DAME DESIGN AWARDS
DAME DESIGN AWARDS
DAME Design Awards Special mentions 2023
Jury Chair Andre Hoek presented the world-renowned DAME Design Awards 2023 to the Oceanvolt HighPower ServoProp 25 at the commencement of the METSTRADE show.
OVERALL WINNER
HighPower ServoProp 25
Company: Oceanvolt
Jury Comment: This excellently conceived and engineered 25kW electric saildrive tangibly moves the goalposts for 45-70ft sailboats in terms of providing a reliable and extremely quiet option for electrification. Oceanvolt’s use of its controllable pitch propeller technology ensures maximum efficiency for propulsion and hydrogeneration, with the system able to return up 5kW of power when the yacht is sailing at 10 knots. Thought has been given to minimising installation and maintenance time and the ServoProp 25 operates from a 48V battery pack, keeping it within the safe voltage threshold. An exemplar product that pushes the electrification agenda toward more far-reaching horizons.
Category Winners
Linea XT platform
Company: Vimar SpA
Category: electronic & electrical systems
Introduction date: 01/03/2023
Jury Comment: This range of digital switches proves that you can blend aesthetic styling without penalising user-centric features. The Linea XT drew praise from the jury for its detailed design which is minimalist in look and yet with configurable backlit icons and status feedback options to make the job of identifying the function of its switches much easier. Clever features include the ability to incorporate proximity sensors and programme the backlighting for power saving. XT keypads can be customised in field using semi-transparent mylar labels, while the power supply and actuators sit in the flush mounting box.
Orbit Winch™
Company: Ronstan International Pty. Ltd.
Category: deck equipment
Introduction date: 01/06/2023
Jury Comment: You can always improve existing equipment that we have taken for granted over decades. Ronstan’s new Orbit range proves that emphatically in the field of winches. Its ‘QuickTrim’ feature enables sailors to ease lines without moving the winch handle or the line from the self-tailing jaws. Holding the sprung top cap anticlockwise allows the bottom jaws to rotate, providing a smooth and controlled ease of the line. The jury welcomed this excellent development for mainstream yachting and noted a number of other features including line wear-reducing vertical ‘Power Ribs’ on the winch drum, the ability to disassemble the winch without tools and the fact it is lubricated with food grade solvent-free grease.
Mobile Pro Mini Water Purifier
Company: Spot Zero
Category: shoreside equipment & materials
Introduction date: 13/02/2023
Jury Comment: This product is designed for dockside use with two main purposes – to provide spot-free wash downs and to act as a water purifier when filling tanks. Its 8.5lt/min production will keep up with a small pressure washer or fill a 500lt freshwater tank in an hour. The jury felt this was quite possibly the neatest design of reverse osmosis water purifier ever to enter the DAME jury room. Of note is the way in which the Mobile Pro Mini Water Purifier is packaged, including alloy end caps that provide a sturdy landing for rope handles, feet and wheels without any sharp edges. Instructions printed immediately below the display window make for fuss free operation without fumbling for a manual.
Highpower Servoprop
Company: Oceanvolt
Category: propulsion & dynamics
Introduction date: 20/01/2023
Jury Comment: This excellently conceived and engineered 25kW electric saildrive tangibly moves the goalposts for 45-70ft sailboats in terms of providing a reliable and extremely quiet option for electrification. Oceanvolt’s use of its controllable pitch propeller technology ensures maximum efficiency for propulsion and hydrogeneration, with the system able to return up 5kW of power when the yacht is sailing at 10 knots. Thought has been given to minimising installation and maintenance time and the ServoProp 25 operates from a 48V battery pack, keeping it within the safe voltage threshold. An exemplar product that pushes the electrification agenda toward more far-reaching horizons.
Push-Pull Captive
Company: Harken Inc.
Category: deck equipment
Introduction date: 01/10/2023
Jury Comment: This product drew early attention from the jury as they realised its full potential. The Push/Pull Captive Reel Winch moves horizontal and vertical underwater foils, sail controls, or retractable superyacht recreation spaces such as extendable stern platforms in two directions (in and out, side-to-side, up or down). Its design replaces the need for two winches and their accompanying space and power requirement. It also assists the marine industry’s move towards electrification of control gear in preference to hydraulics.
Alpha Performance Display
Company: Raymarine
Category: navigation & communication
Introduction date: 12/09/2023
Jury Comment: Raymarine’s new entry into sailing performance displays stood out right from the start in this category thanks to the quality of its 7in and 9in displays. Large numerical, graphical and animated screens are well designed and easy to read at distance. They can be controlled via touch screen or remotely from any compatible MFD. The system is completed by a Smart Wind sensor and Axiom chartplotter. The jury was particularly impressed with the Alpha Performance Display System’s performance given its lower-than-expected price point, making hi-res big screen sailing data accessible to a wider base of users.
Zhik Seaboot
Company: PLASTIMO
Category: personal equipment
Introduction date: 11/09/2023
Jury Comment: Designed to reinvent the way a sea boot works and feels, the Seaboot 700 is lightweight, flexible and comfortable. Zhik collaborated with Michelin on the design of the sole and formulation of the rubber, but this Australian company also demonstrates its own clear understanding of the needs of sailors with lots of design detail in key areas. The result is desirable and a clear step forward for waterproof and breathable footwear that may be used for many hours or even days at a time.
LiMit Collar
Company: Hall Spars
Category: security & safety aboard
Introduction date: 15/09/2023
Jury Comment: The increasing incidence of lightning strikes and rise of composite rigging systems are the dual imperatives behind the development of the LiMit Collar. This product provides high-conductivity seamless fuse structures at critical areas where current arcs between composite and metallic rigging parts and absorbs current at each conical end fitting. The LiMit Collar was developed after several years of R&D. The jury praised the excellent evidence of careful design effort including the ability for crews to conduct post-strike inspection and replacement. A welcome new safety feature for composite rigged yachts and superyachts.
ATMOS 12V Waterproof
Company: Scanstrut Ltd.
Category: comfort & entertainment afloat
Introduction date: 24/08/2023
Jury Comment: Inflatable boats and toys have become standard inventory on many boats. The ATMOS is a fully integrated two-stage air pump with user friendly controls and pleasing aesthetics in a waterproof housing that will look at home embedded in the cockpit of many a motorboat or yacht. It can inflate from low pressure up to 20psi according to easily adjusted settings. The Jury recognised this as an excellent example of identifying a niche requirement and addressing it by researching and developing a well-designed product, right down to a clear installation and user manual.
Environmental Design Award Winner
ECOcube
Company: Marservis d.o.o.
Jury Comment: EcoCube is a pontoon-like solar-powered floating building constructed from natural fibres and bio epoxy resin. It acts as a receiving station for wastewater and rubbish from leisure vessels and can offer tank top-ups from desalinated water. It is designed to be monitored remotely, will broadcast AIS signals to be discovered easily and offer control via onboard touch screens or a phone app. While noting the merit of its detailed design, the jury specifically wanted to recognise the EcoCube’s potential to be placed in highly visible locations as reminder for boat owners to treat all waste products with sensitivity and not have any excuses for bad practices.