10 new products on display at Southampton
Rob Melotti rounds up all the best new engines and equipment on display at this year's Southampton Boat Show.
September 9, 2015
The 2015 edition of the UK's largest on-water boat show opens its doors to the public on Friday 11 September. If you are thinking of buying a brand new boat this year, take a look at our New sailing boats at Southampton or 10 outstanding powerboats at Southampton Boat Show. Alternatively, you may be thinking of improving the boat you already have, so here's the boats.com guide to the new products: engines and equipment; shoes, electronics and more on display at the 2015 show.
Pontos 4-speed winches – Stand D033
French designed and manufactured Pontos 4-speed automatic winches are now available in the UK and the full range – the Grinder, the Trimmer and the Compact 2-speed model – will be on display at the show. For a stunning demonstration of the Grinder winch in action, see the video link below, and for anyone considering electric winches, this could be a much cheaper and still very effective option (see also: WinchRite: a viable alternative to electric winches?)
Watch the Pontos Grinder 4 speed winch in action.
The 4 speed Grinder is capable of sheeting in 70cm per rotation of the winch handle in top gear – on a JPK 10.60 in light winds this equates to sheeting in the entire jib in less than four cranks on the handle. Reversing the handle's direction provides more power, then reverse again for even more – thanks to the load sensitive gearing inside the drum. Then once more for luck. For racers, this means a single crew member can release the loaded sheet in a tack and wind in on the new tack using the winch handle and the self-tailer.
Interestingly, Pontos have also inverted their automatic clutch concept to make the Trimmer model – more suitable for cruising sailors where power is more important than speed. The Trimmer doesn't have a super-fast gear, but when loaded up, third and fourth gear enable crew to continue winding one-handed where a normal two-speed winch would require both hands and plenty of grunt.
For more on the new Pontos 4-speed winches, see: www.pontos.fr
Navionics SonarChart – G160
Navionics smartphone and tablet computer app is currently overflowing with new features, including autorouting and SonarChart, which enables sonar readings to be translated into on-screen chart features in real time and then shared with all other Navionics users. For a great demonstration, see this video below.
" target="_blank">
Navionics SonarChart live demonstration.
The SonarChart Live feature is enabled connecting wirelessly to a sounder from your mobile that has a Navionics Boating app installed.
Wi-Fi sounders/plotters:
- Dragonfly 4 and 5 PRO and Wi-Fish by Raymarine
- SonarPhone T-BOX by Vexilar - SP200 and SP300
- HDS Gen3 by Lowrance (Gen3 instructions)
Or, if you already have a sounder, use a NMEA 0183 Wi-Fi router:
- GoFree WIFI-1 Module by Navico (Sounder compatibility)
- Sonar Server by Digital Yacht (Sounder compatibility)
Plus Navionics has announced a new, easy-to-use web API, which, in normal English, means you can easily insert zoomable, updateable chart graphics on your web page (see: www.bembridgeharbour.co.uk/the-harbour/navionics).
Crewsaver lifejackets – G108
The complete range of Crewsaver Fusion 3D lifejackets will be on display at stand G108 at the Southampton Boat Show. Starting with the Crewfit 150 up to the Ergofit 290, there is a product suitable for every level of sailing and powerboating activity.
Crewsaver Crewfit and Ergofit lifejacket ranges.
Show offers
Visitors to Southampton Boat Show 2015 can take advantage of some fantastic offers when purchasing their lifejackets including the following:
- FREE lifejacket light with every Crewfit 180N Pro purchase
- FREE ErgoFit safety knife with every ErgoFit lifejacket purchase
- FREE lifejacket bag when any combination of four or more Crewsaver lifejackets are
purchased
- FREE McMurdo 220 Fast Find with every 4-man liferaft purchase
The Fusion 3D lifejackets and a wide range of Crewsaver products can be purchased from the following retailers at the show:
- Marine Superstore stand F003
- Andark stand F001
- Force 4 Chandlery stand B017/ D025
- Jimmy Green Marine stand G116
- Piplers of Poole stand G136
- P&B stand no. J054
To claim their free gifts, visitors simply need to take their receipts to the Crewsaver stand.
Sebago 70th anniversary shoe display – Stand E015
Celebrating 70 years since the company was founded, this year's Sebago stand at the Southampton boat show will be displaying shoes from its anniversary collection to be officially launched in Spring 2016.
Sebago Crest mocassins – select styles from the 2015 ranges and the 70th anniversary 2016 ranges will be on display at the show.
Still hand-sewn in Maine, New England, Sebago is the home of the Dockside deck shoe – often immitated, but rarely bettered. The company is also running a competition to win a free pair of shoes: see www.sebago.com/uk.
Princess Yachts presents Thomas Pink-designed merchandise – Stand E054A
British luxury yacht manufacturer Princess Yachts is launching a stunning limited edition capsule collection of merchandise to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Princess Yachts 50th anniversary limited edition merchandise: Thomas Pink scarf.
Renowned Spanish illustrator Jaume Vilardell was commissioned to produce two images encapsulating the 1960's holiday-chic vibe to incorporate into the designs. A glamorous couple lounge by the pool, with their Project 31 yacht moored in the distance - the first model produced by Princess 50 years ago.
Princess Thomas Pink shirts.
The collection has been co-developed in England by Jermyn Street shirt-maker Thomas Pink. The gentleman's silk pocket–square and hand printed ladies' silk scarf feature a full illustration and Jaume Vilardell's signature while the timeless men's polo shirt pulls through subtle cues from the illustration onto the under-collar. The polo that is available in Ice White, Hillier Pink (named after the famously coloured West Australian lake) or Azure Blue, features contrast tipping details on the sleeve, placket and side seem, and sees the signature Thomas Pink fox with a witty Princess twist - sat on sailing rope, wearing a Captain's crown hat and blazer with epaulets.
Inboard engines: Vetus M4.56 marine diesel engine – Stand E054
The redesigned Vetus M-Line diesel engine will be on display at Southampton Boat Show.
The 52hp M4.56 version of the redesigned Vetus M-Line marine diesel range will be launched at this year's Southampton Boat Show – the five smaller engines in the range starting at 12hp were premiered last year. The redesign features too many improvements to list here, but the most noticeable is the multifunction top cover. It's water-cooled, so should reduce the temperature in the engine room overall; it should dampen the engine noise – Vetus claims that when combined with the new air filter housing, tests show a sound reduction of about 5 dB(A) and ‘near silent’ operation at a cruising speed of around 2200 rpm. And finally, the top cover is built of aluminium – strong enough to stand on if necessary. For more information see: www.vetus.com or download the full product spec and brochure.
Sterdrives: New Volvo Penta V6 petrol engines – Stand E048
Two new lightweight, direct injection engines from Volvo Penta's redesigned gasoline engine series will be on display at Southampton boat show – an ideal upgrade for any 19-23ft sterndrive sportsboat. The V6-200-C and the V6-240-C weigh 70-80kg less than their predecessors thanks to the all-aluminium construction and the direct injection system is designed to increase fuel economy. The fresh-water closed cooling system is also new, as is the catalytic converter to keep emissions lean and clean. For a full run-down of the new features, see: www.volvopenta.com or take a look at the video link below filmed at the Toronto Boat Show.
" target="_blank">
Volvo Penta V6-200-C presentation from Toronto Boat Show.
Outboard engines: Mercury Verado 350 and 400R – Stand E047
Don't miss the new Mercury Verado 350 and the Mercury Racing 400R – Mercury's most powerful consumer outboard – both of which will be on display at this year's Southampton boat show.
The new Mercury Verado 350.
Launched at the Miami Boat Show in February, the Verado 350 offers 16 percent more power than the Verado 300, the previous performance leader in the “mainstream” Verado line. The Verado 400R is more powerful and more practical than the 350SCi model it replaces in the "Racing" line and is suitable for high performance offshore centre consoles and offshore fishing boats. For a full review on boats.com, see: New outboard engines: Mercury Verado 350 and Verado 400R.
Bruntons SigmaDrive – Stand G110
Bruntons Propellers, designers and manufacturers of fixed, folding and feathering propellers, have developed an innovative drive train coupling product which is designed to eliminate noise and vibration associated with propulsion and shaft line installation.
Bruntons SigmaDrive propeller shaft coupling.
Called SigmaDrive it’s easily fitted to both new and in-service craft, usually without modifications. SigmaDrives are available for all propulsion types, including water jets and pod drives. SigmaDrives are designed to fit virtually all boats from yachts to workboats, canal narrow boats to military vessels with engines up to 1300hp. They are extremely easy to fit, requiring no modifications to the craft, which can usually be equipped with the drive unit whilst still in the water. For the full story, see: www.sigmadrive.info.
Easy Lift outboard hoist – Stand E009A
Not exactly brand new, as such, but it's never been featured on boats.com and it's a worthy bit of kit – especially if you are using a heavy four-stroke outboard on your tender. Easy Lift Marine manufactures and supplies a range of straightforward and easy to use outboard hoists.Take a look at the video below for the easiest understanding of how they work.
" target="_blank">
Easy Lift outboard hoist demonstration video.
