Amsterdam, Press release from British Marine: Scanstrut takes ultimate prize at DAME Awards 2017
British Marine member entries account for top prize, a category winner and three special mentions
Out of 64 shortlisted entries came one overall winner, British Marine member Scanstrut, which took not only the prestigious Overall Winner award, but also the Category Award for Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging at the 27th edition of the DAME Awards. There were special mentions for three other British Marine members – Blood Red, McMurdo and Raymarine – ensuring that British innovation and design were at the forefront of the world’s marine equipment sector.
Scanstrut’s Venture Connect Conversion Kit, which secured a category award as well as the overall award, retrospectively adapts an RS Venture (a dinghy designed for able-bodied sailors that is already in common use in many training and sailing centres). The plug and play kit includes a combined battery and control pack, a powered mainsheet winch, joystick control and sip-puff headset option. Fully self-contained, it enables a sailing instructor to convert the boat to one suitable for use by those with a wide range of disabilities, including paraplegia, in only 30 minutes.
On receiving the award, Grant Fox, Marketing Manager at Scanstrut said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the overall DAME Award, the highest accolade we could possibly achieve. We’ve been entering the awards for more than a decade, with great success over the years, but to win the main award is truly the biggest day in the company’s history. Our collaboration with RS Sailing started here at METS last year, so this special project has been a year in the making. The Scanstrut Para Sailing System is a conversion kit that enables a standard RS sailing dinghy to be converted for most disabilities including para sailing. The key to the design is accessibility, enabling the sailing instructor to convert the product easily depending on the user.
“Winning this award has already sparked conversations with many other companies to work on more special projects. We’re here to solve issues that others may have, with our waterproofing capability and ability to design products within a marine environment and perhaps a new collaboration will result in another award!”
The Jury praised Scanstrut for delivering a well-designed and fully integrated solution with attention to every detail that will allow a broader range of disabled people to get on the water and enjoy the same benefits as others.
Commenting on the result, Chairwoman of the Jury, Birgit Schnaase stated: “I work a lot in the superyacht sector and saw good entries that apply there, but I was also pleased to see products with personal applications that you can touch, see, feel and understand. Our overall winner is a very good example of that.”
Blood Red received a special mention in the category for Clothing and Crew Accessories for its INTEGRA buoyancy harness. The awards jury commented that the harness had been designed for convenience and to maximise the ability to move in restricted spaces. Owner, Dave Harris, commented: “Being acknowledged by the DAME Awards jury is really good amongst our industry peers. This nomination is recognition for all the hard work in the development of our product, the only one of its type in the world.”
McMurdo received a special mention in the same category for its SmartFind G8 AIS. The jury said that this was a very highly praised product, close to the eventual winner of this category. The product combined four frequencies, including AIS, to maximise the chances of a successful rescue. A senior figure at Orolia Maritime commented it was “delighted that its McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS EPIRB has won a special mention at DAME 2017, in the same month as it received its Wheelmark accreditation. The device’s accelerated rescue capabilities will help save even more lives and highlights Orolia’s continued commitment to innovation in search and rescue.”
Raymarine’s FLIR M232 Marine Thermal Camera (which was submitted by Raymarine UK) received a special mention in the Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software category. The jury welcomed bringing the capabilities of a small size pan, tilt and zoom capable thermal imaging camera from FLIR to a much wider audience. Jim Hand, Director of Marketing for Flir and Raymarine said: “We are very honoured to be recognised with a special mention. We are excited that the M232 was highlighted for its new video analytics technology called ClearCruise™. The product’s size and affordability makes thermal technology more accessible to a wide group of boaters.”
Howard Pridding, Chief Executive at British Marine said: “Congratulations to Tom Reed and his team at Scanstrut, who are worthy recipients of this year’s overall winner at the DAME Awards. The fact that Scanstrut are serial nominees at these awards highlights just how much effort and skill they put into their products year after year. They are a fantastic ambassador for UK equipment designers and manufacturers.
“The special mentions for British Marine members Blood Red, McMurdo and Raymarine mean that UK companies have had another great year at the DAME Awards. I would like to extend British Marine’s congratulations to all the winners and short-listed nominees.”
The DAME Awards, in their 27th edition, have cemented themselves as the world’s number one international design competition for new marine equipment and accessories. The award winners were announced during the Breakfast Briefing on the opening day of the METSTRADE Show 2017, taking place 14 – 16 November 2017 at the Amsterdam RAI. British Marine is at METSTRADE, hosting and organising the British Pavilion with almost 70 member companies.