The best of the IBEX 2021 marine trade show

The trade show serves the huge US recreational marine industry, with exhibitors vying to get their latest products in front of anyone who thinks they’re a good fit with customers.

This year, we’ve seen everything launched from new outboard engines to different styles of pop-up cleats. Some of it we’ve just skimmed straight past – do we really need a new T-junction made from a specially formulated plastic that its maker claims is better than everything else on the market – but there are the occasional things that make us stop and take a closer look.

Here, then, is the boatsales.com.au pick of the exhibits at IBEX 2021 that we think have a future when it comes to Australian boaters.

Ever watched a pontoon boat try and make headway across a body of water? Unless they have thumping big, thirsty outboard engines to push them, a pontoon boat’s progress always looks cumbersome as the engine roars and everyone on board cops a face full of spray.

However, there’s one product at IBEX 2021 that claims to have the solution. The Hydrofin system attaches a couple of foils to the pontoons to help lift the front of the boat out of the water, smoothing the ride and improving fuel economy.

Rather than lift the boat completely out of the water, the Hydrofin system is optimised to reduce drag by up to 40 per cent and cut fuel bills in half.

Pontoon boats are still a relatively small part of the Australian market, but having an option that greatly reduces running costs and greatly increases the comfort of everyone onboard could attract more people to the segment.

Mooring lines are messy. No matter how much you try, there will always be a professional crew looking after a boat close by that always has perfectly coiled lines lying next to neatly snubbed cleats while the boat sits happily at rest dockside.

A product called Moor Line hopes to change all that. It’s a hidden mooring system that automatically deploys from a dock-mounted bucket with minimal effort from the operator.

It’s fairly simple; twin-braid morning line lives inside a rustproof container recessed onto the dock’s surface.  Open the lid, pull out the length of line you need, close the lid, lock it, and the job of mooring is all done.

The flush-mounted tubs mean no more tripping over cleats – be honest, we’ve all done it – while built-in LED lights help to make night mooring easy. It even has a tide setting that lets out or takes in more line when needed.

We already notice some slight problems, though. First, if you want to set a springer running back to the same point as one of the other lines, it’s going to be easier using a cleat than using this system. And then there’s the problem of what to do if you’re tying up by yourself; who holds the boat while you jump ashore and retrieve the lines?

Still, it’s an idea with merit. 

The technology allowing car seats to heat you up or even cool you down has been around for a while, so it was probably only a matter of time until it migrated to boats.

A company called Promethient has done just that, launching its Thermavance seat micro-climate technology to the marine world.

According to Promethient, Thermavance electronically cools and heats seat surfaces using thermoelectric devices and graphene. Its maker also claims the technology is durable, with the ability to withstand a wide range of temperatures and marine environments.

For boaters, it means hot days will be less draining, while in cooler climates it will mean more time in comfort out on the water.

The technology has already been proven on motorcycles and powersports vehicles, Promethient says.

This one we like. On most boats, navigation lights just display the position and directions of your boat to other boats around you when visibility is low.

However, a company called TecNiq has taken navigation lights to the next level by doing something very simple and smart; fitting other lights around them.

Now, instead of just displaying a red or green light, separate LED lenses either shine sideways to light up the dock as you approach or light the way forward so you can drive your boat onto a trailer at night.

It seems such a simple idea, and we’re glad someone thought of it.

Our cousins across the ditch have decided to get into the marine mood lighting market with a new line of surface-mount underwater lenses called Apelo.

New Zealand-based Hella’s new line of RGB mood lights is for everything from wooing fish to pulsing in time with the tunes pumping out of the audio system.

The standard Apelo lights draw 3.0 watts to deliver 1800 lumens, or around the same intensity as being in direct sunlight. A brighter version drawing around 30 watts provides up to 3000 lumens of brilliance, or around the same as a car’s headlight.

If you don’t need a heap of light, the Apelo units also have edge lighting to provide a soft glow.

Here’s a company that specialises in making boarding ladders for people. However, recognising that the fur kids are just as important to families as the human kind, it has now developed a boarding ladder that’s friendly to dogs.

According to Lillipad, an updated Revo boarding ladder – it was launched in standard form a few years ago – works just as well with humans as it does canines.

It was field-tested using the inventor’s black labrador and works just as well on the stern of the boat as it does on the bow.

Accordion to LilliPad, the dog-friendly Revo “has been a hit for Elli (the dog) and all of her canine friends”. 

“No human assistance is needed for doggie boarding and every human who has used the ladder has been equally as pleased,” it said.

IBEX 2021 ends tomorrow.