Accessories: the tops and the. flops of this 2015

As the new accessories for the 2016 season are about to arrive, let’s take a look back and review those accessories that were successful this 2015 and those … that flopped instead! Yes, because sailing is also, like any other discipline, subject to technological evolution: for example, the increasing use of smartphones and apps on board, and the fact that the market trend is the search for integration between instruments means that the albeit reliable stand-alone devices are being shelved. But beware, it is also and especially a cost issue: lithium batteries are definitely the future, but for now few are sold due to high prices!

FOLDING BIKES They are lightweight and easily stowable

By now, more and more of them are being seen at the dock and aboard cruising boats: the choice is wide, ranging from the cheapest models (around 200 euros) to the lighter, electric and “designer” models, which can cost as much as several thousand euros.

FLAME INHIBITORS
They leave no residue

The success of flame inhibitors, which are certainly more practical and economical than traditional fire extinguishers, is evidenced, for example, by the boom of the Fire Eater (pictured left), one of the most popular products on nauticplace.com: a hand-held potassium aerosol dispenser that leaves no residue behind.

EASY MOORING KIT
When cruising, they are most convenient

Handy Duck, Hook & Moor and so on: more and more are being sold at boat shows. Easy mooring kits threaten to retire the good old-fashioned half-navy: thanks to them, mooring and docking are within a kid’s reach…

GLASSES AGAINST SEASICKNESS
They give you a questionable “look”

With the understanding that an absolute remedy for seasickness in this day and age has not yet been found, these glasses have not achieved the hoped-for sales success. Maybe for some people they were effective results, but it must be said that aesthetics also wants its share….

WEATHER STATIONS.
Today some people prefer apps

With the advent of numerous weather apps and weather programs that can be directly interfaced to MFPs, there remains little room in the era of integration for the now “old-fashioned” stand-alone digital weather stations.

LITHIUM BATTERIES
Effective, but still too expensive

Lithium batteries have incredible potential for on-board use. They weigh half as much as AGM and gel models, allow more charge cycles, and for the same space as a conventional model deliver more energy. But they still cost too much to take the field among cruisers: for now they remain an ideal solution for racers and hardened “grinders.”