From digital sail threads to a smart tender holder–ten superaccessories you’ll see at METS

Among the products selected by the METS Design Award (DAME) jury, the prestigious award that will be given to the product judged to be the most innovative among those presented at METS (Nov. 15-17, the international trade fair dedicated to accessories in Amsterdam) we particularly liked ten of them for their “intelligence.” Here are the products that impressed us:

1. DINGHY RINGS.
A simple and clever system for keeping the inflated tender on hand at all times during your cruise: it consists of two large “rings” that are either attached under the aft swim platform or secured to the aft pulpits by a bracket. The tender tubes are to be threaded through the rings, while the bow is hoisted with a halyard. www.dinghyrings.com

2. LED LIGHT WITH MAGNET FOR BIMINI
This is an “egg of Columbus” devised by the Germans at Fender Design that will solve your cockpit lighting problems: it is nothing more than an LED light equipped with a magnet and two very powerful counter magnets-these can be applied to the bimini and all sorts of fabrics. The light runs on battery power and is built into a lightweight device that is very easy to assemble. www.fender-design.com

3. FLEXOFOLD COMPOSITE
From Denmark comes Flexofold Composite, an ultratechnological 2-blade folding propeller for saildrive: it features a hydrodynamic design that ensures low friction and good thrust, a light weight resulting from the composite construction (immune to electrolysis, which is not to be underestimated), a patented quick-mount system, and Dual Shock dampers. www.flexofold.com

4. DOKENSIP
Dokensip is an easy-to-install wireless sensor system that allows you to monitor the status of your boat while moored in port or at anchor, via an app on your smartphone. You will be able to keep an eye on bilge, batteries, power, temperature, gas, smoke, and remotely control switches, and you will be alerted if there is an intrusion on board. Not to mention the geolocation of the boat and the tide and weather conditions! www.dokensip.com

5. SKYWATCHBL500
SkywatchBL500 is a smartphone weather station with Bluetooth technology with wind speed, temperature, humidity, pressure and UV index. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences and measurements on major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can use the monitoring mode and automatically record weather data and GPS location. www.jdc.ch

6. ETELLTALE
Conceived by Mer Agitee, Michel Desjoyeaux’s company, eTellTale is an invaluable tool for the more “racing” sailors: it actually replaces the threads on sails with a digital, easy-to-apply device that can report via wireless data, once the right parameters are set, whether the airflow on the sail is smooth and “correct” or is disturbed by abnormal turbulence. www.meragitee.com

7. EP 6.5 OCEAN RACING

Mustang Survivals comes to market with a series of truly high-end products, featuring designs that maximize ergonomics and the use of “noble” materials such as Gore-Tex and Exoskin. EP 6.5 Ocean Racing oilskin and dungarees were developed with the help of established ocean sailors and provide excellent waterproofing, comfort, durability and above all thermoregulation. www.mustangsurvival.com

8. WATERPROOF USB CHARGE SOCKET

From Scanstrut comes the waterproof USB socket, to be mounted on the deck. The dual universal socket offers dual 12 and 24 V charging modes. Watertight protection is guaranteed with any combination of 0, 1 or 2 connected devices, and the socket works with any type of USB connector. A really good solution when combined with a waterproof case for your tablet or smartphone! www.scanstrut.com

9. MODULAR 300
Schenker’s new Modular 300 desalinator is the first and only marine desalinator to use a main multi-stage centrifugal pump combined with a volumetric energy recovery system. This solution provides very high efficiency (2 kW consumption) and surprising reliability, which cannot be achieved with traditional piston pump-based technologies. www.schenkerwatermakers.com

10. NUANCE ECO SMART

Nuance is an innovative solution that replaces traditional blackout films on hatches and skylights with an electronically adjustable laminate of glass or polycarbonate. It blocks 99.9 percent of UV rays, the manufacturer claims. Photovoltaic cells integrated on the chassis allow Nuance Eco-Smart to work in complete energy autonomy, and no wiring is required. Opacity control, from light to dark, is adjusted by a touch panel built into the hatch. www.vision-systems.fr