, the material can be returned to pellet form and recycled into other products.
The Supersede Board is the same price as commodity marine plywood.
Find out more about Supersede Marine Board
Zhik X Range Hiking Boots and Carbon insole
Dinghy sailors who spend long periods hiking or on the wire can typically experience ankle and shin pain, which encouraged Australian dinghy and performance sailing experts Zhik to develop its hiking boots with these carbon insoles. The unidirectional carbon sole gives support and stiffness in one direction to take the load off the ankles, but allows bending the other way. Grip is also vital for hiking and trapezing, hence these neoprene boots also have the benefits of Michelin tread.
Available from end of February.
Find out more about the Zhik X Hiking Boot
IFS Multi Tradewind Sail
We ran a full article on this potentially brilliant new ‘Batman sail’ last issue. It uses twin gennakers joined with structured luffs and furling technology, which means it can be used for running or reaching and is easily furled or dropped as it doesn’t require a heavy anti-torsional cable.
While not in the least surprised to see it pick up DAME award, the ‘Environmental Design’ aspect had us intrigued. OneSails Palma’s CEO Peter Bresnan describes it as one sail doing three sails’ work. Nylon is not a big producer of CO2, unlike laminate sails, he maintains, it’s inexpensive to source and easily repairable. He also explained how the jury considered the company’s intelligent use of materials to reduce waste and cost.
Find out more about the IFS Multi Tradewind sail
Ropeye stick-on K
Okay, admittedly, this one didn’t win a DAME or special mention award, but it was nominated and caught our eye. If you haven’t come across Ropeye products before, they offer the easiest and lightest means to add an eye, block or attachment point to your deck or interior fittings without needing to drill any holes.
The Stick-On K adapts this technology for pop studs, if you are adding or organising cushions, awnings and canvaswork, without the pesky holes or repairs associated with traditional studs.
Henri-Lloyd Ocean Pro
Henri-Lloyd spent three years developing new design features and materials for its Ocean Pro range. It says it used the world’s first four-layer Hybrid Membrane Stretch fabric, to provide a breakthrough in waterproof, breathable, and minimalist flexible protection. This means ‘survival-grade’ levels of waterproofing at a reduced weight compared to traditional offshore gear. Henri-Lloyd used feedback from from cruisers to British Vendée Globe star Sam Goodchild, who was at METS to help unveil Ocean Pro.
The range includes a Jacket, Smock and Salopettes, and when you get shown through all the details incorporated – notably the removable parts only needed infrequently in extreme weather – it’s impressive. The female fit range includes a new horizontal waistband opening deemed quicker and more comfortable to use. Available from March.
Find out more about the Ocean Pro range
Smart AC Distribution Unit
While it may not look (or sound) like the sexiest piece of kit, this SAC15R is a clever AC distribution panel as it integrates NMEA 2000, facilitating the control and monitoring of 115/240V AC breakers via a plotter/MFD touchscreen. This, in turn, allows manufacturers and those retrofitting to place AC breakers in more practical positions – rather than having to run all the high voltage wiring through the living area to the chart table where the breakers are typically installed.
Contained in a splashproof box, it features five independent channels with neat motorised reclosers – and yes, it has a manual override circuit in case of system failure.
Integrate it with Simarine’s digital system Nereide instrument panel (an elegant solution we see fitted on various new production yachts), and you could have control and monitoring of AC and DC systems from one interface.
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