Motor Boating unveils 2003 Boatkeeper Award winners

NORWALK, Conn. – Motor Boating magazine unveiled the 10 winners of its 2003 Boatkeeper Awards in its November issue, on stands now, it reported in a statement today.

The winners were selected by Motor Boating’s staff for their innovation and functionality, according to the magazine.

“Motor Boating’s annual Boatkeeper Awards recognize the tools and accessories that make boating that much easier and more enjoyable for all of us,” said Motor Boating Editor-in-Chief Louisa Rudeen.

This year’s honorees include:

• Innovative Lighting’s Hand Held Signaling Horn, a seven-inch-high horn that operates on a single nine-volt battery. Among its advantages are a better shelf life, greater dependability-and it floats, according to the magazine.
• Linedudes are storage compartments for docklines that eliminate the need to coil or uncoil them. A retractor spring winds the line up on a hidden spool so that it’s always within easy reach.
• The new Speedblade 12-volt electric barnacle scraper’s 70 oscillations per second make short work out of removing underwater growth, whether you use the gel coat-friendly blade or the scrub pad attachment, the magazine reported.
• ZipSleeves are tough, 24-foot, nylon sleeves that protect shore power, phone and cable TV cords (even a water hose) in a flexible, zippered, 4-inch-diameter “tube” with Velcro straps for fastening to a rail, according to the magazine.
• Taylor Made’s Power Convertible Top makes boating with the wind in your hair as easy as pushing a button, the magazine reported. The prototype should be seen soon on new boats in the 21- to 28-foot range.
• The new TackleBuckle from BoatBuckle Brand Tie-Down Systems is ideal for keeping coolers and other items in the cockpit from sliding around the boat, Motor Boating stated. This polyester web strap retracts into an all-plastic holder that can be mounted anywhere there’s a 2 -inch depth in a gunwale.
• The StayAlive life vest comes with much of the Coast Guard-required safety equipment, including a 45-foot buoyant heaving line, waterproof flashlight, three waterproof flares, and a signaling mirror.
• Interlux’s TBT-free Interlux Micron 66 bottom paint is formulated to equal the self-polishing copolymer action of TBT paints. It dissolves through a chemical reaction at the surface that allows a continual release of biocide-even during extended periods of inactivity.
• The Rule-Mate bilge pumps series from ITT Rule Industries are fully automatic, high-capacity pumps that incorporate a non-mercury float switch in their sleek, oval housings featuring a delay that eliminates on-off cycling when water sloshes in the bilge.
• The single-post Gullwing Step Boarding Ladder from Garelick will be welcome on a variety of boats -especially those without swim platforms that do not have space to mount a traditional folding ladder, according to the magazine.

Motor Boating is published by Time4 Media, a publisher of leisure time magazines. Time4 Media is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX).

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