The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) has named 12 winners in its 2026 Innovation Awards, selected from 100 products entered by exhibiting marine businesses. Three additional products received honourable mentions.
The programme is managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and judged by members of Boating Writers International. Awards were presented during the Industry Breakfast on the opening day of IBEX.
Boat care and maintenance produced two winners: Propspeed’s Foulfree Multi-Surface coating and Spectrum Color’s TouchPro repair system.
Judge Tony Esposito said Foulfree extended underwater protection to 20 non-metal surfaces using a non-toxic, three-step process. Steve Davis described TouchPro as an aerosol kit that matches original equipment colour palettes without requiring spray guns or full component replacement.
Big Dog Adhesives won the boatbuilding methods and materials category with its Reload Adhesives system.
Reversible canisters accept aluminium foil adhesive cartridges, reducing the number of conventional caulking tubes sent to landfill. Judge Pim Van Hemmen said the system uses standard industry adhesives while lowering shipping and material costs.
Scanstrut won the deck equipment and hardware category with a wirelessly powered all-round white LED navigation pole light. Tim Murphy said the water-resistant design removed corrosion-prone metal-to-metal connections and delivered a two-nautical-mile light.
The electrical systems category also had two winners. ARCO’s Zeus Omega alternator control system separates the drive and control modules and can manage up to six alternators across 12V to 48V systems.
Egis Mobile Electric’s Modular Power Distribution Module combines fuses, circuit breakers, connectors and NMEA 2000 control in a sealed, stackable unit.
Other category winners were Kenyon International’s Signature Induction Cooktop Series; Flow Marine Systems’ FlowGuard HVAC condensate protection; Garmin’s Signal VHF 400; Glydus’s telescopic and tilt steering mechanism; Canyon Runner’s Connected Vessel Intelligence service; and the Launch & Retrieve Boat Latch.
Garmin’s unit combines VHF, digital selective calling and a Class B SOTDMA AIS transponder in a colour touchscreen.
Judge Steve Mitchell said it could monitor three channels, replay three minutes of audio and provide diagnostic information for antennas and cabling.
Canyon Runner’s service combines vessel data, predictive analysis, weather, navigation and crowdsourced information without requiring owners to replace existing electronics.
The trailer category winner, the L&R Boat Latch, allows a solo operator to launch or retrieve a boat without leaving the helm.
Honourable mentions went to Gemlux’s Deluxe Antenna Mount, AquaAmp’s Smart DT Connector and Nextfour/Q Experience’s Q Float display.
